Tauranga Mitsubishi driver Phil Campbell has bounced backed from Rally Gisborne, claiming second in the Mahindra Gold Rush Rally of Coromandel over the weekend.
The fifth round of the 2015 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship saw more than 60 cars compete across nine special stages and 132km of twisting Coromandel roads on Saturday.
Campbell on his way to the NZRC round victory at last years Rally Coromandel. Photo: Euan Cameron/NZ Rally
This latest result cements Campbell and co-driver Venita Fabbro's place in the championship table, with the Bay duo currently sitting in second.
They finished 37 seconds behind Coromandel Rally winner and championship leaders, Nelson Subaru team Ben Hunt and co-driver Tony Rawstorn, who led from start to finish.
Campbell and Fabbro moved into second with a strong run over the two longest stages – the 22km Tapu-Coroglen and 24km Castlerock stages – and would hold that position until the rally's end.
Fellow Tauranga Mitsubishi driver David Holder, who was returning to the championship for the first time since rolling out of round one at Rally Whangarei, chased Campbell hard, taking the final podium placing only 6.9 seconds behind.
Hunt had a clear run to victory with five out of nine stage wins, but a major battle for the remaining podium places was taking place behind.
Rotorua Mitsubishi driver Sloan Cox initially held second until over heating issues slowed his progress. Dylan Turner was running as high as third until a clutch issued stopped his car on stage four.
The challenging Coromandel roads provided plenty of drama for a number of crews, with local hope Alex Kelsey and co-driver Malcolm Peden slowing with an off-road excursion.
Kelsey was competing his radical Mad Creation 2, which he designed and built himself and features a V6 powered 4WD drivetrain cloaked in a Peugeot 208 body.
The BNT Historic category saw a battle between two Christchurch drivers – Marcus Van Klink in his Mazda RX7 and Tony Gosling in his Ford Escort RS1800. The pair traded stage times until a diff failure on Van Klink's Mazda sidelined his run.
Gosling and co-driver Blair Read took the Classic round win and placed 13th overall ahead of Tauranga's Andy Martin and Matt Heywood's Mazda RX3.
The Gull Rally Challenge 2WD was dominated by Tauranga Ford Escort pair Anthony Jones and Noel Maloney, who also finished 12th overall.
Drivers and crews now have a six-week break to prepare for the championship finale at the Daybreaker Rally Wairarapa on Saturday October, 3.
2015 Brian Green Property Group NZ Rally Championship points:
- Ben Hunt (Nelson – Subaru) 130 points
- Phil Campbell (Tauranga – Mitsubishi) 106
- Lance Williams (Te Aroha – Subaru) 88
- Matt Summerfield (Rangiora – Subaru) 84
- Graham Featherstone (Te Aroha – Mitsubishi) 73
2 comments
Go find a track
Posted on 25-08-2015 15:25 | By Reefer
I don't play golf on the road, so why can't these 'sportsmen' go find themselves a track to race on, instead of inconveniencing the entire region with road closures.
Just not cricket
Posted on 25-08-2015 17:30 | By Mel Function
Agreed, to play tennis and cricket we have to use sportsfields. Yet motorsport and cyclists think they can use public highways with reckless abandon, while other codes take their sport to purpose built facilities. The closures on Saturday were a major pain in the butt for us. Plus the noise and choppers, it was like Viet Bloody Nam.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to make a comment.