Rally: Mason upbeat on chances

Masterton rally ace Richard Mason is thinking positively.
A third national title is the objective for 2011 and while trailing Geraldine's Hayden Paddon by 70 points after the first two races, Mason is adamant he can make up lost ground.
"We're still in with a big chance. It's a long way from over yet," Mason said yesterday
"Nobody is unbeatable at this game, nobody at all."
Mason is using Paddon's dominance at both Rally Otago and Rally New Zealand (Waikato) as motivation.
He says rallying is no different to any other sport in that when somebody lifts the bar, it provides an extra incentive for their rivals to push harder as well.
"The mindset changes when you know you have no option but to go out there and give it everything you've got. You have to meet the challenge head on and that's what we will be doing," he said.
Mason knows too how vital a part luck can play in rallying and at Rally Otago, he and co-driver, wife Sara, might well have finished second rather than fourth had their Subaru STI not clipped an unseen rock on the last stage.
That led to the left front tyre shredding its tread over the last 10km and while the tyre didn't puncture, considerable time was lost through the traction being seriously impaired.
At Rally New Zealand, held in the Waikato last weekend, Mason took two stage wins on his way to second place, both on the Whangaa Coast, and while he was 2m 26s down on the flying Paddon overall, he was encouraged with the way things went.
"It was good, a decent step in the right direction," Mason said. "We probably lost a bit of time by choosing the wrong type of tyres on the first day but other than that, everything went pretty well. It would have been nice to have gone a bit faster but we'll take it."
Mason is now looking forward to the third race in the national championship, the Trust House Racetech Rally of Wairarapa, on May 28 and 29, for which he is the defending champion.
News that Paddon will not be among the starters means Mason will start a warm favourite but he isn't about to count his chickens, being quick to point out that all the top-ranked drivers competing there had good knowledge of the local roads and home advantage would mean little.
"Obviously we see it as a huge opportunity to pick up some good points but it's no different from anywhere else. Things won't happen unless you make them happen," he said.
Rally Wairarapa media liaison officer Jody Seabright writes that while this year's event, which also encompasses the Malcolm Stewart Classic Rally, will traverse many familiar roads, it is in effect a new route, with an increased number of competitive kilometres.
Saturday's action will see the competitors make a welcome return to the Pongoroa area and cover 158km in all, while Eketahuna will be the centre of attention during the 126km covered on the Sunday.
"We've used all of the roads before but this year many are being used in reverse direction," clerk of the course Dave Davies said. "It changes the whole nature of the road, so it will be challenging. What might have been a mainly downhill stage will now be uphill and that changes the way it needs to be driven."