Jagger Looking Good inside Top Five

Whangarei rally driver Ben Jagger came away from the opening round of the Vantage Aluminium Joinery New Zealand Rally Championship 2010 very happy indeed after successfully finishing the team's new SeedForce Subaru WRX inside the top five at Rally Otago.

Otago was Jagger's first rally since moving up into the Group N 4WD class after becoming the Group N 2WD champion last year.

Touring from Dunedin to Oamaru for the first day's special stages the drivers competed on roads previously unused for the rally putting them on an even playing field for the first test of the season.

Early in the day Jagger secured what was going to be his best placing of the weekend when in Special Stage Three Jagger surprised himself claiming the third fastest time on the difficult course.

"A lot of people really didn't like that stage but I loved it, there were some pretty big drops on the side in some parts of it. I knew that stage felt good but was surprised to get third best - I thought we had a chance of going home with a podium for a short while there but it didn't last long." said Jagger.

However consistent speed and stage times kept him within grasp of the front runners and at the end of the first day was just two minutes 0.07.9 seconds behind then leader and 2004 champion Chris West.

The second day saw the competitors back nearer the rally base in Dunedin and it was mostly smooth sailing for the Northland driver. Jagger maintained his pace and kept within the top eight throughout the day staying in touch with the front runners and within his goal for a top 10 finish at the season's opener.

"It didn't take all that long for us to get on the money with the car and come to grips with it, we are really happy with how the car goes and it's doing everything we expected it to. The only real problem we had was when the fuel pump died when we came back to service and we had to push the car through control." he said.

"Ben (Hawkins) has adapted really well with the new car and the extra speed it has over the Fiesta. After talking to some others at the prize giving I now know he has picked up some note reading skills very quickly that usually only the very experienced co-drivers have." said Jagger.

At the end of the day and after an untimely retirement for leading driver Chris West, who within a heart wrenching 1.5 kilometres of winning Rally Otago lost a wheel, Jagger crossed the final line sixth fastest overall behind open-class driver Geoff Argyle in fifth.

Rotorua's Dean Sumner inherited the lead from West finishing the rally ahead of Emma Gilmour, Richard Mason then Patrick Malley.

Tallying up the accumulated points for the two day event paints a slightly different picture on the score board.

Dean Sumner tops the NZ Rally Championship Gold Star Driver Group N 4WD Championship followed by Richard Mason, Patrick Malley, Emma Gilmour then Ben Jagger. Another Northland driver Kingsley Thompson from Kerikeri holds sixth place.

Ben Jagger currently holds the top spot in the Junior Rally Championship standings ahead of Sloan Cox and ex-Kerikeri driver Stephen Barker.

The Group N 4WD results are reflective of the top and toughest challenge in the five round NZ Rally Championship season however in the other challenges included in the rally season open class is being led by Geoff Argyle, Group N 2WD by Stephen Barker and Kiwi 2 by Matt Summerfield.

Reminiscent of the past two seasons in Group N 2WD where there were many a battle between Jagger and Auckland driver Patrick Malley, now both in four wheel drive cars the two were never far apart at Rally Otago.

Malley is currently ahead of Jagger in third place after the opening round and promises to be a strong and exciting competitor once again for the Northlander.

Malley beat Jagger to win the Group N 2WD Championship in 2008 before Jagger took it away from him for 2009.

"He had a good weekend and we managed to beat him in a few stages. He has had a lot more seat time in his car so we aren't too worried about it at this stage." said Jagger.

Ben Jagger and the field of over 20 Group N 4WD contestants next gear up for Rally New Zealand taking place over the weekend of May 7 to 9. This World Rally Championship event is easily the highlight on the calendar for the local rally teams as they mingle with the world's best rally drivers on roads from Whangarei to Kawhia over three days.

It will give Jagger and co-driver Ben Hawkins their first opportunity to compare their skills against the Production World Rally Championship drivers as they compete here. New Zealand's own Haydon Paddon, last year's rally champion will also compete at the event after stepping up into the international arena following in the footsteps of Pirelli Star Driver Scheme award winner Mark Tapper who competed in the PWRC last season.

This year the World Rally Championship's Rally New Zealand returns after a one year hiatus moving it's base from the Waikato back to Auckland for this season.

Rally New Zealand will compete the first day in the Whangarei region on Friday and be based in the city's town basin with excellent opportunities for spectators including driver signing sessions at the basin and aerial passes over the iconic Hella Bridge near Paparoa as well as some new and exciting stages.

The rally will then head to Franklin and Waikato for the next two days of the fifth round of the WRC before heading back overseas to Rally Portugal for the end of the month.

Rally New Zealand will be based in Auckland on Queens Wharf and will have Super Special Stages at both the Auckland Domain and Hampton Downs Motorsport Park near Meremere.

The Vantage Aluminum Joinery New Zealand Rally Championship of 2010 comprises of five rounds altogether including Rally Otago, Rally New Zealand, Rally Whangarei, Rally Nelson with Rally Wairarapa wrapping up the season in September.