KEY POINTS:
When rally driver Emma Gilmour powers into the first stage of this weekend's Hawkes Bay event, she will be doing so on the back of financial support from more than 100 Otago businesses.
The firms, ranging from car yards to restaurants, sprang to Gilmour's assistance in the weeks following the dramatic Whangarei rally crash that left the 27-year-old concussed and her Subaru Impreza wrecked.
They have now donated more than $30,000 towards the cost of Gilmour's new Impreza and the continuation of her 2007 National Rally Championship campaign.
The fund-raising was started without Gilmour's knowledge, and she says she still feels quite humbled when she thinks back to the day last month when she was presented with a card reading, "To Emma and the Team: some local support and best wishes for your rallying career."
It was accompanied by dozens of cheques and cash.
"When you have to start from scratch with a new car after a major crash, and pick yourself up from an injury, your own confidence inevitably takes a knock," says Gilmour.
"As well as helping with the costs, the fact that so many people in my home community have dug deep shows they believe I can get out there and challenge for a top result again.
"Their belief has helped mine, and winning one of the two national scholarships for Rally New Zealand later in the month has also meant a lot for the same reason."
Gilmour is confident she will be challenging for stage wins and a top result in the Hawkes Bay Rally.
The rally differs from first four championship rounds of the season in that it is a one-day rather than two-day event.
"With just seven stages totalling 166km, this not an event where you can afford to ease yourself on to the pace," says Gilmour. "It's a case of going hard from the start if you want to end the day with a strong result.
"After our excellent 150km test session a couple of weekends back, I know both car and driver are properly sorted, and am really excited about facing the challenge of serious competition once again."
