Rookies' car rolls at 140km h during Nelson rally

A high-speed crash in the Nelson forests has dented the promising rookie campaign of Tauranga's Phil Campbell and Venita Fabbro in the New Zealand Rally Championship.
The young Tauranga crew left the road at about 140km/h in the final stage of Saturday's Nelson Rally, the penultimate round of the New Zealand Rally Championship.
"We were about 3km into the stage and there was 400m straight into a tight right hander," said Campbell.
"When I braked, the pedal just went straight to the floor. The car wasn't slowing up at all so I grabbed the handbrake to try and get it to turn in but we clipped the bank on the inside and went over three times."
In spite of the spectacular accident, the crew emerged from the Group N Ford Fiesta ST uninjured.
"Venita was a little sore the next day but otherwise we are both fine," said Campbell.
It turns out a brake line had burst and the big shunt means the Fiesta needs major repairs ahead of the final round at Wairarapa on September 11-12.
"We've entered and it's possible we may get the Fiesta fixed in time," said Campbell. "It needs both rear quarters, a roof and front guards. If the parts are available we should have it fixed for Wairarapa.
"If not, then we'll run my Mirage [the 2.0-litre V6-engined Mitsubishi which Campbell campaigned earlier in the season before switching to the Group N Fiesta] in the Kiwi 2 class."
Campbell was having a good run at Nelson, not far off the pace of more experienced Fiesta class drivers Steven Barker (Hamilton) and Ben Hunt (Nelson) going into the final stage of the day.
"I'm getting more confidence in the car and getting used to it not having as much power as the Mirage but having awesome handling," said Campbell.
The Nelson Rally was dominated by Rotorua's Dean Sumner (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) who extended his lead in the national championship over Hamilton's Emma Gilmour (Subaru Impreza) to 29 points going on to the final round.
Meanwhile, New Zealand driver Hayden Paddon has finished second in the production class of the Germany rally, a world championship event.
The Geraldine driver was 19th overall in his first all-tarmac event. With Blenheim's John Kennard in the co-driver's seat, Paddon won six of the event's 18 stages.
The 18 points Paddon earned for the production category's second placing keeps him in third place overall.