Not often do we hear of humble local drivers competing overseas, yeah we’ve got the likes of Scott Dixon and up’n’comer Hayden Paddon making waves. But Hamilton Rally driver Gary Smith is spreading the word of local NZ events such as the Silver Fern event, trying to get it into the ears of more Aussies who he’ll be competing against in masse. The world rally event, a huge marathon that starts in Sydney to London. Though Gary and co-driver and fellow Caltex Service Station dealer, Christchurch’s Grant Ford. are only going to be doing the ”across Australia” stages. “The second section after flying the cars from Perth to Ankara in Turkey is all tarmac stages to the finish the UK, and doesn’t hold as much interest, so we’ll give that a miss. The Aussie section will be a tough enough experience, and we don’t have the budget to do it all anyway.” The World Rally Event starts Aprill 12th, best of luck to the guys!
Photo – Gary Smith’s Ford Escort RS1800 MKII. Photo credit – Geoff Ridder NZ.
