Hubby under big pressure

REVVED UP: Sara Mason just needs one more win to make history as the most successful NZ Rally co-driver.PHOTO/FILE

MASTERTON rally ace Richard Mason will be under pressure at the GoPro Daybreaker Rally on Saturday despite already having his fifth New Zealand Rally Championship title in the bag.

And it will come from a source sitting right alongside him in his BMT Subaru - wife Sara who needs just one more NZRC victory to become the most successful co-driver in the history of the event.

Right now Sara is on 24 wins, the same as Bob Haldane, and she makes no secret of her enthusiasm to chalk up win number 25 this weekend.

"Yep the pressure is on Richard. I'm really, really, really keen to pull this one off," Sara said yesterday. "I"ve told him I won't be happy with any other result, he'll be in big trouble if he mucks up."

On a more serious vein, Sara Mason sees her situation as providing extra motivation for her and hubby to put their best foot forward.

Having sealed the 2014 NZRC title by winning the first four of the six rounds and not being able to complete the dream of a clean sweep through being outed in the fifth round in Coromandel with a broken suspension while well in front, it means they still have something to strive for.

"We always go out to win but it's nice to have something to spur us on a bit more," Sara said.

A point of difference in the Daybreaker from other rallies is that it will start at 4am, something which places extra strain on the co-drivers who initially won't have the daylight to help them visually pick up the likes of trees and fence posts.

"The lights on the car mean there are no hassles looking straight ahead but it does mean you have to rely even more on your notes to keep the car on the road ... I guess Richard will have to listen to me a bit more than normal."

In all five rounds of the 2014 NZRC, the Masons have clearly had the edge on their rivals for speed and there is a confidence that nothing will change in that respect this weekend.

However, as Sara is quick to point out, rallying is a very unpredictable sport and while speed and skill is important there is always an element of luck too.

"We know we have a fast car and that Richard and I are ready for anything but things can still go wrong," Sara said.

"Sometimes, like at Coromandel, the totally unexpected can happen and there's nothing you can do about it. It's annoying but that's rallying."