CANTERBURY RALLY A TIGHT FINISH

The slippery forest roads north of Christchurch are known for challenging drivers during the Lone Star Canterbury Rally. However, the terrain made for a series of tightly fought battles, with numerous lead changes, throughout the oneday event that saw local driver Josh Marston and co-driver Andrew Graves claim their maiden victory in the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship.

Piloting a Holden Barina AP4 — which also saw its first win in the series — earlier in the day, the pair overcame a spin that had threatened to derail their charge and earned the Hella Moment of the Rally as a result.

“We are absolutely stoked with the result,” Marston said. “It was a really challenging rally, and we made it hard on ourselves at times, but the car was great all day.

“I just wanted to hang on to a podium in that final stage, so I couldn’t believe it when my co-driver told me [that] we had got the job done … It is [a great result] for the team because they have worked so hard.”

Australian champion Nathan Quinn produced a solid drive on his first visit to the forests and banked a second place behind the wheel of his Ford Fiesta Proto with co-driver David Calder. Rookie Raana Horan led the rally heading into the final stage in the darkness but was pipped by Marston and Quinn to fall to third. Four-time Bathurst champion Greg Murphy set some blistering stage times, and he took a fourth place with the series’ second Barina AP4.

Marston now moves up to third in the Championship.