Cox records top result at Possum Bourne rally

Cox records top result at Possum Bourne rally

Rotorua’s Sloan Cox has taken a podium finish in the 10th anniversary Possum Bourne Memorial Rally over the weekend after a strong run in the Pukekohe-based event.

Returning to the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship and Rally Xtreme series after taking a couple of rounds off, Cox entered the event with the aim of a top result to honour his rallying hero.

Cox and co-driver Sarah Coatsworth made a great start towards that goal and after setting the fifth fastest time on the opening stage, moved into third place on stage two.

A tricky jump on stage four saw Cox crush a brake line on landing, which left him with no brakes for the remainder of the stage, leaving him to drop to fourth place. But some quick work on the road section saw brakes restored to three wheels, enough for him to set the fourth fastest time on the following stage.

Cox kept the Taslo Engineering Mitsubishi Evo 10 in fourth place through the remaining two gravel stages, also winning the Rally Xtreme series power stage, before the event moved onto tarmac, a surface Cox has performed well on in the past.

A string of podium stage times saw Cox move into a strong position to take the final step on the podium on the final stage. In a nail biting last stage, Cox took the position by just two seconds to claim his first outright podium finish in the NZRC and first Rally Xtreme round win.

“It was an awesome event and I loved the dual surface aspect the organisers put into it," said Cox. "I struggled on the gravel and wasn't at the pace I would of liked to have been but I put my foot down on the tarmac to make up time."

Cox Motorsport now head to Rally Wairarapa on October 6.

ENDS

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