Ninety-one entries spread across the New Zealand Rally Championship, allcomers and classic classes will be setting up their steeds and finalising service crews' details ahead of tomorrow's 7.30am start from the Southern Cross Hotel.
Rally spokesman Roger Oakley said the 14 stages were inspected yesterday and were expected to hold up well as organisers only used the better formed and stronger arterial roads.
"We have experienced similar rain in previous years and only had isolated problems."
Top-seeded classic rally entry Alister McRae has got to grips with the slippery conditions, skidding his way around some forestry tracks in his Ford Escort RS1800 this week.
He established some familiarity with the BDA Escort, prepared by Christchurch-based Bryce Biggs, in cold, wet conditions "and from all reports, he looked impressive and loved the car", Oakley said.
McRae, brother of the late 1995 world rally champion Colin McRae and son of five-time British rally championship winner Jimmy McRae, competed in the 2007 Otago event driving a Subaru Impreza WRX.
Last year's classic rally winner, Finnish star Pasi Hagstrom, is not competing this year but McRae will be joined by nine other internationals, all from Australia.
Overseas entries were only down two from 2008, Oakley said.
"We are pleased with this strong support in economic times that are tougher."
It was satisfying to see that a large number were returning competitors from previous years, he added.
Oakley acknowledged, in particular, Australian Darryn Snooks, who has brought over a four-driver team of his countrymen and a tour party of spectators.
Second seed in the classic section is Christchurch's Deane Buist who will be doing his best for the New Zealanders as he attempts to outdo McRae in his BDA-powered Toyota Corolla.
The national championship field will be headed by Masterton husband and wife Subaru pairing, Richard and Sara Mason, who are hoping for an Otago hat trick after wins the past two years.
Fellow Subaru driver Emma Gilmour, of Hamilton, is angling to improve on her two third places this season at April's Rally Hawkes Bay and last weekend's Asia-Pacific Rally Championship's Rally of Queensland.
Two men who will be trying to topple Mason are second seed and NZRC titleholder Hayden Paddon, of Geraldine, and former Aucklander Andrew Hawkeswood.
Paddon chased Mason to the 2008 finish line and is focused on extracting every last ounce of horsepower out of his Mitsubishi Evo 9 to go one step up on the podium come Sunday.
Hillclimb specialist and international rally driver Hawkeswood, now based in Alexandra, is leaving behind the replica Audi Quattro S1 he thrilled spectators with last year and is pedalling a newly built Mitsubishi Evo 7.
He hopes to complete the national championship series this season, work commitments permitting.
This year's rally has an allcomers category - for drivers, some of them in very quick cars, who want to compete in a national status event but with more freedoms - run after the national cars.
In 2008, they tailed the classics but the change was made because the NZRC now includes classes for allcomers cars.
"We originally thought that this would mean that there would not be enough allcomers to run as a separate field.
" However, we are delighted to be proven wrong. There is a good, strong allcomers field," Oakley said.
The teams will cover a total distance of about 256km, including the famous stages of Kuri Bush, Whare Flat, Waipori Gorge and McIntosh Rd, as well as the popular tarmac spectator stage around Dunedin's Anzac Ave at 3pm tomorrow.
The weekend begins with the Drivesouth Motorsport Show at the Edgar Centre tonight from 4pm to 8pm.
All the cars will be displayed and the drivers will be available for autographs.
• See Drivesouth in tomorrow's Otago Daily Times for more Otago Rally coverage and a list of best viewing points on the stages.
