With the final round, the Rankleburn Rally on 17 October looming, Allan Dippie of Dunedin is the surprise leader of the Laird Motorsport Southern Rally Series after the second round of the series, the Catlins Coast Rally, held recently.
Dippie is an accomplished driver but his Porsche 911 is not an outright contender for rally victories. However good, consistent efforts at both the Rally Of Otago and the Catlins event see the Otago driver leading the series with 37 points, five ahead of Dean Bond, the winner at Catlins, and World Rally Championship star Hayden Paddon – the winner in Otago. A further four points behind Bond and Paddon are Derek Ayson of Gore and Jake Thomas of Mosgiel, the Class B winner at both Otago and Catlins.
Dippie’s co-driver Paul Coghill leads the co-driver’s championship from Bond’s and Paddon’s co-drivers, Alison Glover and John Kennard respectively. Thomas’ co-driver Cassidy Solomon is next.
Dippie and Coghill also lead their respective Class C Championships for drivers and co-drivers. Dippie leads the drivers points in the class with 46 from former National Group N Champion Deborah Kibble of Waimate who is on 40 points. Ayson is next on 33 with Paddon on 32. In the co-drivers Class C points it is Coghill with a six point lead from Kibble’s co-driver Heather Johnston with Paddon’s and Ayson’s respective co-drivers John Kennard and Gav McDermott tied on 32 points.
Russell Burgess of Dunedin leads Class D with 41 points, nine ahead of Bond and Paul Dickson of Timaru with Geoff Williamson and Joseph Begley of Arrowtown close behind. In the Class D co-driver points Phillip Anderson (co-driver for Burgess) leads from Andre Beattie (Dickson), Glover (Bond), with Michael Crook and Graeme Begley next.
Class B is the domain of Jake Thomas of Mosgiel who has a healthy lead over Winton driver Brendon Mitchell with Kevin Laird, Peter Sims and Andrew Gillies next. Cassidy Solomon, Thomas’ co-driver, leads the co-driver standings from Nigel Lawson (Mitchell) with Janey Blair, Darren Pilkington and Corrin Dawson following.
Dunedin driver Stephen Thompson leads Class A ahead of Scott Levings, Phil O’Brien and Tony Adamson with Jack Brownlie leading the Class A co-drivers championship from Andy Vause, Dave Brien and Caroline Cullimore.
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