Kaiapoi’s Marcus van Klink is looking to build on the promise of round one when the second round of the New Zealand Rally Championship, Rally New Zealand, kicks into life this weekend.
At the opening round, van Klink took third place for the weekend after a smashed wheel rim cost him certain victory on debut in the Historic class. Driving the brand new Mico Plumbing Group B Mazda RX-7, van Klink took several convincing stage wins.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back in the seat knowing that we have the pace to fight with the best of them,” says van Klink. “The boys at Palmside Automotive have only had to make small adjustments to the car as it exceeded expectations on its debut at Otago.”
Also new to the Klink Rallysport team this year is experienced co-driver Dave Neill and the pair are making the transition to the new car smoothly, something van Klink says is a huge help.
Van Klink and Neill have been seeded second in the historic section of Rally NZ and top NZRC contender and will be looking to turn that into a top result to overhaul the 25 point gap between themselves and the championship lead.
Last year van Klink had his first taste of the unique roads that will make up the 2011 edition of Rally NZ, driving a four-wheel drive Mitsubishi. Although in a totally different car, the experience on the roads will only improve van Klink’s chances of victory on the roads in the Franklin and Raglan areas.
Rally New Zealand gets underway with a ceremonial start on Friday 6 May starting at 6pm with the first car crossing the start ramp at 7.30pm. The following day, crews will tackle eight special stages, including two passes of the Hampton Downs super special stage which circulates around the service park. The following day a further five special stages will run before a final run around the Hampton Downs super special and the ceremonial finish.
Press Release by BB Media
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