Balcutha's Rhys Gardner heads the seedings for the Rankleburn Rally in West Otago tomorrow.
He will be at the wheel of the ex-Dean Sumner Mitsubishi Evo 9.5 he has recently purchased, with regular co-driver Alex Ramsay, of Dunedin, alongside.
The event is the third and final round of the Southern Rally Series 2013 and also part of the Eastern Southland Car Club Rally Championship.
Gardner is the reigning Southern Rally Series champion, a title he gained after finishing second at Rankleburn last year behind Andrew Graves, who is not competing this year.
A field of 29 entries has been received for the event which will be based at Telford Tops Rd in the Rankleburn Forest and comprises five stages totalling 80km of competition.
The second seeds are Carter Strang/Stewart Robbie, of Invercargill, in their Mitsubishi Evo 6.
Strang has made the transition to four-wheel-drive power this year and has shown impressive speed. Derek Ayson, of Gore, a former Mainland Series, Rally Xtreme and Southern Series Rally Champion is seeded third.
He won this event in 2011 in a Mitsubishi Evo 8. This season he has reverted to a two-wheel-drive Nissan-powered Ford Escort.
Next up is Neville Krammer, of Invercargill. Krammer has been a fast and consistent competitor over several seasons in an older Subaru Legacy. Fourth here last year, he will be another who is quick.
Barry Mills, of Balclutha, is fresh from his best finish at Catlins in an elderly Hillman Avenger powered by a 2-litre engine. Mills finished fourth that day.
