The 2012 DriveSouth Rally of Otago starts in Dunedin tonight with three special stages to the south and west of the city. Competitor will face 57 kilometres of stages on the first night.

The weather is currently overcast, but fine, with little likelihood of rain. Rain on Thursday night should have settled the dust, and competitors are eager to get the event underway.

Follow the 2012 DriveSouth Rally of Otago as it happens with our results service.

New Zealand's leading rally driver, Hayden Paddon, leads the Stadium Cars / Nichibo International Classic Rally of Otago by almost a minute after the first three night stages of the event.

Multiple New Zealand Champion, Richard Mason, holds a commanding 35.5 second lead after the opening three stages of the 2012 DriveSouth Rally of Otago.

A punctured tyre has ended Hayden Paddon's hopes of winning the Stadium Cars / Nichibo International Classic Rally of Otago for 2012.

Paddon was dominating the event in a brand new Ford Escort RS1800 and held a one minute and 20 second lead after eight special stages, but his victory hopes were dashed on the very next test.

Multiple New Zealand Rally Champion, Richard Mason, holds a commanding 53.2 second lead after the second day of the DriveSouth Rally of Otago.

Mason and his co-driving wife, Sara, put their Subaru into a clear lead over Chris West's Mitsubishi, as Sloan Cox slipped to third.

Mazda RX7 driver Marcus van Klink has become the first non-Escort driver to win the Stadium Cars / Nichibo International Classic Rally of Otago since 2008, taking a 34.4 second victory in the 2012 event.

The winner of the past three years, Derek Ayson, held a commanding one minute lead heading into the penultimate stage, but he punctured a tyre on his Ford Escort, relegating him to an eventual fifth place.

The 2010 Otago Rally has had a route plotted that will provide a fantastic challenge for all competitors, and will draw together all the factors that have made rallying in New Zealand world class.  

The 2010 Otago Rally will include a number of changes, including brand new stages, when the event kicks off in central Dunedin on Friday, April 9.

We've added more in-car videos from the 2010 Otago Rally, including some fantastic driving and some big crashes.

Watch them now!

This morning's shakedown for the 2008 Rally of Otago saw a number of drivers testing their cars ahead of this weekend's event.

The 2008 Otago Rally's biggest drawcard, French woman Michele Mouton, has arrived in Dunedin for this weekend's Dunlop International Classic Rally.