Brendan Reeves will return to New Zealand next month to contest Rally Coromandel in Force Motorsport’s brand new 1600cc Mazda2 AP4.
Brendan Reeves tests the new Force Motorsport Mazda2 AP4 in New Zealand. (Photo: Scott Johnson)
Reeves travelled to New Zealand recently to assist the Force Motorsport team with testing of their AP4 and AP4+ rally cars.
Reeves drove the first generation AP4 Mazda2 at Rally Coromandel in New Zealand’s North Island last year (winning the event), and the weekend’s testing was an opportunity to see what improvements Force Motorsport have made with their latest spec AP4 car.
The AP4 car has been fitted with a 1.6 litre turbocharged direct injection engine to suit FIA regulations and ran well throughout the day, with both Andrew Hawkeswood (Force Motorsport team owner) and Reeves giving the car some shakedown runs.
Reeves now plans to return to New Zealand at the end of August to once again contest Rally Coromandel for Force Motorsport.
With his regular co-driver, Rhianon Gelsomino, unable to compete due to rally commitments in the United States, Ben Searcy will step into the co-driver’s seat for the event.
Searcy co-drove for Reeves at the Eureka Rally, the opening round of this year’s Australian Rally Championship, and the pairing was a successful one.
In order to compete, Reeves is calling on the support of his fans and the wider rally community, and will be offering the chance for supporters to have their names featured on the rally car’s bonnet.
Forty places on the bonnet will be made available for just $100 (AUD) each for supporters’ names.
There will be a further 10 places available for small businesses to promote their services on each side of the car, for just $500 (AUD) each.
Reeves loves rallying on the New Zealand roads and has had a lot of good results there. He is looking forward to competing again in the Force Motorsport Mazda.
“We won the rally last year and got a taste for success,” he said. “I really enjoyed working with Force Motorsport and want to make it happen again.“
Hyundai World Rally Championship driver and New Zealand’s own, Hayden Paddon, will be the major entry in the event this year, followed by a huge list of incredibly fast NZRC drivers.
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