Auret damaged in Waihi

Rocks playing havoc with the bottom of Hamish Auret's LS7 Corvette proved a real set back for the Whanganui driver in the second round of the Porter Group 4x4 National Trial near Waihi Beach on Saturday.

Taking the maximum 100 penalty points on the ninth hazard and then an 80 on the 23rd during the morning session left Auret chasing after Aucklander Scott Biggs, as well as other drivers like Whakatane's Silven Schicker, Thames Valley's Dave McKie, and Wairarapa's Kevin Galbraith.

Auret would improve slightly in the afternoon session with a marginally lower penalty score than McKie and Galbraith, but Biggs and especially Schicker were in another world - Schicker not even cracking 100 penalty points - to finish well clear.

"The first two hazards we had a lot of damage, over an hour in the pits," Auret said.

"We landed on a couple of big rocks, broke a drive shaft...and a whole lot of other stuff.

"It was all little things [to fix]. We had enough spares to get through the day.

"It does mean I'm on the back foot."

Auret finished fifth in the Class D super modified trucks and sixth overall for the day, with Waikanae's Class C driver Malcolm McLeavey winning his class and narrowly coming runnerup overall after the fourth hazard was pulled from competition.

Whanganui's defending C Class national champion Kevin Hermansen came third in his grade and ninth overall.

Auret said while McKie is getting more consistent, Schicker had one of those "gun" rounds that drivers can sometimes pull out to go better than expected.

"But the main thing is it pushes a [points] gap between Biggs and myself.

"It could end up being the round we drop. It's never over until it's over."

Drivers drop their worst points round from their final tally in the six round series.

The next event is January 21 in Okoroire, South Waikato.