Defending champion Carter Strang of Wallacetown and co-driver Stewart Robbie lead the seedings for the MLT/Heartland Hotels Ernslaw One Limited Rankleburn Rally 2020 this Saturday. The duo dominated last year’s event and are favourites again this year.

Invercargill driver Mark McMillan will be the second seed in his Subaru Legacy RS. McMillan, a very competitive driver in a Subaru Impreza WRX some years ago, has returned in recent years in a Subaru Legacy RS with a livery which pays tribute to the late Colin McRae, the 1995 World Rally Champion. Regular co-driver Murray Wright will sit alongside McMillan in the event.

Jeremy McIlwrick of Winton with Bradley Dawson in the co-driver seat is the third seed in his Mitsubishi EVO 4. McIlwrick was sixth in the event last year.

Fourth seed, Australian driver John Spencer now domiciled in Dunedin, has fashioned an outstanding record in a variety of cars on both sides of the Tasman. This year he is at the wheel of an EVO 7....more...

New Zealand’s largest auto parts and car accessories retailer Repco has come onboard as the naming rights sponsor of the Repco Battle of Jacks Ridge in November.

With over 90 stores nationwide and nearly a century of history behind it, the brand has been a long-time supporter of Kiwi motorsport events across all formats.

Repco has been a previous naming rights sponsor of Rally New Zealand and has recently announced a new deal to sponsor the Supercars Championship in Australia as well as the iconic Bathurst 1000.

“Repco has been proudly associated with rally on New Zealand’s epic gravel roads for many years including the Race to the Sky and the Repco Westland Rally,” Executive General Manager of Repco, Jonathon Maddren said. 

“The fantastic new track at Jacks Ridge is going to be a spectator’s dream so we’re really excited to be involved."...more...

Kiwi Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen has committed to entering the Battle of Jacks Ridge in November and will take on the best rally drivers in the country at their own game.

The 2016 Supercars champion has been one of the most successful drivers of the past decade and is renowned for his unique ability to drive any kind of car on any kind of event competitively.

While circuit racing is clearly the 31-year-old’s forte, Van Gisbergen started out in speedway, motocross and karts while he’s enjoyed plenty of success drifting in recent years.

His father Robert was a well-known and talented rally driver and Shane has often expressed an interest in competing on gravel....more...

BEN HUNT

Defending national rally champion Ben Hunt will contest the Battle of Jacks Ridge in November in his Subaru WRX.

The two-time national champion was nearly untouchable during the 2019 season – winning five of the six rounds and leading the sixth event by a large margin before mechanical trouble ended his bid for a perfect season.

He will look to carry that form into a battle with World Rally Championship star Hayden Paddon and the who’s who of New Zealand rallying in what promises to be an epic showdown on the purpose-built stage in Whitford on Sunday November 15....more...

Sky Sport will provide exclusive live coverage of the Battle of Jacks Ridge rally sprint on Sunday November 15 as the sport evolves with a new-generation urban event.

 Featuring the best rally drivers in the country and some of the biggest names in New Zealand motorsport, the Battle of Jacks Ridge promises to be the biggest domestic event in New Zealand rally history and it will take place just minutes from downtown Auckland. 

The event will see competitors blast around 2km of purpose-built gravel road, featuring high speed jumps, technical corners and close proximity to spectators on former New Zealand champion Andrew Hawkeswood’s Whitford property. 

With the Hauraki Gulf, Rangitoto Island and the Auckland City skyline as a backdrop, Jacks Ridge is a spectacular location to watch rally cars compete on a World Rally Championship-calibre power stage, located just 20 minutes from the Auckland CBD. 

Sky Sport will broadcast the final runs live during four hours of live coverage that will be unlike anything ever seen on New Zealand soil before.  ...more...

The Subaru brand in New Zealand are preparing to say a fond farewell to the legendary Legacy, which will no longer be part of the Subaru line-up from 2021.

Steeped in history, the Subaru Legacy has been one of Subaru New Zealand’s top performers since it arrived in 1989. The model had big shoes to fill, stepping in to replace the old but much-loved Leone.

New Zealanders were quick to embrace the Legacy however, and its popularity soared, especially as a used import in the 1990s.

Subaru of New Zealand’s Managing Director Wallis Dumper recalled Legacy’s glory days, when it was the country’s best-seller.

“Whilst the Toyota Corolla was top of the new car sales overall, Legacy was New Zealand’s number one selling used vehicle thanks to the massive imports ratio.”...more...