Rookie Championship – mid-season update
A total of 14 ‘Rookie’ drivers have taken part in the three rounds of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship to date with an exciting battle already forming amongst the front runners in the class.
To be considered a Rookie, drivers must not have entered an NZRC round as a driver previously, an important ruling with both Andrew Graves and James Bracefield having experienced notable success in the co-drivers seat of NZRC rounds previously.
The opening round would see 12 Rookies line up to contest Otago Rally, with points awarded after the opening day. Graves would be the fastest rookie, but only after holding off early challenges from Caleb MacDonald and Brandon Semenuk, the latter suffering a puncture. Another of the Southland charge, Carter Strang would end up second, just holding off MacDonald and Mark McMillan, who dropped from second to fourth with penalties. Vanuatu driver Julien Lenglet would come in fifth, then the two-wheel drive Fiesta of Jack Stokes, Gavin Feast, Jay Pittams, James Worker, Semenuk, Willy Hawes and Pat Norris.
Round two, the South Canterbury Rally, saw Graves again the early leader, this time though gearbox failure would see him score a zero. MacDonald would pick up the pieces to take the class win ahead of an ultra consistent Strang. A strong run saw Pittams claim third ahead of Feast, while Stokes battled a broken gearlever late in the day to still claim fifth. The finishers would be rounded out by Hawes, Worker and Norris, with Bracefield suffering an unfortunate gearbox failure, while McMillan would retire with suspension issues.
Round Three, the Southern Lights Rally in Invercargill, would see a new dynamic for the Rookies, with the first two stages being held under the cover of darkness. A last minute dash saw Graves make the start, his gearbox only being finished hours before the start and it was worthwhile, taking the win. MacDonald would take second despite two trips into the scenery throughout the day, while Strang would continue his solid run in third. Joining for the third round, another Vanuatu visitor in Nelson Law would make an impressive debut to claim fourth ahead of Stokes, then McMillan who was unlucky to lose several minutes bogged off the road. Hawes and Norris would round out the finishers, while Pittams would retire with a broken CV joint and Feast with suspension failure.
As it sits, Caleb MacDonald leads the standings with 67 points, three clear of Strang on 64. Stokes sits third on 53, but his class will see him contest each of the remaining rounds while his competitors ahead aren’t required to. Graves sits fourth on 50, the class pace setter but ham strung by his Timaru issues. Hawes is fifth on 45, but another likely to contest all remaining rounds, then Norris on 41. McMillan is seventh on 36, just ahead of the tied Pittams and Feast on 35, then Worker (30), Law (19), Lenglet (18) and Semenuk on 13.
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