Â
After the Polar Blast that affected most of the country last week wreaked havoc on the PMTMotorsport Team's preparation of the MITECH WELDERS Subaru and seriously disrupted their travel plans getting to the rally, the rally itself went extremely well for the 23 year old and his Co-Driver Jason Farmer from Huntly.
Â
"Once we eventually got to Napier, and big thanks to the team at Blue Bridge & Strait Shipping for getting us across the [Cook] Strait as soon as the weather let them, everything fell into place and it was awesome to put together another solid weekend to back up from our great result - 3rd APRC finisher - at [the International Rally of] Whangarei," said Matt.
Â
"The recce went very smoothly and the guys managed to get the new suspension and other preparation work done on site.
Â
Matt and Jason's consistent performance is clearly indicated by their run of stage placings across the 13 high speed tests around southern and central Hawkes Bay. Every one was either the same or better than the previous one as they were 11th on Stage One and 6th quickest on the last.
Â
"We are very pleased to have finally got back on the pace that we expected to be on at the start of the year, and it's very heartening to be back in touch with our main opposition.
Â
"The changes we made to the suspension really paid off and the last two rallies have certainly renewed our enthusiasm.
Â
"So now it's time to turn our attention to having some fun in the MITECH WELDERS Subaru, as we are planning to take our sponsors for rides at the Ashley Forest Rallysprint next month - September 24 & 25 - where winning the Rally Car Class will be our aim.
Â
"It's always an excellent weekend and a great chance to spend some time with our supporters and sponsors in what is commonly referred to as the Spiritual Home of South Island Rallying.
Â
"We last competed there in 2009 in our previous MITECH WELDERS Subaru, which was in it's regular Group N rally trim, including the old 32mm [turbo] restrictor. We posted a time just over the famed 1 Minute Barrier, so with our new car running the 33mm restrictor, we reckon we could go close to breaking that 1 minute mark."
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
