This weekend’s opening round of the 2013 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship celebrates a number of milestones that begins with a 807.28km journey over roads with crests and blind brows during the 6 to 7 April Drivesouth Rally of Otago.
 

Finland's Ari Vatanen heads the entry list for April's DriveSouth Rally of Otago, with a high quality field ready to assemble in Dunedin.

Vatanen will take on last year's Classic Rally winner, Derek Ayson, while reigning champion Dean Sumner will lead off the field in the opening round of the New Zealand Rally Championship.

CLICK HERE for the full DriveSouth Rally of Otago entry list.

Italian Miki Biasion, the 1988 and 1989 World Rally Champion, is the headline act for this year’s Stadium Cars / Nichibo International Classic Rally of Otago, which gets underway in Dunedin this Friday night.

The 55-year won 17 rounds of the World Rally Championship, in a stellar career driving for the powerful Lancia team.

The first official function of the 2013 Rally of Otago will be a pre-rally dinner with the 1988 and 1989 World Rally Champion, Miki Biasion.

Joining the growing contingent of hopefuls vying for the overall Goldstar title by contesting the 2013 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship are a Queensland team, committing to the six-round series.
 

Winning outright last year’s final rally and round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC), Palmerston North businessman Brian Green has again committed to contesting the six round series by being the first entry received for the 2013 season.
 

Stadium Cars and Nichibo have renewed their naming rights sponsorship of the International Classic Rally of Otago (April 5-7), after first becoming involved with the event last year.

Rally of Otago competitors have been invited to attend the official opening festival of the Highlands Motorsport Park, to be held at Easter, on March 30 and 31.

New Zealand’s premier rally championship will feature three competition categories for 2013, to include the number of hand-built cars being introduced to the six round series that starts in early April and goes through to early October. They are: Super Rally, Challenge Rally and Historic Rally.
 

Rally fans have another reason to head to April’s Rally of Otago, with news that American singer/songwriter, Paul Simon, will play in Dunedin on the Saturday night of the rally.