Block announces Rally Whangarei on ‘Cossie World Tour’

Organisers of the ENEOS International Rally of Whangarei are proud to announce that global motorsport superstar Ken Block will return to the event as part of his ‘Cossie World Tour’ on May 3-5.

Block shot to fame through his series of Gymkhana videos on YouTube that were produced around schedules that have included the World Rally Championship and World RallyX Championship.

The ENEOS International Rally of Whangarei represents the second stop on Block’s tour, following the 100 Acre Wood Rally in Missouri, USA. After Whangarei, Block’s only scheduled stop in the Southern Hemisphere, he heads to the Donegal Rally in Ireland.

The 2019 edition is the third time Block has made the trip to Whangarei, having competed in 2007 and been victorious in 2015. This year he will compete with a freshly re-built Ford Escort Cosworth that was made famous in the World Rally Championship from 1993-1996.

“It is an absolute honour to welcome Ken and his team back to the ENEOS International Rally of Whangarei. His presence brings a massive benefit to the event in terms of a global profile, while also bringing a lot of excitement to the spectators on the ground,” says event chairman Willard Martin.

“We’ve known for a long time that the Whangarei roads make some of the best rallying roads in the world and Ken adding the ENEOS International Rally of Whangarei to his schedule of hand-picked events around the world supports our knowledge we run a world class event on the best roads in the world.”

Block becomes the latest high-profile competitor to confirm their participation, with Irish internet sensation Frank Kelly and New Zealand’s most successful rally driver and current Global Rallycross competitor Hayden Paddon also taking on the cambered roads.

The ENEOS International Rally of Whangarei runs from 3 – 5 May. The event represents the second round of both the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship and the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship and is based in Whangarei with stages to the north and south of the city.

       

Rally of Whangarei

 

The FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) is one of the premier regional championships in world rallying and is contested by teams from New Zealand, Australia, China, Czech Republic, Japan, Malaysia, India, and New Caledonia running primarily Super2000, Group N, or production, rally cars.