Hamilton’s Stephen Barker is looking for more of the same at the upcoming Rally Wairarapa after a successful debut of the Rintoul Civil Mistubishi Evo 7 on the previous round of the New Zealand Rally Championship in Whangarei.
With the rest of this year being used to gain experience in the Group N spec Mitsubishi, the number one priority for the team is to complete all the of the 15 stages held north of Masterton.
Like all bar one of the events held in the NZRC, Barker has not yet contested Rally Wairarapa but is looking forward to the roads that are challenging but enjoyable by reputation. The Stephen Barker Motorsport team have been testing recently to build up miles and experience in the car.
“We are really happy with the car. It’s surprising how easy it is to get to grips with and the upgrade in technology is very noticeable (compared to the Evo’s 4 and 6 the team has used to date),†says Barker.
Barker and co-driver Brett Lightfoot currently hold down third place in the Open 4WD Class, a great result after a very difficult start to the season that was turned around with the new car.
The Rally Wairarapa kicks off with an autograph session held at rally headquarters, the Copthorne Hotel and Resort Solway Park. The action kicks off when the cars start from Pongaroa, completing seven special stages totalling 132 kilometres. The teams will then contest a further 117 kilometres split into eight special stages before returning to Solway Park for the finish.
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