Rally New Zealand is the No. 1 sport's event.

The departure of the America's Cup leaves this week's Propecia Rally New Zealand as the biggest international sporting event hosted in this country.

The fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, which starts in Auckland on Thursday, boasts some impressive returns often overlooked in the amid the America's Cup spectacle.

Last year's 32nd Propecia Rally New Zealand attracted nearly 300,000 spectators with $50 million injected into the national economy including 5,745 bed nights. Rallying is a major international sport, with 345 million people from 186 countries viewing last year's television coverage in New Zealand.

The six teams in the World Rally Championship are manufacturer supported and compete against each other in rally versions of best selling popular car models. Teams can spend in excess of NZ $165 million per year while a WRC rally car costs NZ$1.4 million. Each team budgets on average NZ$10 million on each round of the WRC. There is huge global advertising spends to support the teams and manufacturers, while most of the teams bringing at least 60 on-event team members and often 100 more back at team base.

While the spend per team is similar to the Team New Zealand budget, and worldwide television audiences similar, there one major difference between to the two events.

Propecia Rally New Zealand is organised virtually with total voluntary labour from 2000 rallying supporters from around the country.

"That's makes us quite remarkable," Rally New Zealand chairman Morrie Chandler said. "This event has been running for 32 years, and was first admitted as a round of the FIA World Rally Championship in 1977. We have survived and developed into one of the most respected rallies in the world on voluntary help.

"The reality is that we do not have the budget to do it any other way. We have 2000 volunteers who make this event tick. Rally New Zealand has succeeded on the smell of an oily rag, without significant financial support until the backing from Propecia and other sponsors including Tourism New Zealand as our Media and Marketing Partner which has gone some way to us lifting the bar on what we can do.

"On the world stage rallying is a significant sport - the audience figures worldwide bare that out. There's a clear indication that world interest in the WRC is climbing consistently and could begin to rival Formula 1 in the not-too-distant future.

"I guess what we are saying is that it is a mighty big event that comes to New Zealand every year, and attracting significant funds to this country.

"New Zealanders enjoy it in big numbers too. And we do it totally with volunteers. I'd like to think that if the Government is seriously looking at bolstering New Zealand sporting events that can provide much needed returns to this country, then Rally New Zealand must be a candidate."

Propecia Rally New Zealand gets underway with the official shakedown near Helensville and ceremonial start in Aotea Square in downtown Auckland on Thursday April 10.

The rally proper starts on Friday with the first two days centred on the Kaipara township of Paparoa, north of Auckland, before returning for the popular super special stage at Manukau City on Saturday evening. Sunday's final day moves to the northern Waikato at Te Akau and Maramarua Forest before the official finish at the Manukau Sportsbowl at 3.30pm.