The Otago Rally roars out of Dunedin this weekend and with new cars, fresh faces and WRC stars scattered throughout the field, it promises some quality action. Reporter Catherine Pattison picked out the drivers to watch over the 17-stage, 280km, four-category event which opens in the Octagon from 5pm tonight, before heading south tomorrow and then north on Sunday.
Paddon, who last won in 2016 by a NZRC record margin of 9min 22sec, is not underestimating his local competition.
"There are a few dark horses in the field and we can't underestimate anyone. So we will drive a good clean rally, enjoy some of my favourite rally stages in the world, and try to give the team a good result," he said.
One of those dark horses could be Australian-based Irishman Richie Dalton, who will make his debut in the NZRC in his Ford Fiesta proto car. He comes off an eighth placing at Australia's 2017 World Rally Championship round, driving a Skoda Fabia R5.
Among the quick Kiwis will be last year's championship runner-up, Matt Summerfield, who has swapped out his ageing Subaru for a Mitsubishi dealership-backed Mirage.
Seeded third for the rally, which is sponsored by Drivesouth, is Subaru WRX STi driver Ben Hunt, of Auckland. His confidence in his new car grew during its second season last year, and culminated in victory at Rally Waitomo.
Dunedin has two drivers in the top 10, and Rhys Gardner (Mazda 2 AP4+) and Emma Gilmour (Suzuki Swift AP4) are both in with a podium chance. They have been refining their pace note systems in the off-season. Gardner has taken on the experienced David Calder, of Christchurch, and Gilmour retains Australian Anthony McLoughlin for the fourth consecutive championship.
A clutch of drivers had championships to forget last year but with a little luck and some off-season development they could be front-runners. They include Auckland's Dylan Turner, with the Audi S1 AP4 car that he debuted in 2017; two-time Gull Challenge winner Darren Galbraith, of Timaru, in a Mitsubishi Evo 8, and Evo 7 driver Graham Featherstone.
Christchurch's Josh Marston rounds out the top 10 and after a season of niggling issues last year, his now more-developed Holden Barina AP4+ could be a podium contender. He has Gore co-driver Andrew Graves on board.
Other Otago drivers competing in the Allcomers Rally are Dunedin's James Mitchell, Mike Turfus and Mike Wellington in Mitsubishi Evos - five, seven and eight respectively.
The Classic 4WD field will run to the Group A Rally Challenge regulations, allowing pre-1995 machinery including a Subaru Legacy RS, Mitsubishi Galant VR4 and Mazda 323 to compete for their own trophy.
The Otago International Classic Rally features two top international contenders in similar Ford Escort RS1800s. The differences are that three-time Welsh Rally champion Meirion Evans built his himself and regularly rallies a rear-wheel-drive car, while Norwegian WRC star Mads Ostberg is borrowing his Ford and is more familiar with the high-spec 4WD machines associated with his international career.
Giving the foreigners a run for their money will be Kaikoura's Regan Ross, in his own Escort, and Gore's Derek Ayson, who has had his Ford Escort Mk 2 kitted out with a new 2.4-litre Holbay engine, plus Christchurch's Dean Buist in his new VW Golf GTI.
