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A company owned by Whitford motorsport star Andrew Hawkeswood has been announced as naming sponsor of this year’s North Island Rally Series.
Hawkeswood Mining is backing the series, which runs from May to November.
Hawkeswood, a former national rally champion, will be well known to east Auckland motorsport fans for hosting the ‘Jacks Ridge Haunui’ stage of the 2022 Repco Rally New Zealand at his Whitford family farm.
Among the drivers who took part in the high-octane event in front of more than 13,000 fans were France’s Sebastien Ogier, Finland’s Kalle Rovanpera, and Kiwi aces Hayden Paddon and Shane van Gisbergen, among others.
Hawkeswood has been a key figure in the domestic rally competition for several decades both as a driver and more recently as a manufacturer of AP4 spec cars through Force Motorsport.
In 2017 he won the New Zealand Rally Championship driving a Mazda2 AP4 and more recently stepped back from competing handing the keys to his son Jack.
“We’re proud to support grassroots rallying,” Hawkeswood says.
“This is where the future champions will come from, so it’s pretty cool to be part of that.”
Hawkeswood Mining is a significant gold recovery business based at Millers Flat near Alexander in Central Otago.
The Hawkeswood Mining North Island Rally Series is expected to attract a strong contingent of North Island competitors across the five rounds from May through to October.
The series will see rally competitors race in locations including Mangapai, Taranaki, Whitianga, Pio Pio, and the Bay of Plenty.
