Masterton’s Richard and Sara Mason comfortably won the Rally of Otago today to extend their overall lead in the Vantage Aluminium Joinery New Zealand Rally Championship.
 

The internet's video sites are starting to fill up with footage from the 2008 Otago Rally, with plenty of classy driving from this year's event - from both in the car and out of the car.

The date for the 2009 Rally of Otago has been confirmed as May 16 and 17, with the event running as round two of the New Zealand Rally Championship.

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.

Check out our photo gallery for 60 new photos from the 2009 Otago Rally, courtesy of Rana Kelly.

Check out the latest 2009 Otago Rally videos, featuring Emma Gilmour and Haydon Paddon .....

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.

Just for fun, Otago Rally organisers timed competitors over the first quarter mile of one of the stages on Day 2 of the event.

While the times counted for nothing in terms of the rally result, they make interesting reading. Willie Rutherford's Porsche 911 was the quickest 2WD car, while Andrew Hawkeswood was top dog amongst the 4WD competitors.

The 2009 Rally of Otago has received good coverage in the Otago Daily Times, with the 'Drivesouth' publication running stories and photographs in the newspaper, as well as on their website.

CLICK HERE to see the post-event coverage.