Chch drivers handily placed

Press, 24 September 1987, Page 41

Chch drivers handily placed

By

JOHN HAWKINS

The over-all honours in the Dunlop New Zealand Rally Championship seem likely to be decided between Possum Bourne and Tony Teesdale in the final round at Auckland this week-end. However, the Canterbury rally fraternity's interest will focus upon the lower-capacity divisions, where two Christchurch drivers are handily placed to take titles. In the under-1300cu cm Group A class, Stu Weeber is tied at second place on the championship ladder with Hamilton’s Brett Hill. Both have 90 points. Graeme Fraser, of Hastings, has 95 points. In the 1600 cu cm division, Ross Jeffrey, on 112 points, is

placed second, with a fellow Toyota Corolla GT driver, Ken Adamson, of Hamilton, well within reach. Because the Auckland event, the Bella Lights Rally, is a premier double-points round, 60 points will be awarded to the winner and 52 to the runnerup. Any of these drivers could win their championship. Both Christchurch drivers will have to put any thought of driving for a minor placing aside and drive agressively from the start of the 175 km rally. Weeber in particular is taking an uncomplicated approach to the race after straightening his Toyota Starlet, damaged in last weekend’s Mount Thomas Rallysprint.

“I will be aiming to win the class, nothing else. We want to bring the title back to the South Island,” he said. In the battle for the overall championship Bourne’s hope must be that Teesdale’s MG Metro 6r4 will fall to finish. Bourne, a factory Subaru driver, Is New Zealand’s top world-ranked rally driver, but his relatively standard Subaru is no match for Teesdale’s powerful Group B racer for speed. Bourne leads with 101 points; Teesdale has 90. Other drivers with an outside chance of securing the title are Ray Wilson (80 points), Paddy Davidson (78), Neil Allport, the defending champion (76) and Hugh Owen (70). /