Fortunes swung
either way on the second day of Rally Otago for two of the Vantage
Aluminium New Zealand Rally Championship drivers. Chris West led the
rally throughout the final day despite struggling with grip and car
set-up, only to be thwarted on the final stage when he lost a wheel,
promoting Dean Sumner to the top of the podium.

“I can’t
believe it,” Sumner said. “As soon as we saw Westy on that stage, we
thought we might be in with a chance but we weren’t sure whether Emma
(Gilmour) had got in front.”

The Rotorua
driver eased into the rally, gaining more and more confidence in his
ITM Evo IX over the two-day event.

Consistent
times enabled Richard Mason to take top NZRC points on Day 2 to sit
second for the weekend. Suspension problems on his BNT Subaru plagued
Mason most of the weekend.

“We only won
one stage in the entire rally. You’ve just got to keep going,” Mason
said.

Patrick
Malley had a bit of trouble committing to his pace notes through the
stages surrounding Middlemarch but managed to hold off a charge from
Emma Gilmour to finish third.

“So many hits
and near misses; we’re lucky to be here as much as glad,” Drury-based
Malley said. “We’re gutted for Westy, if anyone deserves to get a
result it’s him.”

Open Class
4WD driver Andrew Hawkeswood was gunning for West in the overall
standings until he took out a stump on special stage 14, seriously
damaging the front of his Mitsubishi Evo VIII. This left Geof Argyle and
his ailing Evo VII atop class points.

“Once we’ve
sorted out the engine, we can start challenging for round wins,” said
Argyle.

Stephen
Barker cleaned up both days in Group N 2WD and looked relieved back at
the Dunedin Octagon.

“I can go
home and stop stressing about how it’s going to go now,” he said.

The brakes in
Matt Summerfield’s Skoda Fabia decided enough was enough on the last
stage of the day, but a comfortable lead earned him a win in the Kiwi 2
category.

Regan Ross
enjoyed a thrilling battle in the Dunlop International Classic Rally
and collected full points for NZRC Historic Challenge in the process.

The Vantage
Aluminium New Zealand Rally Championship now prepares for the 40th
Rally New Zealand, where competitors will be able to compare
themselves to the world’s best in Auckland over 7-9 May.

Sumner’s victory gives him 60 points after the first round of the 2010
New Zealand Rally Championship. With bonus points awarded on total
elapsed time for the rally, he has a four point lead over Mason (56),
with Malley on 52 and Gilmour 51.

2010 Rally of Otago
New Zealand Rally Championship
Final Results
1. Dean Sumner / Paul Fallon, Mitsubishi Lancer, 2h36m24.5s
2. Emma Gilmour / Glenn Macneall, Subaru Impreza WRX, +15.3s
3. Richard Mason / Hamish Fenemor, Subaru Impreza WRX, +20.4s
4. Patrick Malley / Malcolm Read, Mitsubishi Lancer, +28.5s
5. Geof Argyle / Phillip Deakin, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8, +1m01.7s
6. Ben Jagger / Ben Hawkins, Subaru Impreza WRX, +2m17.3s