Preview: Propecia Rally New Zealand.

This weekend will mark the 25th occasion that New Zealand has hosted an FIA World Rally Championship event. Propecia Rally NZ is round four of 14 in the FIA WRC, and the second of seven in the Production Car WRC.

This is also the first time the event has been held at this time of year (early autumn in local terms) and the first time pre-event testing work in the country is forbidden by regulation.

Although there has been recent rain, dry conditions are expected for the rally.

There are two special characteristics of the roads: the heavy camber, which creates a banking effect entering the corners (and quite the opposite on the exits) and the covering of stones on the surface, which clears away with passing cars. The highest stage on the rally is only 200 metres above sea level.

Like the Neste Rally Finland, it is an event, which can be faster in the damp than dry. Except for the superspecial and the forest stages held on the third afternoon, the special stages are all run on closed public roads.

86 entries were received. No fewer than three manufacturers are running newly homologated models (2003 evolution Ford and Citroen World Rally Cars models and the latest version Subaru Impreza Group N as well as technical changes for Hyundai), on this event.

For local enthusiasts this event will create a special focus on local driver Possum Bourne. It is the first year any New Zealander has officially been entered in a FIA World Rally Championship programme.

New this year:

There will be one fewer Service Park this year, making two during the rally itself, and two different ones for the Shakedown tests as well. This change has been achieved by using stages in the Northland region (150km north of Auckland) on both Friday and Saturday, with the cars being held in parc ferm? at Paparoa overnight.

The third day of the event will again be held in the Maramarua Forests, 100km southeast of Auckland. For the final time before a planned major road is built across the site, the super special will be held at Manukau.

There are again two separate Shakedown locations, but this year the world championship cars will use the section further north and the PCWRC cars the section close to Helensville.


News from the Manufacturer's teams:
Citroen Total:

[Colin McRae, car #17 and Sebastien Loeb, car #18. Also nominated Carlos Sainz, car #19].

Debut for the 2003 version car, in which changes (apart from a new rear aerofoil) are mostly confined under the bonnet. These include a new crankshaft, exhaust manifold, turbocharger housing and intercooler.

Ten years ago, on this event, Colin McRae won his first FIA World Championship Rally. It is the Citroen team's first appearance in this country.

Marlboro Peugeot Total:

[Marcus Gronholm, car #1 and Richard Burns, car #2. Also nominated Harri Rovanpera, car #3].

Drivers in the current Peugeot team have won the last three New Zealand Rallies, while the car which Richard Burns drives is a favourite of the team - the same car that Gronholm drove to win last year's Finland and Australia events. The team tested recently at Fafe in Portugal.

Ford Motor Company:

[Markko Martin car #4 and Francois Duval, car #5, in 2003 specification cars. Also nominated Mikko Hirvonen, car #6 in a 2002 version car].

The 2003 car was made public at M-Sport's headquarters at Dovenby on 26th March. Technical director Christian Loriaux has approached the work with a 'clean sheet of paper', he commented: ''This is the first reappraisal of the rally Focus after four years in competition. The main attention has been to reduce weight, to maximize the chance to balance the car to cater for different circumstances on each event.

''Our philosophy has been to lighten everything we can, and if we feel something is not necessary, to take it away altogether.''

A last minute decision is expected as to the livery of the new cars.

555 Subaru World Rally Team:

[Petter Solberg, car #7 and Tommi Makinen, car #8].

Ten years on from their first world championship rally win (in a Legacy); this rally represents the second step forward in the development of the 2003 Impreza.

Technical director David Lapworth commented: ''We have a series of planned steps forward this year. With three events now under our belt with the 2003 car, we understand a lot more about how we can get the best out of it.''

Skoda Motorsport:

[Didier Auriol, car #14 and Toni Gardemeister, car #15].

Two days after the end of Rally of Turkey the prototype Fabia WRC was launched at the Geneva Motor Show. This was followed by three days of component testing in Tuscany with Toni Gardemeister. Two weeks later three days durability testing began at Chateau Lastours in the hands of Didier Auriol.

Hyundai World Rally Team:

[Armin Schwarz, car #10 and Freddy Loix, car #11. Also nominated Jussi Valimaki, car #12].

Many new modifications have been tried out in a recent four-day test in Spain. The items, which have been homologated in time for Rally New Zealand, include smaller turbocharger housing, a new boost sensor and the elimination of the intercooler water spray system. New in-house suspension units are expected to be fitted for the first time.


News from the Production Car WRC teams:

Following the confirmed exclusion of Janusz Kulig from the Swedish Rally, the finishing positions of the other contenders have been modified.

A late entry has been accepted into the championship. After unanimous approval of all the other competitors, the FIA has confirmed Niall McShea from Northern Ireland can contest the six remaining qualifying events, starting New Zealand. He has been allotted permanent competition number 60.

The rules demand contenders start six of the seven qualifying events in the PCWRC, so all the drivers who elected to miss the Swedish Rally must appear on this event. These include Hamed Al-Wahaibi, Marcos Ligato, Gustavo Trelles, Daniel Sola and Ramon Ferreyros.

Al Wahaibi had a trial run on the OMV national championship rally in Austria on which he finished third overall.

Ligato, Sola and Ferreyros contested the Corona Rally Mexico (FIA World Championship candidate event), which Ligato won outright. Sola lead before he crashed and Ferreyros was excluded after finishing second.

This will be the first world rally following the homologation on 1st March of the latest version Subaru Impreza. This model features external changes (including a different rear spoiler) and internally a new turbocharger and camshafts. Due to appear in 2003 versions are Bourne and Arai, but because of the need for early shipment, the Sutton team (new PCWRC leader Blomqvist and Rowe) will continue to use 2002 cars here and in Argentina.

Team changes since Sweden: Kulig's car is now being run by Top Run, Arai's by a new team run out of Gumna, Japan, called Subaru Production Rally Team and Hamed Al Wahaibi drives a car prepared by Manfred Stohl's Austrian team. The Omani will compete in New Zealand with a new co-driver, the British champion Nicky Beech.

Other top runners:

Back again on his first major event after six months recuperation is Ralliart team driver Alister McRae. He is teamed with Ralliart customer Kristian Sohlberg. At the wheel of a Ford Focus WRC, Alister eased himself into action at the Centenario Rally in Portugal on 28/29 March when he finished third. This is the first world championship event for works Subaru US driver Ramana Lagemann, competing in the independent category.

Other news:

The Cyprus Rally organisers have decided to split the Shakedown tests, so that the test for the Priority 3 drivers (on that occasion, the FIA Production Car World Championship cars) will be held on the Wednesday afternoon, not on Thursday morning.