Two consecutive roll-overs have not diminished Tuturau teenager Larissa Tyler's love for mud and horsepower.
Nor did a broken arm from rugby last Monday, taped up with black plastic to keep out mud and water, keep her from teaming up with stepfather Ken Humphries for their fifth rally - the Oamaru mud plug at Gemmell's Crossing on Saturday.
They won the best roll-over at the Dunedin mud plug in March. At the Oamaru Gemmell's Crossing event on Saturday, they had another roll.
This time there was no prize for the best roll, but mud plug organiser Ralph Burrell said ''if there was, they would have won it''.
The Rotary Club of Oamaru event this year had 32 entries, similar to last year and a bigger turnout of up to 600 spectators.
Heavy rain over the past three months produced enough mud to satisfy the hardened enthusiasts, spectators having to wade along the track in muck up to ankle deep to get the short distance from the car park to the event.
Being mud-spattered does not put Larissa off. She has been mud-plugging since last year when Mr Humphries bought the modified four-wheel-drive.
He was ''looking for something to do'' after racing motor bikes.
''It's also a great way to spend family time,'' he said.
Part of the deal when buying the vehicle was that Larissa would be co-pilot.
In competition, there are known as Humpty and Larry.
Saturday's roll-over was on an exit from water on to a steep bank, where previous competitors had left deep ruts. It was almost in slow motion, as the vehicle rolled over back into the water.
Mr Humphries ended up on the bottom side, and Larissa the dry top.
''I could feel it coming, so I just held on,'' she said.
That did not deter them from continuing the competition after the vehicle had dried out and been topped up with oil. They finished second in the time trial.
Results (driver named first)
Standard: James McCrorie and Mark Williams (both Dunedin) 1, Andy McArthur (Ranfurly) and James Glover (Kyeburn) 2.
Modified: Daniel Richardson (Mataura) and Trevor Soper (Gore) 1, Barry Wells and Terry Meechang (both Temuka) 2.
Greater modified: David Gray (Alexandra) 1.
Super modified: Keith Richardson (Mataura) and Koby Brown (Milton) 1, Callum Bond and Clint Jeffery (both Dunedin) 2, Craig Bellamy and Nick Titulaer (both Christchurch) 3.
Open: Mike McCarthy and Tony Hayes (both Dunedin) 1, Richardson and Brown 2, Tony Richardson and Ivan Mockford (both Mataura) 3.
Time trial: Rosco Gaudin and Edward White (both Te Anau) 1, Humphries and Tyler 2, Bellamy and Titulaer 3.
