A seventh-place drive at the Rally of Coromandel on Saturday has kept Tauranga driver Ben Thomasen (Subaru Impreza) in the running for two New Zealand titles with one round remaining.
While Thomasen and co-driver Gavin Haycock lost nearly a minute stuck off the road in the sixth stage, they battled throughout the eight-stage event with Auckland's Matt Adams (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9) for the lead in the Gull Rally Challenge category.
At the finish Adams held an advantage of 13.7s, taking sixth overall and the category win.
The two rivals are now tied for the Rally Challenge series lead ahead of the final round on Waitomo roads on October 19.
Thomasen is also in the hunt for the NZ Rally Championship rookie title. He's currently second in the standings and only two points behind Christchurch driver Daph O'Rourke (Toyota Corolla) in the rookie standings.