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Rally New Zealand invites applications for PWRC or SWRC wildcard entries

Tuesday 2 March 2010, 12:52PM

By Rally New Zealand

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Richard Mason, with co-driving wife Sara, in action during Rally New Zealand in 2008. As a Rally New Zealand PWRC guest entrant, Mason has finished as high as third among the world's best production rally car drivers.
Richard Mason, with co-driving wife Sara, in action during Rally New Zealand in 2008. As a Rally New Zealand PWRC guest entrant, Mason has finished as high as third among the world's best production rally car drivers. Credit: Rally New Zealand/Alan McDonald

Two wildcard entries for Rally New Zealand in 2010 offer local rally drivers the chance to test their skills against top-level competition.

Rally New Zealand invites applications from drivers registered for the New Zealand Rally Championship for the two ‘wildcard’ or guest entries into the Production World Rally Championship (PWRC) or Super 2000 World Rally Championship (SWRC) categories of the World Rally Championship event running from 6 to 9 May this year.

“Outside what’s going on with the World Rally Championship calendar in 2011 and beyond, Rally New Zealand is shaping up to be the premier motorsport event of the year when it runs from 6 to 9 May. We’re delighted to once again offer New Zealand drivers a potentially career-changing opportunity to compete against the world’s best production or Super 2000 car rally drivers with these wildcard entries,” says Rally New Zealand chairman Chris Carr.

In recent years, top Kiwi drivers like Richard Mason, Emma Gilmour, Chris West and Hayden Paddon have successfully applied for wildcard entries into the production category. Mason, in particular, demonstrated his talents against drivers from around the world several years in a row. The Masterton driver finished third twice and second once among the PWRC competitors in Australia and New Zealand, while Paddon was fourth in PWRC in New Zealand in 2008.

“New Zealand rally drivers benefit in a number of ways if they win a wildcard entry,” explains Carr.

“They will be entered in either PWRC or SWRC, depending on their car, and are then seeded among those competitors. This sees them run further up the starting order than the New Zealand Rally Championship competitors and gain from the greater television exposure of these competitive categories. The 2009 statistics show 47.6 million viewers, on average, watched each WRC event,” says Carr.

“The Rally New Zealand wildcard entrants also earn points in one of these global competitions, which adds to their international profile – and you’ll find the international teams watch our wildcard drivers closely as they are often right up there which can affect the overall championship standings, so team managers will be keeping a close eye on our drivers!

“There’s certainly a new level of experience and intensity of competition, which is vital for their future careers. The wildcard entrants also get to set up their team in the PWRC/SWRC service park area, which again offers them opportunities to meet drivers and team managers from overseas.”

Applications are reviewed by an expert judging panel with the aim of fostering drivers’ careers and helping the development of rallying in New Zealand and internationally.

“This wildcard opportunity is provided at our discretion to up to two drivers who would most benefit from the experience of rallying at this level,” says Carr.

“Now Geraldine’s Hayden Paddon is competing in the Production World Rally Championship as a Pirelli Star Driver, the opening is there for some of New Zealand’s younger drivers to apply for this valuable opportunity.

“The successful applicants must be able to demonstrate an ability to represent New Zealand to the highest level on the event and have the potential to finish in the top level of the SWRC or PWRC field. We also expect them to act as an ambassador for Rally New Zealand, to represent themselves and the event in a positive light, locally and internationally,” says Carr.

The wildcard SWRC or PWRC entry is worth around $NZ 7,000 (3,650 Euro) to the each competitor who also is also allocated a space for their service team in the SWRC/PWRC service park, lights and power – a package worth $NZ 1,000.

Applications for the Rally New Zealand PWRC/SWRC guest entries are now open and will close on 22 March. Applicants must be registered for the New Zealand Rally Championship, and previous guest entry winners may be selected. The judges’ decision will be announced on 29 March.

Information about this scholarship and other Rally New Zealand news is updated regularly on www.rallynz.org.nz where fans can enter a competition to win a ride in a rally car during the event’s official shakedown stage on 6 May and sign up for regular event newsletters.
ENDS/

Television statistics about the World Rally Championship (available for publication)
- 2009 saw a 13% increase year-on-year in the average audience per event to 47.6 million
- A total cumulative audience of over 570 million, with 62 million of those viewers tuning in to watch the championship decider in Rally Great Britain
- In 2009 WRC was aired on 264 broadcast channels in approximately 120 countries worldwide
- Over 5,185 hours of WRC dedicated coverage aired during the year