Balclutha’s Rhys Gardner was third in his debut full-length event driving his recently purchased Mazda 2 AP4. He finished 2mins 03:04sec behind the two-day rally’s winner, the New Zealand Rally Championship’s defending champion David Holder, who was also piloting his factory-supported Hyundai i20 AP4 for the first time.
It is his and co-driver Jason Farmer’s first win at Otago.
Auckland’s Andrew Hawkeswood fought off feeling unwell this morning to finish second in his Mazda 2 AP4 with co-driver Jeff Cress.
Christchurch driver Deane Buist and Karl Celeste had a storming run to claim their second consecutive Allcomers category win in Buist’s Ford Escort Mk 2 and finish 10th overall.
Markko Martin, of Estonia, along with co-driver Stephane Prevot, also backed up last year’s win, taking home the Classic Rally trophy after a see-saw battle with Kaikoura driver Regan Ross, who was driving a similar Ford Escort RS 1800.
- For a full report read tomorrow’s Otago Daily Times.
