Josh Marston and Olivia Marston have won the 2018 Royce Watson Memorial Hanmer Rally on Saturday. The event, a favourite amongst the South Island rally fraternity, was unfortunately marred by a fatality when photographer Kevin Corin was hit by a competitors vehicle.
Motorsport NZ reported that ‘the photographer was struck by a car competing in the rally, the car having travelled a considerable distance off the rally route. The competitors in the car were uninjured following the incident, and the New Zealand Police Serious Crash Unit is investigating.’
Marston (Holden Barina AP4) won seven of the completed eight stages with third place David Quantock/Emma Quantock (Lancer Evo 8) winning the other stage.
“It was a good day, we tried several different setups with the car which was great,” commented Marston. “Yes, it is very unfortunate for such an accident to happen and our thoughts are with the Corin family during this time.
“Racing wise we are very happy with the win. The team went well and it was great seat time for keeping ourselves fresh. The Hanmer Rally
is a great club event and the roads were the best condition I’ve seen for some years, not much rain so they were hard and fast.”
Second home was Garet Thomas/Gemma Thomas ((Subaru WRX Sti).
Marston and the team will next tackle the Hyundai Raglan Rally of the Coast, (13 October) the final round of the NZ Rally Championships as they try to cement third overall.
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