Motorsport: Sumner wins Otago rally

Dean Sumner and Paul Fallon won the Rally of Otago, first round of the New Zealand motor rally championship, yesterday after early leaders Chris West and Chris Cobham were forced to retire on the final stage.

West looked uncatchable going into the final 29km stage of the event, but a broken left front wheel on his Mitsubishi Lancer handed victory to his fellow Lancer driver.

Any chances of a home-town win for Emma Gilmour and Glenn Macneall evaporated when their Subaru Impreza suffered a damaged piston on the sixth stage of the day, and then had tyre and brake problems which saw them finish second, just over 15 seconds behind Sumner.

Richard Mason finished third.