Clendon to unleash new car in Whangarei 

Jackson Clendon will unleash his new Rally4 at this weekend’s second round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship.

Clendon will debut his Ford Fiesta Rally4 car at the two-day International Rally of Whangarei and it could have big impact on the NZRC 2WD Championship.

Dylan Thomson has dominated the category in recent seasons and claimed a class victory at the season-opening event in Otago while youngster Bryn Jones also impressed.

Clendon banked some valuable points driving a down-on-power Toyota Vitz but is looking forward to fighting at the front with his new car.

“It is really exciting to have. It is a Rally4 car – formerly known as R2 – but it is updated with a bit more power,” Clendon said.

“I did about 50km of testing last weekend, and it went really well. The car felt great, and I can’t wait to do more in it.

“I just want to get through the event. I don’t have any expectation – just want to have a nice clean run and get to the finish.”

International Rally of Whangarei begins with the famous Pohe Island Super Special in downtown Whangarei on Friday night, run in reverse direction to recent years. Competitors then tackle two days of special stages north and south-west of the city.