Rotorua’s Sloan Cox has experienced the highs and the lows that motorsport can offer, all in one weekend at the final round of the New Zealand Rally Championship, Rally Hawkes Bay, over the weekend.
Cox continued his impressive turn of this season, recording the fourth fastest time on both of the opening two stages, then following up with a second fastest time on the day’s third special stage to maintain fourth position at the mid-day service, only ten seconds off the rally lead.
Keen to improve on his encouraging start, Cox and co-driving sister Tarryn set the third fastest time on the days fourth special stage, however on the repeat run, a scary moment saw them leave the road momentarily and the pair dropped nearly 20 seconds. A fifth fastest time on the day’s final stage secured fourth place points for leg one of the event.
The second leg started with another fourth fastest time, however before the next stage, problems for another competitor saw the pair move the Taslo Engineering Mitsubishi Evo 10 up to third place for both the day and the rally.
Unfortunately on the very next stage, a slippery corner caught out 19-year old Sloan and he slid off the road and into some logs. Although he got going again, a crushed intercooler pipe cost power and worse, caused engine damage. After limping to the next service halt, he was forced to retire with an increasingly sick engine.
“It’s a real shame, but there are plenty of positives to take out of the event,” said Sloan. “We are really happy with the speed we have found this year, but at this pace we need to get rid of some of the small errors.”
The result meant that Cox slipped to tenth in the NZRC points standings, a result that doesn’t reflect the speed and promise the youngster has shown in the 2011 season.
Press Release by BB Media
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