Step back 27 years to the village of St. Vith in the extreme southeast of Belgium. It’s midnight, but a seven-year-old boy is engrossed in television.
Thierry Neuville Meet Colin McRae.
This is Colin McRae in his absolute element. It was Colin McRae’s dominant rally in New Zealand in 1995.
According to Ott Tänak, this week’s Kiwi roads were made for rallying. McRae, the great rally driver, can claim to have made these roads his own. Watching him attack every corner in his iconic Subaru Impreza 555 was a powerful image for Neuville. An unforgettable one.
“For me, it looked like the most scenic rally in the WRC.”
And there’s a good reason for that: it’s the most beautiful rally of the WRC season. And don’t forget that we’re traveling the same roads through the same fields, forests and farmlands that captured the imagination of Peter Jackson to bring the drama of Middle-earth to the big screen.
A visual delight for New Zealand fans, it’s a work of art for those behind the wheel. Who do we want to fool? As great as the scenery is, it’s the perfect place to drive a rally car.
What makes New Zealand great?
Camper-surfing. Positive overhang is created when the road slopes towards the apex of the curve. This is a good thing, as it provides more traction. A negative high is, as you might expect, the opposite. Place a ball at the top of the negative bank curve and watch it roll into the groove on the outside of the curve. That’s precisely what happens in rallying super-fast cars through those kinds of corners.
In New Zealand, more positive overtones define the roads than anywhere else in the world. And it makes the pilots laugh.
“Honestly, it’s a fantastic place to race,” said Jari-Matti Latvala, Toyota team principal who won Rally New Zealand in 2010.
“I’m Finnish and I’m sure you know we love the roads in our country. They’re the best in the world, but the best in New Zealand. [carreteras]. Banking can bring more speed into the corner. If you have a steep bank where you are normal, you can pass a third gear corner, even in fifth gear. When you get it right, you feel the G-forces in your body as the car rockets through the corner.
It’s like you’re dancing with the car.
“You do it corner to corner. It’s like you’re dancing with the car.”
But if you pick up too much speed, you’ll get a slightly out-of-time dance.
“Off the road,” Latvala said, “you’ll go straight into the trees.”
No wonder it captured Newville’s imagination years ago.
Men from Hyundai, Neuville, Tänak and Toyota Superstar, Sebastien Ogier, has competed in NZ before, but not for a decade. It is a somewhat equal breed. It’s generally known as one of the fastest gravel rallies that requires an attacking and assertive style, which is why it’s been a great fit for Finns (and Colin McRae) over the years.
However, it was Hyundai who landed in Auckland with the biggest boost, winning four of the last six WRC rounds. Neuville, Tänak and Oliver Solberg can count on a strong race in their i20 N Rally1s.
March on Sunday marks a year since New Zealand’s spectacular victory Elfin Evans His most recent victory in the WRC was at Rally Finland. The Welshman was very close in 2022, but this weekend could be the moment when everything clicks and he steps on the podium for the first time in 12 months. He’s always been a good driver in the new rallies and he’s good on fast gravel.
Craig Breen (M-Sport Ford) is another driver who is keen to take to these famous roads.
“At these levels,” he said, “a generation of drivers has been waiting to get on them. Now is the time.”
Surely now is the time.
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