Jagger Flies the Flag for Whangarei at Northland Rally

Whangarei's Ben Jagger is looking forward to the Rally of the North this Saturday where he will fly the flag for his hometown against a strong line up of contenders from Northland and throughout the North Island.

Not least however will be neighbouring drivers Kingsley Thompson and Stephen Barker both out of Kerikeri.

Thompson had a strong run in the national rally championship this season and Barker was the winner of the Group N Two wheel Drive Championship following in the footsteps of Jagger who held that title immediately before him.

Both drivers will be in Mitsubishi Evolutions against Jagger's SeedForce Subaru WRX Impreza adding yet another facet to the battle over choice of machinery.

From outside the region more stiff competition will come from the likes of Rotorua's Sloan Cox who became this year's New Zealand Junior Champion. Also Havelock North's Stewart Taylor will be another very strong competitor as will number one seeded driver Neil Marshall from New Plymouth.

Jagger will be seeded in third place behind Taylor and Marshall giving him a favourable position on the road with the leaders cutting excess metal off the surface. In the event of wet weather he should go through the stages prior to the roads becoming too cut up and slippery.

"it's going to be interesting running third on the road but with Stephen (Barker) and Kingsley (Thompson) in fifth and sixth they may have an advantage - it will be an interesting rally, quite exciting!" says Jagger.

The Rally of the North gets underway with an official start at Paihia public carpark at 7am Saturday the 9th October.

The opening Special Stage One is on Oromahoe Rd just outside of Paihia with the first car leaving at 7.15am. The field of over 50 rally cars will make their way north through the Hokianga towards Kaitaia over four stages before heading east for lunch at Peria School from 11.45 to 12.45pm.

In the afternoon the drivers compete a further four special stages as they head back south towards Maromaku with the finish of Special Stage 8 at the end of Crows Nest Rd near Hukerenui Primary School shortly after 4.15pm.

The official finish of the one day rally is back at the Copthorne Hotel and Resort in Waitangi, Bay of Islands at 5.27pm.

After a gruelling first season in the top category of the New Zealand National Rally Championship Group N 4WD Ben Jagger finished 13th overall. His best placing was fifth at Rally Otago where he was able to show his full potential.

This year's season ended at Rally Nelson last month after five rounds which included international competitions Rally Whangarei and Rally New Zealand. It also included Rally Wairarapa and Rally Otago.

"I want to thank Seed Force and also Valtra Tractors who came on board with us for the first time this season which has been really good. Also our new service crew member Cade Wilson who works for Sublab who has been awesome. Also Rally New Zealand and their Rising Stars scholarship without them we wouldn't have been in the Subaru this year thanks to them for making it all happen. And of course my dad and the rest of the crew for everything they have done. We have definitely learnt a lot over the season and next year we are going to be right on form I think." said Jagger.

"And the support we have had from Whangarei with people coming up to us who know who we are and what we are doing, little kids wanting us to sign posters and stuff it's been just incredible, thank you." he says.

Ben Jagger along with the talented co-driver Ben Hawkins make up the team which has been affectionately dubbed as "The Two Bens" and will be back in 2011 for yet another crack at the national championship.

Ben Jagger was the 2009 Group N 2WD Champion and recipient of Rally New Zealand's Rising Stars scholarship for the 2010 season.

More information including schedules and stage maps for the Rally of the North can be found on the event website www.rallyofthenorth.co.nz.