Focus on three overall winners in 2019 season 

The Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship will place a greater emphasis on overall 4WD,  2WD and Gull Rally Challenge categories in 2019.

A recent competitor survey highlighted a desire to simplify the process of determining rally winners while still giving all competitors a chance to succeed in their own fields against similar cars.

As a result – the NZRC will celebrate the three overall winners at each event in 2019 – the overall 4WD champion, overall 2WD champion and the overall Gull Rally Challenge champion. While there will still be winners in the individual classes and they will be awarded at each event as per 2018, more emphasis will be placed on the overall winners to make it easier for spectators and media to understand the results.

NZRC coordinator Simon Bell said it was a case of reacting to what competitors want.

“Our NZRC survey gave us some great insights, and as people in the sport we all know the classes and what they mean. But externally sometimes it can be confusing.

“So the main change in the 2019 portfolio (which is with MSNZ for approval at the moment) is a proposed rule change to combine the Historic Challenge 2WD cars into the overall 2WD championship. Up until now they were separate from the main 2WD title and have been for quite some years. It just shifts the focus and creates three main titles that are going to be sort after, and brings a new dimension to the 2wd title.

“We will still celebrate our class winners as we have done previously at each round, but by enlarging the overall 2WD title we feel we have simplified that part of the NZRC.”

The 2019 draft calendar has been released with the season opening at the traditional Otago Rally before heading north to the International Rally of Whangarei.

The 2018 season concludes next week with the running of the Hyundai New Zealand Raglan Rally of the Coast.

The 2018 New Zealand Rally Championship is proudly supported by Brian Green Property Group, Gull New Zealand, Dunlop New Zealand, Hella New Zealand, Hyundai New Zealand and Stadium Finance