A star-studded field including World Rally Championship rally winner Hayden Paddon will tackle the City of Auckland Rally on Saturday.
The event will use the roads set aside to host the WRC in 2020 before the COVID pandemic forced its cancellation.
Paddon, in his Hyundai i20 AP4, will battle a strong local field that includes reigning NZRC champion Ben Hunt (Subaru), Matt Summerfield (Mitsubishi), Emma Gilmour (Suzuki), Raana Horan (Skoda) and Dylan Turner (Audi).
Young up-and-coming stars Jack Hawkeswood (Mazda) and Robbie Stokes (Ford) should also be in the mix.
The field will tackle the picturesque 16km-long Kaipara Hills stage at 8.38am will start the day off before 22km Puhoi stage.
Competitors return to the famous Riverhead forest north-west of Auckland – last used in the mid-1990s – before a service at Kumeu Showgrounds at 11.04am.
The cars will head back out for a second loop of those three stages before heading south of the city to Whitford for the purpose-built Jacks Ridge stage.
Drivers will tackle the 6.27km cambered gravel road, with massive jumps, in the cauldron-style atmosphere.
The first run through begins at 4.31pm while a second pass will start at 5.21pm.
Limited spectating is available to the first 500 on a first come, first in basis.
The Repco Battle of Jacks Ridge – using 2km of the stage – will take place on Sunday.
