Mason a major threat at Rally of Whangarei

MASTERTON rally ace Richard Mason is "absolutely world class", according to a man well qualified to judge.
Australian Glenn Macneall, who has competed in the World Rally Championship for the last three years, says the two time New Zealand rally champion,will present a major test to international competitors in this weekend's Hella International Rally of Whangarei.
The rally doubles as the second round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship and second round of the Vantage Aluminium Joinery New Zealand Rally Championship.
Mason and fiance Sara Randall, who are planning a $1 million assault on the world production car (Group N) championship next season, won round one in Otago in their new Subaru Impreza, the perfect start to the defence of their title.
Macneall has just stepped down after three years as co-driver for fellow Australian Chris Atkinson in the Subaru World Rally Team competing in the world championship.
He will co-drive for his girlfriend and top rated Kiwi driver Emma Gilmour in the Northland event.
The 34-year-old reckons that the leading Kiwi combinations are world class and will present a major test for the internationals in Whangarei.
"The top runners are all outstanding.
"There's not a huge amount of difference between what you will see in Whangarei and the World Rally Championships that I've just left," MacNeall said.
"The World Rally Championship cars are about one second per kilometre faster ? that's all.
"Richard Mason is absolutely world class and I would like to think that Emma is developing that way also."
Macneall said he can't wait to return to the roads in the Kaipara and Whangarei regions that he knows so well.
"New Zealand rally roads are the best in the world.
"And of those roads I've always believed the Northland roads are outstanding.
"They are quite a mixture and different the gorge stage at Waipu is incredible and then you have the twisting technical stages like Brooks that are also so fast."
The Western Australian joined Subaru in 2001 with Toshi Arai's WRC campaign before heading back to co-drive for Dean Herridge for Subaru in the Australian championship for two years.
MacNeall was paired with Atkinson in 2004 and the pair moved into the second WRC pairing with world champion Petter Solberg for Subaru in 2005.
Defending Asia Pacific Rally Champion Cody Crocker headlines the international field.
The Australian is one of 33 drivers from seven countries to line up.
Eleven drivers will battle for points in the Asia Pacific Championship, and 18 in the Vantage Aluminium Joinery New Zealand Rally Championship.
There are six competitors in the Kiwi 2 field and 42 in the Clubmans event.
The season debut for Crocker means he will renew his rivalry with Mason.
The pair locked horns in a superb duel in last year's Asia Pacific Championship event in Rotorua, with just nine seconds separating them after Mason overcame a 13 second deficit on the final day.
Crocker and co-driver Ben Atkinson, brother of World Rally championship driver Chris Atkinson, will head the Subaru Motor Image Rally Team in a two-car campaign with Indonesia's Rifat Sungkar and Herkusuma Mohamad.
Japan's Hiroshi Yanagisawa, last year's runner-up in the Asia Pacific Championship, will be a desperate starter in New Zealand, after he failed to finish at New Caledonia in his Subaru. There will be interest in the performance of India's Naren Kumar with co-driver Dorairaj Ramkumar who guided their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 to fourth placing on debut in New Caledonia. There are five French drivers in the field, led by third seed Patrick Yanai (Mitsubishi Lander Evo 8), Patrick Christian (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8), Jean-Louis Leyraud (Subaru Impreza WRX), Alexis Barbou and Robert Christian (both Mitsubishi Lancer).
If you can;'t be there, you can follow the rally, stage-by-stage, by going to www.chrissport.co.nz