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| www.benjagger.co.nz |
Media Release
Friday 15th July 2011
Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship 2011
International Rally Whangarei - Round Four NZRC & FIA APRC
15-17th July 2011 |
| Jagger Predicts Top 10 Finish at Home Rally After Successful
Test Session |
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Ben
Jagger and Ben Hawkins
image:
Little Devil Motorsport
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Ben
Jagger - Predicting Top 10 finish at his home event of Rally Whangarei.
image: Jody Seabright
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Following
his Top 10 finish at Rally Wairarapa in May Ben Jagger believes he has
the goods to once again make the grade this weekend at Rally Whangarei
besides the fact that the event includes drivers from other countries
competing the Asia Pacific Rally Championship.
"We had a really good test session before this weekend with Richard
Mason coming to lend us a hand on coming to grips with the SeedForce
WRX Impreza's suspension package. Now I know exactly how to read it and
get the best results out of it." said Jagger.
Fellow Subaru driver and two time New Zealand Rally Champion Richard
Mason offered the Whangarei driver plenty of insight into how to set up
his car but was not willing to part with all of his secrets.
"Richard uses a different suspension package than we do and was happy
to show us all about our own and how to get the best out of it but
didn't let on too much about how he sets his own car up."
This weekend's International Rally Whangarei is the jewel in the crown
for the New Zealand Rally Championship where it shares it's fourth
round of the season with the FIA's Asia Pacific Rally Championship
attracting drivers and teams from around the world to compete in the
Pacific region.
Past World Rally Championship drivers Alister McRae from Scotland and
Australian Chris Atkinson are two of the headliners both driving for
the Proton team and are joined by current leader in the Production
World Rally Championship Hayden Paddon who returns to his home of New
Zealand this weekend specifically for the national championship before
heading to Rally Finland.
The Geraldine driver will pick up after a one round sabbatical in the
NZRC where he relinquished the lead to Richard Mason and will be
looking to recover the ground lost this weekend.
But Whangarei local Ben Jagger is unswerved in his goal for the weekend
of achieving a top 10 finish at his home event albeit amongst a fleet
of national and international competitors. The 21 year old believes
that he along with co-driver Ben Hawkins can mix it with the best of
them on the Northland roads which he classes as his favourite.
"I'm feeling pretty confident we have a car which has never felt better
and is working the way I want it to. I'm really looking forward to the
weekend and getting a good result for our supporters up here at our
home event." he said.
Ben Jagger currently sits ninth in the Brian Green Property Group New
Zealand Rally Championship and second in the Junior competition behind
Nelson's Ben Hunt.
The on-road action gets underway on Saturday morning with the expected
76 rally cars leaving Whangarei's Town Basin heading out to where they
will compete on stages as far south as Maungatoroto including passes
over the iconic Hella Bridge just north of Paparoa -a favourite
spectators viewing point.
Twice the competitors will contest the super special stage at Pohe
Island in Whangarei on Saturday where local Lions Clubs are hosting a
family day complete with entertainment and challenges for all to enjoy
between the two runs where the first cars are scheduled for 11.27am and
3.49pm.
On Sunday the cars once again head out south of the city to contest the
second leg of special stages returning in time for the Rally finish and
ceremony presentations beginning at 3.30pm at the Town Basin.
Maps, spectator tickets and information can be picked up from the rally
headquarters, corner Dent Street and Quayside Way or from Salut Bar and
Brasserie, 69 Bank Street. More information can be found at
www.rallywhangarei.co.nz
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Further information
regarding Ben Jagger and the SeedForce Subaru Impreza WRX
is available at www.benjagger.co.nz.
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