Stars aligning for rally
THIS year’s Drivesouth Otago Rallyfest is three weekends away, and excitement is building ahead of what could well be the best event in the rally’s history.
Not only is the number of entries for the April 1314 event shaping up as the largest in Otago Rally history, the overseas component of that entry is also running at a record level.
In all, roughly 20 of the more than 125 crews set to take part are from Otago, including around a dozen from Dunedin. Many are coming from overseas, mostly Australia, but also from as far afield as Norway, Ireland, Japan and the
Philippines. The event also puts this part of the world on the map nationally, with about three dozen North Islanders entered.
Key innovations for 2019 are the inclusion of the Otago event as a round of the AsiaPacific Cup and the introduction of a twopass reconnaissance (which levels the playing field for crews unfamiliar with our roads). The return of the full ANZAC Ave superspecial stage on Saturday afternoon is also welcome, as is the reordering of the field so that the top classic rally competitors take to the stages immediately ahead of the top national and AsiaPacific Cup competitors.
Our coverage over coming weeks will include the prospects of our top local drivers — Hayden Paddon, Emma Gilmour, Rhys Gardner and Mike Sheehan — and those from further afield. We will also be looking at our international visitors and the likely frontrunners in the national championship component, as well as going behind the scenes to reveal what’s required to organise a rally.
We will also be offering expert advice on where best to catch this year’s rally action, out and about on the 15 highspeed special stages that make up the event.
In the meantime, Drivesouth is here in its usual format this weekend, with the new Ford Focus taking centre stage.