"I'll be pretty happy with a top three or top five finish. There are some quality cars in the class," Bayley explained.
Last year he finished 27th overall in a field of more than 50 cars. On Sunday a record field of 55 will tackle the various stages which will take in several roads alongside the Mohaka River including Waitara Road, some in the Crownthorpe area and one of the more spectator friendly stages will see the drivers tackle the tracks alongside the Ngaruroro River.
With nine rallies ticked off in his log book, Bayley pointed out the Rally Xtreme series is helping him improve his driving skills.
"The Rally Xtreme is a great opportunity for younger competitors like me to compete at a championship level, so we can improve and one day race at international level. Rally racing has helped me mature and focus my priorities and goals."
Rally Xtreme Competitor Liaison, Tanya Gwynne said it's important to help nurture young talent.
"To increase the numbers of competitors in the sport, we need to make rally racing accessible for them here and create an affordable event which is available for everyone to enjoy."
Rally Xtreme organiser and former New Zealand rally champion, Geof Argyle said he has been overwhelmed by the uptake for this year's series and is pleased the interest in rallying is starting to restore itself.
"Support for rallying has been dwindling over previous years due to economic times and also due to the increasing expenses within the sport. But now we have introduced the Rally Xtreme Series it is a much more affordable option for grass roots competitors. It allows the competitors the opportunity to be competitive within their classes, as well as bringing in the younger generation to the sport. It's great to see the sport being reignited. "
Last year Argyle, along with a team of supporters, set up the first Rally Xtreme Challenge Series which continues to grow in popularity.
It's a five round series with the first round at Maramarua completed. Other rounds within the series are at Hawke's Bay, Palmerston North, Paihia and Pukekohe.
"We started the Xtreme rally event because rallying in New Zealand was becoming too expensive for a lot of people, especially for the new and younger competitors who didn't have a lot of sponsors behind them. If we want to retain the interest and keep the talent coming through we need to make rallying affordable," Argyle said.
The Rally Xtreme allows all competitors of any rallying background the opportunity to compete. With each round of the series being televised this is also appealing enabling competitors to gain sponsorship.
