Where to from here for Kieran Hall?

SHATTERED DREAM: Kieran Hall and his team must decide whether it's possible to rebuild their car after Saturday's crash took them out of the NZ champs.

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Nelson rally driver Kieran Hall is now seriously considering his options after the high-speed crash that destroyed his rookie championship chances.

Hall and co-driver Peter Hart were competing in the 0800 Boxman Rally of Nelson when they crashed at 170kmh during Saturday's sixth stage.

It was also the fifth and final round of the Vantage Aluminium New Zealand Rally Championships, with Hall holding an 11-point lead in the rookie championship and fourth overall.

"We had positioned ourselves well during the Saturday stages, managing to avoid punctures, as many others had received," Hall said.

"Dust was an issue for a few stages as the result of competitors in front slowed with punctures, which in turn slowed our times, but by the start of the final stage of the day, we were climbing back up towards the front.

"At the start of the sixth and final stage, we were 15 seconds down on fourth and four seconds ahead of Matt Jansen in sixth, who was chasing us for rookie honours."

But a hidden rock destroyed their debut season, causing them to roll the car at 170kmh.

"Peter and I were lucky enough to walk away from the accident, myself being a little beaten up in the face by incoming rocks, but at least that was all. We had the TV camera in the car thanks to Southfuels, which caught all the drama from inside the car, which made it onto [Monday's] TV One and TV3 news.

"As from here, the team will now focus on stripping the car to a bare shell before making a decision on whether the car can be rebuilt or a new car. Either way, it is an expensive exercise."

He said the team hoped to return next year but would need plenty of support before they could attempt to fix or replace the car.

Day one coverage of the Rally of Nelson is on TV One this Sunday from 4.50pm to 6pm.

Hall said he was grateful for all the support he'd received over this season, in which he still managed seventh overall and third in the rookie award.

- © Fairfax NZ News