Motorsport: Tapper hopes new car makes finish line in world rally champs

New Zealand's inaugural Pirelli Star Driver competition winner for the Asia Pacific region, Mark Tapper, and his co-driver Jeff Judd are competing in the final round of FIA World Rally Championship this weekend.

Tapper won the right to compete in six selected rounds of the WRC; Portugal, Sardinia, Greece, Finland, Spain and Great Britain in a new Mitsubishi Evo X Group N car.

The three-day Rally Great Britain is the final round of the inaugural Pirelli Star Driver programme, and after seven months of globe trotting and contesting on various surfaces, Tapper hopes he'll be able to cross the finishing line for the first time this year.

He has been dogged the entire season by mechanical woes and running gear breakages, in part the result of campaigning a new car.

"Obviously we go to each event with the goal of finishing," said Tapper from the UK. "For the five events this year, not including Australia, I've failed to finish due to things not in my control.

"So this event for sure the goal is to finish but it's important for us to show our pace. Don't get me wrong, I won't be going stupid and taking uncalculated risks or anything, but we're certainly going to be pushing and hoping the car holds together."

Early on at the beginning of the series, Tapper rattled a few cages among the more established European drivers by consistently running in the top 10, and at times well inside the top five, before the car decided to throw the towel in.

"I'm sure Jeff and I are capable of doing the job as long as we have the right package underneath us," he said.

Tapper hasn't raced in the GB rally before but is confident the modifications and changes to the car will enable him to finish the 2009 season in style.

"After doing therecce, these roads are most definitely the most similar to those in New Zealand," said Tapper. "Jeff and I were reminded of stages in Otago and could even remember their names. It's a lot like South Island forestry roads.

"Our aim for the weekend, other than finishing, is to get a top five in the PWRC and to be on the podium would be brilliant. But I've got to line all the ducks up in a row to make that happen."