Derek Ayson, of Gore, who became the first to achieve a hat trick of victories in this event last year, is seeded second, sandwiched between a former British World Rally Champion and the Production World Rally Champion.
"Behind Gwyndaf [Evans] and in front of Hayden [Paddon], there's going to be pressure on right from the start," Ayson admitted.
Ever affable, he mused it would be "like old times" running close by Paddon, originally of Geraldine, as they used be rivals, each driving Mitsubishi Evo 4s, about seven years ago in the Rally Xtreme competition.
"I will quite enjoy competing with him again," Ayson said.
Friendliness aside, he has a clear goal for the three-day Drivesouth-sponsored event.
"Obviously we are trying to make it number four."
Claiming that victory will be "particularly tough" this year as he will face challenges not only from Welsh star guest Evans and in-form Paddon, both pedalling Ford Escort RS1800s, but also another pair of Escorts, driven by Australians Geoff Portman and Stewart Reid.
Ayson's own Mk 2 Escort is a hybrid, running a Nissan FJ20 engine. After his successful runs in the past, is described by its owner as a "pretty reliable old girl".
This season it has two recent runs in local rallysprints and, after dabbling with his newly acquired Mitsubishi Evo 8, returning to the 2WD was like "being reunited with an old friend," Ayson said.
Although he is entered in the five-round national championship's historic class, Duncan McCrostie, of Kaitangata, has elected to run with the other classic cars and under the rules can score points for both categories.
He was in third place in last year's classic rally as he drove through the final stage's finish flags but the electrical problems that had been plaguing his 1982 Nissan Bluebird Turbo prevented him from making it back to the rally finish clock-in and robbed him of the podium result.
Positioned seventh this year behind historic leader Marcus van Klink, of Kaiapoi, McCrostie wants to avoid the mechanical dramas that resulted in him being unable to finish day one of last month's Wairarapa Rally and hampered his day two results.
To finish all three days and netting a solid points haul that will elevate him out of fourth place and closer to van Klink, are his Otago ambitions.
A newly-installed dogbox transmission should help him drive his car more the way he wants - "fast and rough."
Speculating on how he and Ayson might fare, he replied with a chuckle: "I've got absolutely no pressure. He's got it all".
