Masons are ready to rally

Masterton's Richard Mason, who leads the 2012 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, is amped and ready for this week's Brother Rally New Zealand.

Mason with co-driving wife Sara head the NZRC field set to contest the same three-day event as drivers competing in the FIA World Rally Championship and fellow New Zealander Hayden Paddon competing in the FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship.

Brother Rally New Zealand, round four of the NZRC, takes in a refreshed route with tomorrow's action around Te Akau and Raglan, Saturday's action heading north to Whangarei through Kaipara and Sunday's route on stages that are predominantly new for current NZRC drivers.

Mason and other top NZRC competitors like Dunedin's Emma Gilmour, Christchurch's Matt Jansen and Timaru's Chris West are in the same specification Group N four-wheel-drive cars as competitors in the FIA Production World Rally Championship.

Mason says he has three goals this weekend. Firstly he wanted to extend his championship lead (he has 90 points, 20 points ahead of Emma Gilmour), secondly he wants to win his class which means beating all the PWRC competitors and, thirdly, he wants to be first Kiwi home.

Mason says his BNT-backed Subaru is running well. "The handling's the best we've ever had it and I'm really, really enjoying the car this season. We've worked hard to get it to this point."

After the first reconnaissance, Mason says the roads are fairly damp.

Showers are forecast for Waikato region, through which Friday's route runs toward the famous Whaanga Coast stage south of Raglan, and for Whangarei where Saturday's route heads.

This could mean Mason and fellow NZRC competitors are disadvantaged by roads being churned up by the WRC, SWRC and PWRC competitors running ahead of them.

NZRC points are: Richard Mason (Masterton) 90, Emma Gilmour (Dunedin) 70, Alex Kelsey (Coromandel) 51, Matt Jansen (Christchurch) 48, Chris West (Timaru) 44, Sloan Cox ( Rotorua) 22.