New Zealand Rally Championship coordinator Blair Bartels expects 2022 to be one of the most hotly fought seasons in years as new cars and new rounds are on the horizon.
Six meetings make up the 2022 season calendar. It begins with Rally Otago and concludes with back-to-back rounds at the World Rally Championship’s return to New Zealand.
“Having the WRC round is a massive highlight,” Bartels said. “It’s the cherry on top.”
The cherry on top indeed because, for Bartels, the real dessert is the new array of competitive cars.
“The competition at the top of the field is going to be so close,” he said. “I can say we are in for a very exciting championship.”
Last year’s championship had around 70 entries at most rallies.
Bartels estimates similar numbers for 2022.
“We won’t be any smaller. We’ve got a lot of guys upgrading cars and bringing in new cars.”
A handful of R5 cars are on the way, along with some new AP4 machines.
R5s, essentially Rally2 cars, are a step down from the WRC.
Bartels expects some R5 owners to compete in WRC’s Rally New Zealand in the Rally2 support series.
The WRC event makes up the final two NZRC rounds.
Day one of Rally New Zealand makes up the penultimate NZRC round. Days two and three then make up the final meeting.
Bartels says breaking the event into two NZRC rounds allows drivers and cars that “don’t survive” day one to have something meaningful to compete for in the final two days.
Bartels believes day one of Rally New Zealand may be the most ‘gruelling’ day of rallying for any competitor all season.
Given the world we live in today, it’s hard to look past the threat of coronavirus messing around with everything.
This year’s season was cut short due to the pandemic. The year before saw the entire championship cancelled before it even started.
Bartels says plans are in place if lockdowns interfere with proceedings again.
He’s also confident in his team’s decision making when it comes to date changes, postponements, or cancellations.
“I’d think so,” he said when asked if he feels his team has handled the pandemic well.
“We were decisive, and most competitors approved of that.
“So, in general, I’d say yes. We did [handle Covid effectively].”
Rally Otago opens the 2022 championship on April 8-10.
2022 NZRC Calendar:
| Rnd | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rally Otago | Apr 8-10 |
| 2 | Int. Rally of Whangarei | May 13-15 |
| 3 | Rally South Canterbury | June 18 |
| 4 | Rally Hawke’s Bay | July 30 |
| 5 | Rally NZ Day 1 | Sep 29-30 |
| 6 | Rally NZ Day 2-3 | Oct 1-2 |