2023 Season Wrap Up
As we wrap up the 2023 season of the North Island Rally Series and thank you all for your amazing support. It has been a fantastic year of rally action, with plenty of challenges, battles, and achievements along the way.
North Island Rally Series Prize Giving
Join us for the series prize giving on Saturday 25th November from 5pm at the Northern Sports Car Club (1110 Great South Road, Otahuhu).
This is your chance to enjoy some delicious food and drinks, and celebrate the achievements of our drivers and teams. We may have gone completely overboard with this years Awards and Trophies!
We will also be sharing this event with The CPS Northern Rally Sprint Series, as a great space to celebrate their Winners and place getters.
So don’t miss this opportunity to wrap up the year in style and show your appreciation for the NIRS community.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Perennial Trophy to honour Rally Stalwart Allan Woolf
One of the primary objectives of the inaugural Winmax Brake Pads North Island Rally series has been to encourage clubman-level competitors and organisers to increase their skill levels as they graduate to higher echelons.
But while the series promoters are keen to shape the future of the sport, they are still proud to acknowledge those who have gone before.
Series partners Ellerslie Jewellers & Engravers have kindly sponsored an impressive perennial trophy for the outright NIRS champion. It was an easy decision to name it after Allan Woolf, a man synonymous with rallying in this part of the country.
“Allan and Colleen Woolf, through their business Woolf Mufflers, essentially bankrolled both the Northern Region Rally Sprint and Top Half rally series for decades,” says series spokesman Marty Roestenburg. “Many of the country’s top drivers and navigators learnt their trade via these training grounds, so we will be forever thankful for Woolfy’s support.”
Roestenburg is quick to point out that it wasn’t just a matter of putting their hand in their pockets for Allan and Colleen.
“The pair of them attended as many events as they could, and took a genuine interest in those moving up through the ranks.”
Allan unfortunately passed away in July this year, but the NIRS is determined to carry on his legacy.
Grandson and noted rally driver Matt Adams say the family are delighted that their patriarch is being remembered by a sport he held so dear.
“As kids we always wanted to go spectating mid-stage, but he preferred to chat with all the competitors around the start and finish lines. He never wanted any thanks for the financial backing he provided and was content to stay in the background.”
“Allan once famously declared he ‘would do anything for the young ones’ and we’re proud to continue that tradition,” adds Roestenburg. “We hope to see the names of the next generation of rising stars featured on the Allan Woolf Memorial trophy for many years to come.”
Hunt wins at Waitomo, Campbell is NIRS champion
Tauranga driver Phil Campbell in his Ford Fiesta AP4 has won the 2023 Winmax Brakepads North Island Rally Series, coming home first of the series competitors in the Newstead Lodge Clubmans Rally held on Sunday 29th October, around Piopio in the Waitomo District. It was a great end to the season for Campbell, who had chosen to take a break from the high pressure of the NZRC, and in doing so has reignited his enthusiasm for the sport. After finishing 2nd to Clint Cunningham on the opening round, Campbell has been on the top step of the podium for the rest of the season.
The outright Rally win went to Ben Hunt in his Skoda Rally2 Evo. Hunt led all four of the stages to take the rally win by just over a minute from Campbell
Young star in the making Zeal Jones followed Campbell home in his older Subaru Impreza. Jones, who has just won the NZRC Rally Challenge for 2023, was using the event to gain more experience for 2024. It is a result which underlines his talent, and caps off a year in which he topped the New Zealand Motorsport Academy.
We recently caught up with Zeal after winning the
Winmax Brake Pads Drive of the Day
"Was a really fun weekend trying to secure some valuable points in the NIRS, and to secure a decent result.
In the end we were really happy to secure the result we did after missing 2 rounds. Really cool to also win the drive of the rally and get rewarded for a few risks we took that we probably didn’t need to in a blind rally.
Again more seat time and experience secured and thank you to Aunty Waverley and the team for a great package to bring it home 3rd overall and 2nd in class.
This is another great result adding to our 2023 campaign which is boosting us towards our 2024 goals."
Charlie Evans finished 4th and top 2-wheel drive competitor in his Mazda RX7. His familiarity with the stages was helpful, but he had to drive hard to stay ahead of Kingsly Jones, who finished 5th in his Skoda Fabia R5
Joining Campbell as North Island Rally series winners, Clint Cunningham is the runner up in his RCK Skoda, with Mike Goldsbury in 3rd overall in his giant killing DX Corolla.
“The NIRS has had a successful inaugural year with 120 registered competitors, and created a level of competition between Clubsport and the NZ Rally Championship which had been missing in the North Island.” says NIRS coordinator Marty Roestenburg
We are excited to announce that the Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi will take place on Saturday 9th March 2024, as the opening round of the North Island Rally Series. This event is the result of the amazing support and collaboration of the rally community, the local authorities, the sponsors, and the volunteers. We are grateful for everyone who is helping make this happen.
The Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi will offer a challenging and diverse route, featuring some of the best stages in the North Island. This is not only a great opportunity to kick off the NIRS season, but also a perfect preparation for Rally Otago.
We will have more information on the Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi in our next newsletter.
Stay tuned for more updates, We cannot wait to share more!