Tauranga’s Phil Campbell is looking for a solid finish to gain some valuable points from round three of the New Zealand Rally Championship, Rally Wairarapa, which runs this weekend.
Campbell and co-driver Mal Peden have been on the pace all season, although electrical problems on the opening leg of round one and suspension problems at the recent Rally New Zealand have left him playing catch-up with his rivals in the two-wheel drive Rally New Zealand Scholarship class.
Last year, Campbell made his debut on the roads around the event base in Masterton and describes them as enjoyable. Despite an overheating engine causing a loss of power throughout the event, the 24-year old still managed third in the two-wheel drive class, a result he will be looking to improve on in this year’s event.
With only three weeks between events, the Campbell Rally Sport team have been flat out preparing the Ford Fiesta ST, with a finish critical for championship points.
“We have been through the car and made sure that nothing else can break,” says Campbell. “With the bonus point system, it is critical to finish both days and we haven’t managed that yet.”
After a ceremonial start at the Solway Park resort in Masterton on Friday night, the action gets underway the following day with eight special stages totalling 157.91 kilometres around the Pongaroa region. Day two sees the cars in the Eketahuna area, with a further nine stages before the ceremonial finish back at Solway Park at 4.15pm.
Press Release by BB Media
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