From the Service Park… Lone Star Rally Canterbury 

International star for South Canterbury
An international championship-winning driver will be at Rally South Canterbury later this month.
There are no guarantees the driver will get behind the wheel and compete in the fourth round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship but they aren’t here on holiday either so the possibility of a competitive drive later in the year looms likely. I’ve even heard of a car currently parked up being offered for their use.

New NZRC round for 2019?
An existing club rally is pushing hard to be included on the 2019 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship calendar. My spies tell me there is interest from within NZRC circles because of the unique challenge that event would present.
Watch this space.

Murphy not there yet
Despite leading Lone Star Rally Canterbury for a period and finishing fourth overall four-time Bathurst winner Greg Murphy doesn’t think he is a legitimate contender just yet. Murphy is pleased with the progress he has made since taking up rallying but feels he still has a bit to learn. He is able to mix it with the top drivers at certain points but in other circumstances he is a little way off the pace.

Three Hudson co-drivers on the podium
Three members of the Hudson co-driving family finished on the podium at Lone Star Rally Canterbury in a special moment for the clan.
Amy Hudson stood on the top step of the class 2 2WD podium next to Dylan Thomson – the pair’s third win on the trot. Father Rocky Hudson finished second with driver Mike Sheehan while son/brother Jared was third alongside David Taylor.

Quinn unlikely to make South Canterbury
While he would love to be on the start line later this month Aussie champ Nathan Quinn seems certain to miss round four of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship.
Quinn’s business commitments are likely to scupper any chance of him putting a deal together though he hasn’t ruled it out 100 percent.

Gosling back in the Subaru
Tony Gosling will revert back to his Group A Subaru Legacy for Rally South Canterbury at the end of the month. Gosling started the season in the spectacular looking Legacy but was forced to switch to his Ford Escort for Whangarei and Canterbury after the Legacy suffered engine failure in the opening round at Otago.

Forced into a class swap
One NZRC driver has had enough of competing in the Gull Rally Challenge class 5B 2WD category and is going to enter South Canterbury with a Group A car instead?
Watch this space.

Summerfield still battling new car
Last year’s championship runner-up Matt Summerfield was frustrated after Lone Star Rally Canterbury as he continues to search to get the best out of his new generation Mitsubishi Mirage.
The 2017 Rally Canterbury winner struggled to get the set-up right on Sunday and dropped a couple of spots on the final loop, where he lost boost, to finish seventh. The car is good and Summerfield is a good driver so expect it to click sooner rather than later.