Campbell maintains series lead

Campbell maintains series lead

Phil Campbell heads to the final round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship with the two-wheel drive series lead after a second place finish at the 10th anniversary Possum Bourne Memorial Rally over the weekend.

Campbell and co-driver Venita Fabbro headed into the event leading the two-wheel drive series after a season long battle with the identical car of Josh Marston and due to the NZRC rules allowing competitors to drop one of their first five rounds, could only add another two points to his tally.

That didn’t stop the Tauranga driver charging in the Letts Construction Ford Fiesta R2 and over the opening three stages, he set about opening a lead of almost ten seconds over Marston.

Over the remaining four stages held on gravel, Campbell and Marston were never separated by more than three seconds as the tense battle continued.

The afternoon saw the event move onto tarmac roads starting at Hampton Downs racetrack and in an unfortunate incident, the boot was left open on the Letts Construction Fiesta, acting like an air brake and costing a crucial five seconds to fall behind Marston.

Two more stage wins saw Campbell close the gap to just 1.5 seconds heading into the final stage but he was unable to close the gap and had to settle for second place.

“It was a great battle with Josh again, I really enjoyed it,” said Campbell. “We still have the championship lead heading to the final round, which is great.”

Campbell now heads to the final round of the NZRC, Rally Wairarapa on October 6, with a narrow two point lead.
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