MRF drivers extended their lead at the top to four minutes in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
Picture for representation purpose.
Whangarei (NZ): The challenge of tackling New Zealand’s fast and flowing rural roads for the first time has seen 24-year-old Swede Pontus Tidemand rocket to the top of the time sheets after the first day of the competition at the International Rally of Whangarei. Here for the opening round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), Tidemand and co-driver Emil Axelsson (MRF Tyres Skoda) extended their lead at the top to four minutes. Currently in second is Kiwi born Mike Young and co-driver Malcolm Read (Cusco Subaru) while defending rally winner Gaurav Gill and Glenn Macneall are third (MRF Tyres Skoda), a further minute behind.
A total of 48 cars left Whangarei on Satuday morning — seven in the international field and 41 contesting the national/club category. Covering eight special stages to the north, light overnight rain and passing showers during the day did little to dampen the drivers’ competitive spirit — with many encountering all number of niggly issues. Being the first car to start each of the day’s stages, Gill was languishing on the thicker gravel — and while trying to minimise the time loss to the following cars was further hampered by a differential problem.
“All the stages we were constantly losing time. In the last two we lost 40-50sec on really fast roads. Every time we would steer in one direction the car would try turn-around. I want to get the car back and finish here with the maximum points we can get. Just a bad day and we have to live with that,” said the 33-year-old Indian. For Tidemand the lead was of less concern: “At this pace I think I can manage safely so we will stay where we are. It was a very good afternoon; the day has been fantastic and so we’ve enjoyed it. There are so many cars having problems so we just have to try to stay away from that.”
Currently fourth is Indonesia’s Subhan Aksa and Nicola Arena (Mitsubishi Lancer X) while New Caledonia’s Jean-Louis Leyraud and Scott Beckwith are fifth (Skoda Fabia).Leading the national field American pairing Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino (Ford Fiesta H.F.H.V) sit over a minute clear of Mt Maunganui’s David Holder and Rob Scott in the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 8. Early leader Alex Kelsey and Mal Peden (Kelsey MC2) succumbed to a clutch failure after the fifth stage.
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