KEY POINTS:
New Zealander Richard Mason is out to make it three in a row as the top Kiwi at home in the WRC.
A two-time New Zealand rally champion, Mason arrived at the finish in 2006 in 10th place overall and finished 15th overall in 2007 after suffering a mechanical malfunction. He's the holder of the John Woolf and Grant Whittaker Memorial Trophy for the first Kiwi home.
Mason is one of the top-ranked competitors in the NZRC field which follows the WRC and P-WRC competitors through the event's 16 special stages over the first two days of the three-day international event.
However, he's not having the best of seasons so far, having failed to pick up points in the past two rounds after dominating the first two events early in the season. However, this weekend is a whole new ball-game.
"We're probably a lot like everyone else," said Mason, who will lead non-FIA priority teams. "[It is] unknown because of the layout this time with different tyres. Having a tyre we've never used before will be quite a challenge - it's still the same exciting event otherwise."
Leading the New Zealand field are three teams who have entry in to the New Zealand round of the Production World Rally Championship (P-WRC).
Goldstar points leader Hayden Paddon and Chris West won entry through a Rally New Zealand scholarship, while Stewart Taylor negotiated the use of Amjad Farrah's (Jordan) position when he discovered he was unable to compete in New Zealand.
Paddon leads the pack 29 points ahead of West with Stewart Taylor in third, a further 28 points behind.
Mixed in with the 4WDs, the Group N compliant two-wheel-drive Ford Fiestas include Australian Brendan Reeves. Patrick Malley, who leads the class, is also second in the Kiwi-2 two-wheel category which is held on the Saturday only.
Run behind the WRC field, the Kiwi-2 and classic competitors compete for their allocation of points in the one-day Possum Bourne Memorial Rally.
The top Kiwi honour goes only to a competitor who completes all three days of the event, although only Friday and Saturday's results count for NZRC points.
