Macdonald’s search for experience has him in title fight
Southerner James Macdonald will make the trek north for the second time in three weeks when he lines up at Rally Bay of Plenty next week.
Fresh off a season-best second place in the Rally Challenge 4WD class at Daybreaker, Macdonald is still trying to find his feet on the North Island roads that are so different to what he is used to.
“I am just learning the North Island roads, so I think we are getting a bit more into the swing of things now and having some fun,” he said.
“There is a lot of gravel and mud around, so I think it is about keeping it tight and tidy.”
For Macdonald, season 2024 has been about development and getting used to each event but he finds himself right in the picture in the fiercely competitive class.
He is 10 points behind championship leader Andrew Graves with two rounds remaining.
“It is a bit hard to know at the moment,” he says of the championship scenario [each driver counts their best three scores from the first five events plus the final round at Whangarei].
“It is going to be tricky – I think we just need to keep chugging along and collecting points.”
Even before his great result at Daybreaker, Macdonald was always planning on making the trip to the Bay of Plenty.
“The in-laws are in Bay of Plenty so we can clean the car and park it up there,” he explained.
“Just getting some good seat time under the belt is the plan this year. We haven’t had a lot of seat time on these North Island roads so trying to get some experience is our goal.”
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