V8 driver Greg Murphy will take on a totally different challenge in next week's AA ENERGYWISETM Rally - it's not fastest time, but the vehicle that costs the least to run, that takes out this Rally's Supreme Award title.
The AA ENERGYWISETM Rally shows how Kiwis can slash their fuel bills by choosing a fuel-efficient car and driving it well. It follows a 1,626 km route throughout the North Island from 24 to 27 November.
Murphy, who flies in straight from round 13 of the V8 Super car championship series in Tasmania, will join the Rally on 25 November in a Holden Astra CDTi.
He has some serious competition in Hyundai i30 driver Hans Tholstrup who holds records for fuel economy runs around the world. He'll also face Glenn and Helen Johnston who want to drive the Honda Civic hybrid into the top spot for the second Rally in a row.
AA Technical Services Manager Stella Stocks says there is a great range of cars in this year's Rally.
"Nearly all of New Zealand's major vehicle manufacturers and distributors are represented in the 59 entries. That's a record number of vehicles for this important event, and it's fantastic to see such support from the motoring industry," says Ms Stocks.
There are 31 diesel and 28 petrol vehicles that have been entered, including the 2006 Supreme Winner, the petrol-electric Honda Civic hybrid.
The smallest car in the field is the Smart Fortwo, which is a 1 litre, 2-door vehicle capable of accommodating two people.
The largest car is the 6.1 litre Holden HSV Maloo, which will be crewed by a team from Trademe in a bid to take out the Driver Award. The Driver Award goes to the team that beats the rated fuel use of their vehicle by the highest percentage.
Volkswagen will be looking for good results in the Rally from their Blue Motion range of vehicles, which were specifically designed for low fuel consumption.
The BMW 730Ld luxury limousine used by the Government for chauffeur-driven VIP Transport Services has been entered in the Rally, as have Subaru's diesel Outback and diesel Legacy - the first to be produced by Subaru and due for public release in early 2009.
Dodge, Ford, Kia, Mazda, Mini, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Saab and Suzuki have also entered a range of vehicles in the Rally.
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) Chief Executive Mike Underhill says, "for every litre of fuel used by an average sized car, 2.5kg of carbon dioxide is released into our atmosphere. Better fuel efficiency means less emissions and lower fuel bills - that's good news for everyone."
The AA ENERGYWISETM Rally takes place every two years and is jointly organised by the AA, EECA and Gull Petroleum. Gull was the first oil company in New Zealand to offer sustainable biofuel blends at the pump, and provides fuel for all the Rally vehicles.
For a full list of drivers and cars, go to www.aaenergywiserally.org.nz.
For more information contact
Stella Stocks
General Manager Technical Services
New Zealand Automobile Association
T. +64 9 966 8908
M. +64 21 772 242
E. sstocks@aa.co.nz
The New Zealand Automobile Association is an incorporated society with over one million members. It represents the interests of road users who collectively pay over $2 billion in taxes each year through fuels excise, road user charges and GST.