Ben Harding will finally get to compete in his home rally in the New Zealand Rally Championship this weekend.
The Hawke’s Bay local missed the championship’s last visit to the region in 2022 due to sickness and has had to wait four years in the wake of the Cyclone Gabriel damage to see the event return.
“Really looking forward to a home rally,” Harding said.
“Last time we had a home NZRC round, I missed it due to getting COVID two days prior and was too sick to go. Entries are down, but kudos to the club for continuing.
“I have competed on all these stages before, so I’m familiar with the lay of the land. They really are some of my favourite stages.”
It has been an impressive season to date for the Mazda RX peddler, lying second in the Classic class, 23 points behind Deane Buist.
“Really happy with the season so far,” Harding explained.
“Great rallies in the South and happy to have been battling with Derek [Ayson], unfortunate to lose him. Obviously I would like to be competing with Deane – so working towards that.
“Deane is a big challenge, pushing him is a big ask, but I really am not a fan of coming second, so we have to try and find a way. I think that’s just more of the right foot and less of the left.”
So what would a good result look like this weekend?
“A good result is that top step of the podium, but to be fair to myself, just to compete with Deane will be good.
“It’s also crucial to finish now in the later part of the season, as a DNF really ruins your season.”
Rally Hawke’s Bay gets underway late on Friday with a ceremonial opening in downtown Napier before a day of competition up in the Wairoa region on Saturday.
Header Image: Geoff Ridder
