BUSSELTON rally driver Tom Wilde had a sensational start to his first overseas race, The International Rally of Whangarei.
Wilde was the fastest two-wheel-driver and finished fourth outright.
It was a tough fought event for Wilde and experienced co-driver Bill Hayes, after their Renault Clio developed an electrical issue before lunch on Saturday.
“It took us a while to fix the problem and bypass an isolator,” Wilde said.
“We managed to keep going but were ten minutes late into a stage.”
The team earned a one minute and forty second penalty for checking in late and dropped to fifth outright.
It took Wilde and Hayes the remainder of the event to reclaim fourth position from China’s Jun Xu.
“We're all really happy, especially with our late comeback to fight for fourth position,” Wilde said.
“The roads here were fantastic but, from what I’ve been told, a lot drier than usual and not nearly as much grip as normal.”
Wilde and Hayes next event will be round two of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship, the Rally of New Caledonia, in just over a month.
“I think New Caledonia will be totally different again, but for me it's a learning curve, and if you can get to the end unscathed over there you're doing well.”
