The event where rally titans Possum Bourne, Neil Allport and Joe McAndrew previously fought for championship glory returns 22-23 September 2023 using many of the same infamous Manawatu and Rangitikei district roads.
Forty years since the first Daybreaker Rally , famed for its midnight start and gruelling schedule, will include competitors chasing for the 2023 New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) title.
Now the fourth round of the NZRC, the first entry to the rally was also a competitor in 1983 – and is looking forward to a more genteel weekend.
“It was very very popular back in the day, with huge fields of more than 90 cars,” said Palmerston North-based Brian Green, a previous winner.
“To have its return is really great– it was certainly an iconic event.
“In the early days, it started at 10 pm in Taihape and went all the way through to finish at Manfeild around 1 pm – I wouldn’t last that long these days that’s for sure.”
The intended schedule includes a ceremonial start on the Friday night with the action starting just on daybreak on the Saturday. It will cover 150km of the region’s gravel roads – many of them legendary for their flowing style. The final test will be a spectator super stage before the adjacent ceremonial finish.
“Following the cancellation of the planned Coromandel and Hawke’s Bay rounds due to February’s flood damage, NZRC organisers sought expressions of interest for events that could take their place,” said co-organiser Paul Fallon, a past competitor and resident.
Fellow organiser, Manawatu resident and competitor Tony McConachy says the privateer organising team all has deep connections to the event’s past.
“When the idea was first discussed, it was amazing who came forward. There is a magnetism that draws people to want to be involved, right from council to volunteers. The support was clear that this could be done. Now it’s a case of getting it done – and we know it’s going to be bigger than we imagined.”
Fallon says there is more good news to come: “There are multiple high-profile driver announcements planned. We are humbled at their determination to compete and be part of this event.”
Details on the roads being used and the event schedule will be published once they are confirmed.
Words and Images: Supplied
