Stadium Finance owner Amos Banbury has high hopes that the teams latest recruit, Mount Manganui’s David Holder, will record a top result when he climbs aboard the Stadium Finance Ford Fiesta ST for the final round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, powered by Brother, Rally Gisborne, which runs this weekend.
Stadium Finance Motorsport has had a busy year supporting talented drivers already this season, with current Production World Rally Champion Hayden Paddon shaking down the teams Ford Escort RS1800 at the Stadium Cars/Nichibo Otago Classic Rally, while current P-WRC runner Louise Cook used the very same Fiesta that Holder will use this weekend. Mark Tapper, a former P-WRC competitor and NZRC front runner, has also driven for the team this season.
Holder has had a standout debut season in the national rally championship, having wrapped up both the open two-wheel drive and rookie classes at the previous round, Brother Rally New Zealand, driving his near-standard Toyota Corolla. The 23-year old, with older brother James co-driving has used the car to great effect, taking the fight to his rivals more powerful and sophisticated cars to be amongst the top two-wheel drive cars at every event.
With his championship already in the bag and with the help of Stadium Finance, Holder, who is mentored by Hayden Paddon, will step into a Ford Fiesta identical to those he has been taking the fight to throughout the season and with his early season form, is sure to challenge for a top result for the Stadium Finance Motorsport outfit.
Amos Banbury, team owner, is excited to have a driver like Holder on board. “To add a driver of David’s calibre to the Stadium Finance Motorsport team is fantastic.”
“We have seen what he has achieved in his car and I’m excited to see what he can achieve in the Fiesta, which has proved itself to be consistently one of the fastest two-wheel drive cars in the country.”
The car Holder will use has a strong pedigree, having been used by WRC Academy front runner Brendan Reeves before being driven by defending Fiesta series champion, Ben Hunt, and then winning that series in the hands of Stephen Barker, who went on to win that years Fiesta International Shootout. The team then purchased the car from Josh Marston before Louise Cook won the Production Cup round of the WRC at Rally New Zealand.
The Gisborne Vehicle Testing Waikanae Beach Holiday Park Rally Gisborne begins with a ceremonial start on Friday night, crews will leave Reads Quay at 7am on Saturday morning before tackling seven special stages totalling 170km. A further five stages the following day add another 125km of special stages before the finish back at Reads Quay on Sunday afternoon.
Press Release by BB Media
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
