Rally Manager Carl Rabbidge said “we are very grateful that between the affected land owner and ourselves, we were able to come to a suitable compromise that has resulted in a satisfactory solution for everyone concerned. Our signature special stage is back in the event and it is this spirit of co-operation like this that makes it possible for us to bring our premier motorsport event to the local community.”
Rabbidge paid special thanks to the Council’s roading engineers and all the local area councillors, who still had the final say, but have today agreed to the compromise deal and have signed off on the road closures, allowing the stage back in the event.
Organisers still have some paperwork to do as the stage will now be split into three parts, firstly running for 15kms from Minzion Rd up to the top of Mt Teviot, where the cars will stop competing and tour for 7kms down past the affected land owners property to Lake Onslow. They will then commence competition again over the remaining 78km of the 100km stage.
The changes to the stage mean competitors will now get to truly experience the incredibly varied landscape that this area of Central Otago has to offer, as well as the real challenge of driving on these roads which form part of the events longest competitive stage
The stages re-instatement also means that the original time schedule, as well as the events safety plans and radio communications arrangements can remain unchanged.
The epay Silver Fern Rally 2010 will start in Christchurch on November 14th with the drivers and cars then taking on over 1000km’s of competitive high speed stages with overnight stops in Timaru, Dunedin, Invercargill and Alexandra before the event finishes in Queenstown on November 20th.
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