Two rounds of the championship remain and both overall and class titles are yet to be decided.
Dylan Thomson and co-driver Richard Fairhall (Ford Fiesta ST150 2.3) have the opportunity to take the overall lead, while Caleb MacDonald (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) and Ally Mackay (Ford Escort Mk1) can both fight for a top-three place heading to the final round, the Westland Rally, in three weeks.
Unfortunately for Thomson, a retirement in the most recent round in Nelson thwarted his opportunity to move into the lead.
Jonty Brenssell (Toyota Starlet) claimed the contest.
Thomson has been consistently quick all season, albeit in a 2WD Ford Fiesta, and still has a 12-point lead in class C (2WD 1601cc and over) over Deane Buist (Toyota Corolla), who is skipping the Lawrence round.
While Mike Matheson and Gordon Legge (Toyota Vitz) finished ahead of class A (2WD 0-1300cc) leaders Pat Norris and Geoff Parr (Toyota Yaris) at Rally Nelson, the latter have a four-point lead.
In class B (2WD 1301-1600cc), David Birkett (Toyota Levin) retired from Rally Nelson, dropping to second-equal with Dean Schoder (Toyota Trueno), while Kerry Sloan (Toyota Starlet) moved ahead of the two by six points.
Caleb MacDonald has the opportunity to take over the lead in class D (4WD) as several rivals have not entered the fifth round.
Class E (Pre 1996 Classic 4WD) has featured a rivalry between Mike Barltrop (Subaru Impreza) and Hayden Shakespeare (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3) over the first four rounds, the latter now holding a 16-point lead.
Barltrop has not entered the Lawrence Rally, so Shakespeare has the opportunity to win the title with one round remaining.
Ally Mackay has a 14-point lead in the historic class F over Tim McIver (Ford Escort MkII), but with 20 points on the line for a win, neither can afford a retirement and must finish to stay in contention.
Tom Milliken (Subaru H6) has been consistent over the season in class H, and has a handy eight-point lead over James Macdonald with Nick Marston eight points further back. Milliken has the opportunity to win the class title as neither rival has entered this weekend’s round.
The Lawrence Rally comprises 75km over five special stages, all on public roads, and 75km of touring.
The rally starts at 10.30am with the first car finishing about 3.30pm.
