The Allcomers class is the best example where two Gore campaigners Paul Cross, Andrew Graves and Dunedin's Blair Sutherland, respectively, form the top four behind leader John Silcock, of Rangiora.
Cross is in top form after a win at the Wisp Rally Sprint in Owaka last month.
The six runs over the 7.5km course were a chance to blow the cobwebs out of his Mitsubishi Evo 4.
"It was a good sort of shakedown for the car this weekend," Cross said.
The rally sprint victory gave him the lead in the three-event Southern Series, which includes the Otago and Catlins rallies.
Cross and Graves are both "going blind", with their co-drivers electing not to read the full pace notes that are available to all competitors.
Bearing in mind they will not be privy to the detailed cornering and distance instructions, both will be doing their best to hunt Silcock down for a win.
Dunedin's Blair Sutherland will be hot on their heels, especially after his wildcard win at the Lawrence Rally in November last year.
The Otago Sports Car club-run event was the first time he had driven the Mitsubishi Evo 5, leased from Cromwell's Paul Beattie, and he will be maximising a second outing in it this weekend.
Sixth seed Balclutha's Dean Bond will be powering the same model Mitsubishi as Silcock - an Evo 6.5, while Dunedin brothers Steve and Mike Wellington line up 10th and 11th, also in Evos.
In the Classic Rally, southern stalwarts Derek Ayson, of Clinton, and Kaitangata's Duncan McCrostie are seeded fourth and sixth respectively.
McCrostie fared favourably in his Nissan Bluebird turbo at the 2008 Otago Rally, winding up 19th overall and fifth in the classic class.
Mechanical breakdowns both days for Ayson convinced him his "old girl" Escort had done enough rally kilometres and he has built a new "highly modified" Nissan-powered Ford Escort FJ20.
"We've just really gone to town on it and it's putting out a lot more horsepower," he said. The Otago Rally roars into life at 7.30am on Saturday as the cars head through the first time control at the Southern Cross Hotel, in Dunedin.
Competitors cover eight stages that day, including the Anzac Ave special stage from 3pm.
On Sunday, teams will head north and complete a further six stages.
