It is set to be an action-packed weekend for the Otago Rally, which is the opener for the six-round New Zealand Rally Championship, racing across 280km in 15 stages.
Millers Flat-based Jack Hawkeswood is the No 1 seed for the national category, having won last year’s Otago Rally.
He will have plenty of competition against defending national rally champion Ben Hunt, of Auckland, and home-town hero Emma Gilmour, seeded third, is out to add an Otago Rally title to her accolades.
Hayden Paddon is focusing on the Australian Rally Championship this year, opening the door for others to fight for the New Zealand title.
Paddon will race in the International Classic Rally, battling against Northern Ireland driver Kris Meeke, who is the class’s defending champion.
