Experience key to Masons' top showing

MARK TAYLOR/Waikato Times

STUNNING START: Rally champ Richard Mason and his co-driver wife Sara were the fastest production car and 12th overall after the first day of the Rally New Zealand yesterday

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Two-time Rally New Zealand champion Richard Mason had a fantastic opening day on the Waikato roads yesterday and was the fastest production car driver.

That put him in top spot of the New Zealand rally championship and 12th overall of the 54 cars in the world rally championship (WRC) event.

Mason's BNT Subaru Impreza, worth a fraction of the cost of the WRC cars, was just 20.5s behind Citroen's Conrad Rautenbach in 11th place, 2m 20s behind the bottom WRC points-scoring position and ahead of three championship drivers.

But the Wairarapa driver wasn't getting ahead of himself and didn't expect to keep up with the top drivers.

"It's silly to think I'd be able to keep up with those guys, it's only a freak thing you do every now and then.

"You can't compete with something that is worth a couple of million dollars, has twice the power and is half the weight."

Mason said he and his co-driver wife Sara were "just lucky" to be able to keep up with the top drivers on one stage.

That stage was the third of the day, the 17km Waitomo stage. and Mason threw the car around the stage just 12.6s slower than stage winner and day one leader Mikko Hirvonen.

While a number of the other New Zealand drivers struggled with the new Pirelli tyres, Mason said his experience of using different tyres may have given him an edge.

"We've had that experience in China where we struggled with lack of grip and had to drive around that.

"We'd been told lots of horror stories about them before the rally, but they were okay."

As well as gnawing on the heels of the top drivers in the world, Mason has a handy lead in the New Zealand rally championship which remains goal number one.

Currently fifth in the championship, Mason isn't a realistic chance to add to his two national titles won in 2005 and 2006, especially with current leader Hayden Paddon second in this leg of the championship. But finishing first Kiwi is a big carrot.

With that would come increased media coverage and more time in the spotlight for Mason, the car and all the sponsors that adorn it.

Mason finished yesterday's stages 1m 49s ahead of Paddon.

Emma Gilmour also had a strong day, finishing fourth among the Kiwi drivers despite hitting a fence in the morning.

- © Fairfax NZ News