With both of Vicarage Lane's directors, John Kennard and Brent Rawstron, heavily involved in National and International rallying, a company interest in the sport seemed inevitable from it's beginning.

 

Having first met during a national rally in Canterbury in 1984 and first competed together on the legendary Rally of the Thousand Lakes, Finland's round of the World Rally Championship, in 1985, the pair then took vastily different paths in motor sport.

 

Rawstron, who had been involved in New Zealand rallying since it's formative years in the early 70's, competing and winning at national and international level, chose to expand his successful farming business in Canterbury to include viticulture, and on the rallying front to get involved in the "new" sport of historic rallying, while Kennard left a career in architectural design to forge a new one on the European rally scene.

 

Moving to the UK to live in 1990, he was soon regularly co-driving in British and European championship events, but more importantly taking a professional management role on World Championship events for the Japanese run Mitsubishi Ralliart team. This programme added experience as far afield as Asia and more importantly in the far flung corners of Africa, in Ivory Coast and Kenya.

 

His knowledge of the latter, and it's renowned Safari Rally, then opened doors into the World Championship in 1995, when it was reintroduced to the WRC schedule and Kennard took a role as team co-ordinator at Subaru World Rally Team.

 

Successful seasons with Subaru WRT followed through to the turn of the century, when a change of role within Prodrive lead to a return to running Subaru European national championship programmes and world events with a variety of customers.

 

Near the same time, a holiday meeting with old friend Rawstron, who had continued his passion for historic rallying, lead to Kennard's purchase of an "investment" vineyard in Marlborough, where Rawstron was well established as a vineyard owner.

 

A further change of focus in 2003, saw Kennard shift back to Mitsubishi and manage the set up of a new professional rally team in America, which in it's first season dominated the US Championship. Mission accomplished in the US, Kennard then turned his focus to a different challenge, and with partner Satu Lappalainen and business associates Rawstron and his wife Shirley set about heading Vicarage Lane Wines down the same path to success.