Auckland is back on the World Rally Championship calendar next year much to the relief of New Zealand driver Hayden Paddon.
Hayden Paddon is the only driver from the Southern Hemisphere to ever win a WRC event, Photo: Marcin Rybak
Paddon wondered if the WRC would ever return to New Zealand after Covid-19 stalled Auckland's stage last year.
"To be honest I was thinking we might lose it forever," Paddon said.
"We sort of had one chance to have it and that was obviously last year and the window of opportunity was closing up pretty quickly but due to the circumstances around the world and New Zealand's position in the world I think it's put us in a place where we look like we can host a world championship event quite successfully.
"It's still 12 months away and there's a lot to still happen but people behind the scenes at Rally New Zealand made sure we were at the forefront and we able to make this opportunity possible for our sport."
It's been a decade since New Zealand hosted the motorsport event and Paddon said he planned to be on the start line for the event which would run from 29 September to 2 October.
But he doesn't know in which car.
"Obviously I'd dearly love to have a chance to win Rally of New Zealand but you've got to try and be in a world rally car for that and the opportunities in the WRC at the moment are very slim pickings but regardless we'll keep knocking on doors and we'll keep trying and between now and then make sure we drive as much as we can to make sure we stay on top of our game and see what opportunities present themselves."
Paddon said international drivers would be just as keen as he was to see the rally on New Zealand's gravel roads.
"There's no secret that all drivers and teams say New Zealand has the best rally roads in the world ... but of course it is a long way for the teams and drivers to come and a pretty small country in terms of the commercial advantages for manufacturers so that's why it has been hard to get back here, but now that it is back here once people come they won't want to go again."
Hayden Paddon racing in the Rally of Wales. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The negative camber corners tests visiting drivers and is something that sticks in the mind of Hyundai's Thierry Neuville who has raced in New Zealand once before and is currently leading Rally Spain after the opening leg of the penultimate round of the 2021 season.
Previous Rally New Zealand winner and Toyota team principal, Jari-Matti Latvala, is looking forward to returning.
"[It's] one of the best rallys in the championship. If we say Rally Finland has the best roads and best feeling, I say that New Zealand is very close to Finland with the roads which has quite a nice camber and it's like dancing on the gravel," Latvala said
"[There are] tight fights in New Zealand we saw that in 2010 when I won the rally, there was five cars going into the final stage who still had a chance to fight for the victory and this kind of fights you see in Finland and also New Zealand, very close gaps and super footage from the stages, this is an event the drivers and fans will love."
Throughout the pandemic, increasing numbers of fans from around the world have tuned in to follow the action and the WRC now has an annual audience of more than 800 million viewers.
WRC Promoter managing director Jona Siebel said the championship is looking forward to making its way back to New Zealand.
"Next year marks the WRC's 50th season and I'm delighted to welcome back New Zealand, a rally which first appeared on the calendar in 1977," Siebel said.
The destination of one round of next year's 13-round WRC calendar is still to be confirmed.
