South Island Escort driver, Derek Ayson, has finished an impressive seventh in the Pirelli International Rally in the UK.
Held in the infamous (and tricky) Keilder Forest, Ayson drove a Wales Motorsport Escort owned by Meirion Evans - a driver who has previously contested the Otago and Silver Fern rallies.
"A huge thanks to Meirion and Ann Evans for their generosity and warm welcome for us to come and stay with them in Wales," Ayson said.
"The opportunity to drive one of the best prepared Historic BDG Escorts in the infamous Kielder Forest in the UK was a dream come true! The Escort was superb to drive and performed faultlessly all day.
"The second pass through SS2 and SS3 was very rough after the R5 and 4WDs had run it twice, so I had to take a slightly different line in places, plus torrential rain made visibility very average at times.
"I must take my hat off to my co-driver Dale Furniss. How he was able to call the notes precisely with zero vision has me beat! A truly professional job all day Dale and we had a few laughs along the way too! 😉
"We were stoked to come away with 7th overall Historic amongst a field of seriously fast drivers!
"A great experience and something totally different to what I'm used to! Makes me really appreciate the roads in NZ!"
A subscription to RallySport Magazine give you access to all our rally
content from Australia, New Zealand and around the world – with news,
features and experiences nobody can match.
Our team are dedicated to providing an unrivalled experience which
shares, supports and promotes the sport of rallying.
By clicking "Subscribe Now" you agree to receive news, offers and updates on RallySport Magazine.
If you do not wish to receive marketing communications, you can update your preferences in My Account.
We will commence charging your payment method after the 7 day free trial expires.
If you cancel after expiry of your trial, cancellation will take effect from the end of your current monthly subscription period.
You will not be refunded any fees paid to RallySport Magazine unless otherwise set out in the terms and conditions.
Account Created!
Welcome to RallySport Magazine VIP Membership.
Get ready for your rally news experience to completely transform.
Start browsing news, exclusive VIP content or check out your account.