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The entry of 2015 New Zealand Rally Champion, Ben Hunt, into the Catlins Coast Rally on Saturday 6 August is a huge coup for rally organisers.
Catlins rally. Photo: Euan Cameron
Originally from Nelson, but now living in Auckland, Hunt has been one of this country’s leading rally drivers for many years. The highlights of a very successful career include winning the inaugural Rally New Zealand Rising Stars Scholarship in 2009, winning the Junior National Rally Championship, the 2wd National Championship plus of course winning the Overall NZ Rally Championship last year.
“Those achievements have been pretty exciting,” says Hunt who then laughs and says, “and this year has been even more exciting.” The reference to this year relates to the horror run that Hunt and his team have endured. “It has been hard on me and the team. However we will stick together. The car we are using this year is brand new. It’s a fantastic car but there is much fine tuning needed.
“The car was not ready until the end of January and we have been on the back foot all the way. We had a fantastic run at the Rally Of Otago, even though things weren’t performing as they should. You manage these things. We have been under pressure and we couldn’t change what we needed to. The guys are looking forward to Coromandel (the final round of the NZRC two weeks after Catlins). We will change the things that are causing the issues such as sorting out my seating position in the car. You learn a lot when you are not coming first, it only makes you stronger.”
Hunt’s entry into the Catlins Coast Rally comes after he was ranked top 2wd rally competitor in New Zealand several seasons ago by the Grey Roots Rally Group who announce their rankings of kiwi competitors annually. At that point the Catlins Rally offered Hunt a free entry to the event but he has not been able to take it up. However, thanks to the Eastern Southland Car Club and rally ace Jeff Judd, it has finally happened. Judd has made available the Subaru Impreza driven in the event by Nathan Pilcher last year. It is an older car than Hunt’s NZRC machine but he is looking forward to the event. “I’m excited. I have always wanted to do Catlins. It’s thanks to the club and Jeff Judd that I can as the budget is tight at the moment. The car has the right badge on the front, it is one of the more famous models that Subaru produced that was driven by the likes of Colin McRae.”
“I’m looking forward to having a play. I have Dylan Thomson who I mentor beside me (Thomson competes in the 2wd NZRC). I haven’t done a club rally since 2008 and I would not do any other one other than Catlins.” That also means Hunt has not driven blind (without pace notes) since 2008 when he drove a Toyota Starlet. “I am coming down to have some fun and to remember why we love rallying. We haven’t finished our last three rallies this season so a finish would be good. That would put a smile on our faces!”
The event is Round 4 of the Clearwater Painting Mainland Rally Championship and also part of the Eastern Southland Car Club’s Rally Championship. Several changes have been made to the Special Stages this year although many popular roads remain. All up competitors will tackle 122 kilometres of high speed competitive stages linked together by 102 kilometres of Touring Stages.
The 2016 rally is scheduled to depart from Owaka Motors in Campbell Street, Owaka at 10am on 6 August. The rally will be based in Owaka this year with servicing of the rally cars taking place in the township between stages. Six Special Stages await competitors this year, Puaho, Tawanui, Cannibal Bay, Romahapa, Moats Saddle and Warnock before the rally finishes back in Owaka at approximately 3.30pm.
The winner will take home the highly sought after Darryl Robinson Memorial Trophy while the first South Otago crew will earn the Kerry O’Donohue Memorial Trophy and the leading Otago Sports Car Club crew the Glen Shirlaw Memorial Trophy.