Otago's only two entrants in Rally New Zealand have shored up their cars with some new componentry ahead of the season's marathon event.
Beginning tomorrow and running through to Sunday, Emma Gilmour and Duncan McCrostie will contest 416km of special stages over roads in the Northland, Kaipara, Auckland, Te Akau and Raglan districts.
The penultimate round of the New Zealand Rally Championship sees both drivers second in their classes and keen to make inroads on the leaders.
Dunedin-based Gilmour is 20 points shy of the national category front-runner and Subaru rival Richard Mason. She is aiming for a mechanical issue-free run and will consequently be competing with a well-refreshed Impreza STi.
"We treat the event as if we're starting a brand new season, as it's so long distance-wise.
"The car has had a lot of time and dollars spent on it and we've been over it with a fine-toothed comb, replacing the turbo with a brand new one and the like," Gilmour said.
Kaitangata's McCrostie, who is driving his Nissan Bluebird Turbo in the Possum Bourne Memorial Rally section of the event, is 61 points behind historic national championship class leader Marcus van Klink.
Kaiapoi's van Klink took a 34.4sec victory in last month's Classic Rally of Otago, with McCrostie finishing an impressive third.
"That saved the day and got things back on track," McCrostie said of his fightback from fourth in the points standings.
His long-awaited dogbox transmission has finally been fitted, which means he does not have to use the clutch for gear changes, and its straight-cut teeth should make it a stronger option than a standard gearbox, he said.
Gilmour has the benefit of utilising the experience of her fiance and long-term co-driver Glenn Macneall in the passenger seat, as Rally New Zealand does not clash with his other international rallying commitments.
While McCrostie and Gore co-driver Andrew Graves are only in their first season competing together, they are really starting to "gel" in the car, McCrostie said.
As Rally New Zealand is a round of the World Rally Championship (WRC), 14 top-specification cars are entered, headlined by France's eight-time reigning world champion Sebastien Loeb.
Running behind the WRC contingent, there are 14 entrants in the Super 2000 World Rally Championship (SWRC) and Production World Rally Championship categories, including Geraldine's Hayden Paddon in a S2000 Skoda Fabia.
Paddon's focus is to win the SWRC section to improve his overall championship position - he's currently second by six points to Irishman Craig Breen.
However, Breen is not travelling to New Zealand, which gives Paddon the opportunity to take the lead with the 25 points awarded to the category winner.
"Our other goal for this event is to get a top 10 finish in the overall standings," Paddon said.
