Open 2WD Championship – mid-season update
Home of the wild machines, the Open 2WD class has seen four entries to date in the 2024 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship.
Three vehicles contested the series opener at Otago, with Dave Strong and Rob Scott in their Supercharged V6 Honda Jazz up against a pair of Toyota 86s with 3-litre 6 Cylinder H6 engines, one for Brent Taylor and Chris Ramsay, the other for series debutants Willy Hawes and Jason Dwyer.
Strong and Taylor battled early, Strong getting the better start before Taylor overcame him. Strong’s rally would end with engine failure in SS6 however, leaving Taylor to top the standings at the end of the first day. Taylor continued to open his margin over Hawes on day two, before gearbox failure in the penultimate stage meant Hawes would take victory on debut.
Round two saw just the two entries of Strong (who had a new co-driver in Carol Liston for the event) and Hawes. Strong took the early lead, but a storming run through the forestry saw Hawes only 2.4 seconds of his vastly experienced rival at the first service. Strong would edge away across the afternoon, before using the bulk horsepower of the Jazz at Levels Raceway to cement a winning margin of just over a minute.
The third round, the Southern Lights Rally, saw Murray and Kyle Percival join the field in their Holbay-powered Escort. The return of night stages saw a fright for Strong, his spotlights not working for half of the opening stage, although he was able to fend off Hawes by half a second. Percival suffered electrical issues en route to the opener and would enter the overnight parc ferme almost three minutes back.
The following day, Strong was on fire, claiming eight of the remaining nine stages to take a victory of just over two minutes from Hawes, who was playing the long game with his points advantage. Percival battled further issues but a finish saw him on the podium.
Willy Hawes and Jason Dwyer lead the standings with 94 points, ahead of Dave Strong and Carol Liston on 60. Murray and Kyle Percival sit third on 23, then Brent Taylor and Chris Ramsay on 7.
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