Finland’s Pasi Hagstrom is on target to end the Ford Escort RS1800 domination of the Dunlop International Otago Classic Rally, and holds a commanding lead at the end of the first day of the event.

The Flying Scotsman, Alister McRae, hit the forests in his Ford Escort RS1800 yesterday, ahead of this weekend's Dunlop International Classic Rally of Otago.

Rally fans are being given the opportunity to take part in an exclusive dinner, to be hosted by former World Rally Championship star, Michele Mouton, in the week leading up to the Otago Rally.

Mouton, a former works driver for the Audi factory team in the famed Group B era of the WRC, will be in New Zealand to drive a Ford Escort RS1800 in the southern hemisphere’s best classic gravel rally.

The French pairing of Michele Mouton and Fabrizia Pons have turned back the clock and driven an ex-works Audi Quattro at today’s Super Special Stage of the Otago Rally, in Dunedin, NZ.

The Flying Scotsman, Alister McRae, holds a commanding lead after the first day of the Dunlop International Classic Rally of Otago in Dunedin.

Driving a Ford Escort RS1800, McRae and co-driver, Erin Kyle, hold a one minute and 34 second lead over the Nissan-powered Escort of Derek Ayson, while Brad Goldsbrough is the first of the Australians in third place in his Datsun 1600.

The youngest driver ever in the New Zealand Rally Championship, Sloan Cox, will make his debut at the Rally of Otago in May, and looks set to leave his mark on the Dunedin based event.

The 16-year old was only able to contest two of the six championship rounds in 2007 as he wasn’t old enough to obtain an international motorsport licence, but is champing at the bit ahead of his debut in the Dunedin-based event.

Masterton husband and wife pairing Richard and Sara Mason have comfortably headed the competition for the first day of Rally Otago.
 
 

On outright speed, this weekend’s Stadium Cars / Ssangyong International Classic Rally of Otago could turn into a classic New Zealand vs Australia shoot-out.

NZ’s brightest star, Hayden Paddon, will go head-to-head with Aussie legend, Neal Bates, with the rest of the 44-car classic field looking likely to have to follow in their dust.

Defending Vantage New Zealand Rally champion Hayden Paddon has won the 2009 Southern Cross Rally of Otago after a two-day duel with early series leader Richard Mason.

Winning by a margin of 19.7 seconds after 255 kilometres of competition over a mixture of forestry and county roads in central and southern Otago, the final day of six special stages was a climatic finish.

This is the damage caused to Andrew Hawkeswood's Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX after he hit a forestry gate on the final special stage of the 2009 Rally of Otago.

Not only did Hawkeswood complete the stage, but he went on to claim third outright in the event.