Motorsport: Holder warms to new partnership

PODIUM FINISH: Mount Maunganui driver David Holder drove to a career-best second place at Rally Otago.PHOTO/GREG HENDERSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Mount Maunganui's David Holder has driven to a career-best podium finish in the New Zealand Rally Championship.

Holder and new co-driver Ben Hawkins completed the 15-stage Otago Rally in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo8 in second place overall, behind the former national champions Richard and Sara Mason (Masterton) in a Subaru who dominated the event with fastest time on all but one stage when they punctured a front tyre.

In only his second event in a four-wheel-drive turbocharged rally car, Holder moved up the order with a consistent run through the demanding Otago stages.

At the finish Holder was four minutes behind Mason and just over a minute clear of Christchurch driver Matt Jansen (Subaru) in third place.

"The car was mint the whole way through," said Holder, who had shown front-running pace in the Whangarei series opener in April before crashing through a fence and being forced to withdraw with a holed radiator.

"I set out to drive with my head. The important things were to get used to working with Ben for the first time and also to get used to the car some more.

"To start with on Day One I felt quite uncomfortable. But by the afternoon I was getting used to working with Ben and improved some more on the second day.

"We made the decision to get through the rally and to drive at a consistent pace I could keep up the whole time. With a few other drivers having trouble that meant a really good result."

The Otago event was run to two-heat format and Holder was fourth in the Saturday results and fifth on Sunday. He's now fourth in the championship standings with Mason already holding a commanding lead while Subaru drivers Matt Summerfield (Christchurch) and Lance Williams (Te Aroha) are next.

Tauranga's Phil Campbell and Venita Fabbro (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9) were in the top-10 early in the Otago event but lost about five minutes in Saturday's 50km long third stage at Manuka Hill with brake problems, stopping mid-stage to replenish the brake fluid that was leaking from a rear calliper.

The next round of the NZ Rally Championship is the Canterbury Rally in the Rangiora and Ashley Forest region on May 31 and June 1.