Naren ready for tough track in New Zealand

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI

Aug. 28: The Rally of New Zealand, which will be flagged off in Hamilton on Friday, will be a stern test for Team Sidvin India’s Naren Kumar. He will be looking to put the previous round disappointments behind him Down Under and is aiming a top-eight finish in his fourth outing at the World Rally Champ-ionship (production class).

After a decent debut at the Rally of Greece (10th place), the Coimbatore driver had a tough time in the Turkey and Finland legs, where he pulled out with mechanical problems.

"Finland was a big diappointment after an engine problem. Now, I have to finish among the points as the car is looking better. I am confident of doing well," a determined Naren said from Auckland.

"We have made some adjustments in the car to suit my driving style. My practice session on Monday was very encouraging and the roads are a mix of fast and tricky narrow stretches," added the 34-year-old.

Team principle Mohan Nagarajan is optimistic that Naren will produce better results as he has experience of driving in New Zealand in the last year’s Asia-Pacific Rally Champion-ship. "Even though the stages are a lot different from the APRC rounds we expect Naren to finish at least in the top 10. Our partners Tommi Makinen Racing have worked a lot on the car after the problems in Finland and we are sure this time the set-up will perform better," added Nagarajan.