The excitement is building as the FIA World Rally Championship prepares to head down under, with New Zealand returning to the calendar later this month for the first time since 2012.
Championship leader Kalle Rovanperä tops the list and, depending on the outcome of this week’s EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, could potentially arrive to Auckland as the newly-crowned WRC champion.
The young Finn is joined by Toyota GR Yaris colleagues Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta, while Sébastien Ogier re-enters the fray in place of Esapekka Lappi, with whom he is alternating drives this season.
It will be Ogier’s second time competing in New Zealand and the Frenchman has a score to settle having finished runner-up in 2010 after spinning in the closing kilometres of the final stage.
Hyundai Motorsport’s i20 N regulars Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak are joined by Oliver Solberg, whose father Petter actually won the event back in 2004 whilst driving a famous Subaru Impreza.
It’s set to be another busy event for M-Sport Ford as the British squad fields four Ford Pumas. Craig Breen leads the team and is joined by Gus Greensmith as well as a returning Adrien Fourmaux. Italian privateer Lorenzo Bertelli makes his Rally1 debut in the fourth car with Simone Scattolin calling the pace notes.
The WRC2 entry is packed with local flavour and, unsurprisingly, Hayden Paddon leads the field away in a Hyundai i20 N Rally2. Others competing for home pride include two-time Supercars racing champion Shane Van Gisbergen as well as Ben Hunt and Harry Bates in a gaggle of Škoda Fabias.
Luke Anear takes the short trip across the water to drive an M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2, while Fabia star Kajetan Kajetanowicz has a considerably longer journey to make from his native Poland.
Armin Kremer and Miguel Díaz-Aboitiz also drive Škodas and will be key protagonists in the WRC2 Masters Cup.
Finland
Italy
Hungary