dean sumner - driver
Well, after years of trying and a lot of hard work we have finally done it - 2010 New Zealand Rally Champions.
So how did it begin? I started rallying in 2002 in a Toyota Starlet. After one year in that car we brought a Mitsubishi EVO6 and went straight into competing at national level, this was Dad's idea but I wasn't going to disagree. In my first rally we were 2nd in Group N class, which was great but I think I was lucky in that one event, because in the next three events after that I crashed out!
In more recent years we have always been fast but have lacked the consistency that is a critical factor in winning championships. We could win the odd stage every now and then and the occasional rally too, but we couldn't be fast on every stage, on every rally.
The difference last year is I have gained so much driving experience over the years and have learnt how to build a good team around me.
The car was almost perfect at every event last year which made my job a lot easier. I've had a manager on my team, Bill Hunter who was a rally manager for Prodrive, a professional rally team in the UK. Bill has brought a lot of experience to the ITM Rally Team, and by having a manager I have felt very relaxed as a driver because I don't have to worry about all the details that go into running a team during an event, and that makes it easier to concentrate on my job as a driver.
My Mum and Dad are still a big part of the team. Dad drives the Service Truck to the events and Mum does the cooking and makes sure everyone has somewhere to sleep. Mike and Sue from Reaction Racing look after the computer programs in the car. Mike is very good at what he does and makes an extra effort to make sure my car is 100% reliable and fast.
I'm lucky to have a variety of loyal sponsors who have been with me from the start, ITM, Marley, GIB, Makita and Wattyl, and it's great to reward them with the championship title. Anton from Geartech Automotive in Palmerston North does all my Gearbox and Differential preparation.
My long-time co-driver Paul Fallon has been absolutely fantastic and I’m pleased to say that he will be joining me again in 2011. He is a perfectionist, everything is well planned and prepared and his pace note calling is spot on. It's a very hard job and is mostly about timing, I couldn't do it.
So this is our title defence year. It will be a tough year but one that we are well and truly ready for. We have made the decision to switch to Hankook tyres, a big call as we will be the first team to run their new generation tyres at this level in the sport in New Zealand, but we have done a lot of testing and are really confident in them.
Here’s hoping we will have a season like last year.
NATIONALITY: Kiwi
RESIDENCE: Rotorua
FAVORITE SPARE TIME ACTIVITIES: Mountain Biking, Wake Boarding, MX
SHORT TERM GOAL: Successfully defend my New Zealand Rally Champions Title
SEASON COMPETING IN NZRC: This will be my ninth year
DEANS RALLY CARS: Toyota Starlet, Mitsubishi EVO6, Mitsubishi EVO8, Mitsubishi EVO9
NZRC RALLY WINS: 4
NZRC RALLY PODIUMS: 11
INTERNATIONAL RALLIES COMPETED: 11
NEW ZEALAND RALLY CHAMPION TITLES: 1