From the start at the iconic Pukekawa Auckland Domain, to the renowned Whaanga Coast, Kaipara Hills and with the grand finale in Auckland’s coolest backyard, the Repco Rally New Zealand will offer international drivers a challenge like no other. Organisers of the 32nd Rally New Zealand today released details of the stages that will make up the 11th round of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland in September. The Rally route comprises 17 stages with 275kms of racing over four days from 29 September to 2 October. The event’s central hub will be at Auckland’s wate ..read more

MEDIA RELEASE  12 MAY 2022  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Spark Sport confirms free-to-air broadcast partner for FIA World Rally Championship and brand-new motorsport series Spark Sport has announced today that Warner Bros. Discovery NZ will be the exclusive New Zealand free-to-air broadcast partner for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) when it returns to Aotearoa from 29 September to 2 October this year.  Up to 80 million fans in 150 countries globally will watch live coverage of the three-day WRC Repco Rally New Zealand event in and around Auckland. It will form round 11 of the 1 ..read more

Rally New Zealand is today excited to announce the exclusive WRC Club experience where businesses and fans can experience the very best of the event to be held in Auckland this September.   The WRC Club is an exclusive hospitality experience where fans can enjoy Rally New Zealand from the best seat in the house.  The WRC Club package will ensure VIP treatment, behind the scenes access and mixing and mingling with the stars. It includes VIP invites to the Legends of Rally gala dinner, the ceremonial start in downtown Auckland, a money-can’t-buy ride in a rally car at the sensational ..read more

Star drivers and pioneering new hybrid cars delivered a high-voltage introduction to the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship in Austria on Saturday evening. The WRC’s ground-breaking new-generation of Rally1 cars from the three manufacturers gathered for the first time in Salzburg’s landmark Hangar-7 as the 2022 season was launched five days before the opening round at Rallye Monte-Carlo (20 – 23 January). In the presence of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, reigning champions Toyota Gazoo Racing, Hyundai Motorsport and M-Sport Ford revealed their stunning all-new cars which will compete acros ..read more

Rally New Zealand is set to make its 32nd appearance on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar. A decade since it was last staged and two years after the pandemic prevented an historic return of Rally New Zealand, today Auckland has been confirmed to host a round of the 2022 World Rally Championship*. In a major morale-boost to a city currently in Alert Level 3 lockdown, the WRC Promoter has today confirmed Auckland will host the 11th round of the 2022 world championship from September 29 to October 2 next year. With the country currently working towards opening up its borders, the retur ..read more

A handful of local rally drivers got a sneak test of the new purpose-built Jacks Ridge stage in South Auckland earlier this week. Andrew Hawkeswood’s Mazda AP4 car in action at Jacks Ridge. Photo / Geoff Ridder Pukekohe’s Dylan Turner (Audi AP4), Papakuras Kingsley Jones (Skoda R5), Cambridge’s Anthony Jones (Millington powered Escort) and Brookby’s Jack Hawkeswood (Mazda AP4) for whom the stage is named after got to drive the new stage on former New Zealand Rally Champion Andrew Hawkeswoods property near Brookby School. Hawkeswood constructed the 7km-long stage on his property with the though ..read more

Rally New Zealand organisers have today announced two exciting new events, the City of Auckland Rally and the Battle of Jacks Ridge to be staged in November. The event will comprise the stages that were planned for the World Rally Championship event both north and east of the city. The City of Auckland Rally will be held on Saturday 14 November and include stages in the Kaipara Hills, Puhoi and Riverhead Forest before its conclusion at the purpose-built road ‘Jacks Ridge’ in Whitford. The Battle of Jacks Ridge will be a standalone rally sprint on Sunday 15 November which will feature an open c ..read more

Rally New Zealand organisers today confirmed that the 2020 FIA World Rally Championship event in and around Auckland in September has been cancelled due to the ongoing challenges with the Covid-19 pandemic.  With three months until the planned return of the WRC event, but with the New Zealand borders remaining closed to international visitors for the foreseeable future, the organisers had reached their final deadline. ‘It became clear that with our borders closed to international travel and the logistics required to host thousands of international visitors as part of the World Rally Champ ..read more

WRC 9 developers Nacon and its development studio KT Racing have revealed the first gameplay video from New Zealand, one of three new destinations that will feature in WRC 9. The latest edition of the official video game, set for release on 3 September on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC from the Epic Games Store, includes all three of the new stops on the 2020 WRC Calendar, with gameplay videos from Japan and Kenya to follow. The New Zealand stages are set on the country?s North Island, taking in the rugged scenery around the nation?s biggest city, Auckland.  In addition to the initial re ..read more

www.velocitynews.co.nz | Simon Chapman Since the FIA World Rally Championship left New Zealand?s shores in 2012, rumours have long swirled that the series would one day return.  Finally, in 2020, the circus will come back in what is currently a one-off journey for the top-flight rally championship. Until now, the championship could only go to so many countries, meaning some had to go before New Zealand could come back.  The 2020 season will see the return of New Zealand alongside Rally Japan and the highly anticipated Safari Rally in Kenya. Spain, France and Australia are omitted at ..read more