Six-round North Island Rally Series already drawing top interest

The Generator Rental Services North Island Rally Series is set to go for a second year getting underway in early March. The six-round series will be contested over a variety of road surfaces incorporating both local Clubsport events through to participating in a New Zealand Rally Championship round.

Early expressions of interest have already indicated a bumper field for the first round, the inaugural Ventia Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi, a one-day event taking place on 9 March 2023.

“We are very excited about the coming season,” commented Series spokesman Marty Roestenburg. “We really appreciate both our sponsors coming on board, such as Generator Rental Services, Semog Racing Products and Racetech plus the ongoing support from local motorsport clubs, officials and volunteers. This was a huge part of last season’s success and will be an important ingredient going forward.”

The second round will be the Piakonui Rd Rallysprint, 28 April 21024, the first of two rallysprint events which sees competitors competing over the same stretch of road with timed multiple passes. Hosted by the Thames Valley Car Club, competitors will be flat out for 7kms including only one 200 metre straight in the quiet backdrop of the Richmond Ranges.

The SBT Group Taranaki Tarmac Rally takes place 7 July 2024 and is a favourite amongst sealed road specialists. Hosted by both the South Taranaki and the Taranaki Car Clubs, the rally will take place around the tight and twisty roads of Stratford.

The Hamilton Car Club are the organisers of the Hoddle Road Rallysprint event on 18 August. The fourth round takes place on a gravel stage previously used in the Rally of New Zealand round of the World Rally Championship.

The penultimate round of the season, the Battery Town Bay Rally, will be part of the national series arranged by Motorsport Bay of Plenty and takes place 5 October with some of the best gravel roads in the Whakatane region.

The final round takes place three weeks later on 20 October 2024. The Newstead Lodge Waitomo Rally is a Hamilton Car Club Clubmans ‘blind’ event over 80kms around Piopio in the Waikato.

Last season’s series champion, Phil Campbell (Ford Fiesta AP4) is expected to return along with several national competitors who also competed in several events.

Generator Rental Services company director, Raana Horan, a well-known name to Kiwi rally enthusiasts says he is delighted to support the fledgling series.

“My son Brooklyn and I both individually competed in the 2023 Series and really enjoyed the vibe,” said Raana Horan, who finished runner up in the national series. “The NIRS organisers have gone to great lengths to target young competitors with the inclusion of clubman-level events, which has been a major drawcard for our family.

The season ending prizegiving will be combined with the Northern Rallysprint Series on Saturday 30 November 2024 at the Northern Sports Car Club from 4:30pm.