Team TransNet Extreme are hoping for a change of fortunes going into round three of the New Zealand Rally Championship, the Rally of Whangarei.
History works for Glenn Inkster and co-driver Glenn Goldring, who have run strongly in their last two visits to the roads formerly used as part of the World Rally Championship.
Various problems have dogged the team at the opening two rounds and championship rival Geof Argyle has taken a colossal 90 point championship lead that Inkster says is ‘now pretty difficult to hunt down, so we just want to win what is left for the year.’
Although their open class car is ineligible to run in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship field, Inkster says that the atmosphere around the event with the international teams and drivers, and the profile of the event, make it a special one to compete in.
As an added bonus for both Inkster and Goldring, they get the chance to drive on the same roads as all the greats. Until only a few years ago the roads used on the Rally Whangarei were part of New Zealand’s round of the World Rally Championship, meaning the likes of Makinen, Sainz, McRae, Loeb and Gronholm have all contested these demanding stages.
“It is pretty cool having watched Tommi Makinen driving an Evo 6.5 on these roads, and now we get the chance to run our TransNet Evo 6.5 on the same roads,†comments Inkster.
Action gets under way with a ceremonial start from the Cameron Street Mall at 5.30 on Friday, June 5. The crews will tackle eight stages on Saturday, followed by another eight stages on Sunday, returning to the Whangarei town basin from 3pm.
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