The Mike Young Motorsport team takes on a new challenge at this weekend’s Rally Hawkes Bay.
Based in Napier and running on stages North towards Wairoa, it’s the first time in ten years the Kennedy Park Resort sponsored event has been run, meaning that most competitors have never driven the roads competitively.
For Young who is completely new to his home rallies, it’s his best chance yet to score a good result against the New Zealand Rally Championship regulars.
After a one pass recce of the stages with co-driver Malcolm Read, Young is looking forward to the Hawkes Bay roads and said prior to the start, “They’re really nice stages, mix of fast and flowing, twisty sections with big drop-offs highlighting the importance of good notes. The stages are in good condition and hopefully the rain stays away as we have a good road position. I’m looking forward to driving the SAS Subaru on these roads – the team has done a lot of work on the car since our last event”.
Earlier in the week the MYM team confirmed a new sponsor for the reminder of the season with Würth New Zealand joining the team to supply their automotive products. “Würth were a fantastic supporter of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship from 2013 and 2018 and it’s great to be working with them again” said Young.
The Rally of Hawkes Bay begins tonight (Friday) with a ceremonial start on Napier’s Marine Parade, followed early on Saturday morning by six stages and 158 kilometres of competition, finishing back in Napier at 5.00pm. Follow the action on Chrissport.nz or Rallysafe.com.au.
Photos by Geoff Ridder and Euan Cameron
