Motor Sport
The Catlins Coast Rally is on again next month with a strong line up expected to contest the event on Saturday 11 August.
Entries are rolling in with several from the North Island already received and several more high profile entries expected in the coming weeks.
The rally will begin adjacent to Owaka Motors in Campbell Street, Owaka, at 10am on the day with competitors facing six high speed Special Stages over a total of 150 kilometres before the event concludes in Owaka at 3.44pm.
echo adrotate_group(4, array("fallback" => 0, "weight" => 0, "site" => "no")); The rally is Round 6 of the MRF Tyres Mainland Rally Championship and part of the Eastern Southland Car Club Rally Championship.
There are changes afoot on the rally route this year with Clerk Of The Course Craig Jessop describing Stage 1, Puerua over 28.51 kilometres and the 24.10km Tawanui stages as new while the remainder – Puaho (14.79km), Catlins Valley (26.61km), Cannibal Bay (12.89km) and Romahapa (39.63km) are similar but not identical to previous years.
Major support for the 2018 Catlins Coast Rally comes from Rosebank Lodge Balclutha, Fulton Hogan, Owaka Motors, Yuasa Batteries and Stadium Finance.
The event is considered by many drivers as a “bucket list” one as the reputation of the roads, friendliness of the organisers and locals and the way the event is run is well known throughout the country.