Barry Armiger was crowned king of Glenbervie Forest in the annual Northern Car Club rally sprint on Sunday.
Armiger in his rear-wheel-drive Mazda RX7 fought hard with John Tee for the title with the pair recording the fastest times all day long at the event held in the hills behind the Fonterra milk factory in Kauri.
Tee, driving a Subaru WRX, managed to steal the lead from Armiger in some later runs but this merely motivated an extremely hard driving Mazda driver, who ended with a best run time of 3.42.8 to Tee's 3.43.5, giving Armiger a winning margin of less than a second.
It was Armiger's second consecutive win at the club's rally sprint events after he won the June event in the Waitangi Forest.
The 2005 club champion, Brendan Oakden, finished in a close third with a best run time of 3.46.9 - also in a Subaru WRX - his top three result hinting at how he was crowned champion for the second year in a row.
The Glenbervie Forest Rally Sprint consists of several runs through a six kilometre section of twisting metal road through the hills and pines of Glenbervie Forest. This same piece of road is the only one used throughout the day and as the drivers become more aquainted with the section their times drop dramatically.
A varied entry of more than 30 rally cars competed and ranged from older Ford Escorts to the latest model Subaru WRX Imprezas. Drivers young and old compete, with entire families helping out as co-drivers and service crews. Siblings and spouses often compete with or against each other in this and other Northland Car Club events.
Armiger wins forest duel
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