Rally driver has all the Hall-marks of a future champion

Young Nelson driver Kieran Hall blitzed a quality field to win six of the eight special stages and smash the record for the 26.10km stage five through the Tawanui Forest by an incredible 40sec. Hall and co-driver Peter Hart won the rally by an equally impressive two minutes.

The 23-year-old had shown a lot of promise last season but was hit hard by a frustrating run of mechanical problems. Like many young drivers, he races on a shoestring budget and in an expensive sport like rallying, there's often a direct correlation between money and success.

But money can't buy talent and Hall has that quality in abundance. And this year, with Dynamic Raceparts engine builder Peter Davidson keeping the Evo 5 in the road, Hall has had an opportunity to showcase that talent.

This season Hall showed genuine talent to break through for his first major win in the Rally of South Canterbury. He also finished third in the Rally of Southland and fourth in the Rally of Otago.

Then last weekend he showed how fast he can really go. If he can continue to post those super-quick times, it may only be a matter of time before he is head-hunted by the big-name, big-money teams that dominate sport.

The Catlins Rally may also prove to be a catalyst for another young Nelson driver, Greg Teece. He finished second to his friend and rival Hall and well clear of third-placed Derek Ayson.

Teece's best result this season was a win in the Westland Rally although he may have made an even bigger impression in the final round of the national championships in Nelson. The 22-year-old recorded three top 10 finishes in the last five stages when he rejoined the rally after striking mechanical problems in the third stage.

The Nelson region has already produced some top international motorsport stars.

Motueka's Josh Coppins was clearly the best motocross rider in the world last season while former Nelson kart racer Jason Richards is a consistent performer on the V8 Supercar circuit.

After last weekend's Catlins Rally, it may only be a matter of time before Hall and Teece are added to that list.

- © Fairfax NZ News