Marlborough drivers no match for locals at Catlins Coast - Marlborough Express
Marlborough driver Jason Clark had a good day and Richard Bateman a solid performance, but it was the local drivers who shone at the Catlins Coast Rally in Southland on Saturday. Bateman finished fifth and his co-driver Sharisse Guckert wrapped up the Mainland co-driver's title. Bateman was hoping to confirm a Mainland title of his own, but with his nearest rival in that competition, Dean Buist, placing second in the Catlins contest, Bateman will have to finish in the final round event to claim the series crown. There was snow in parts of the Catlins course, but it was snow melt and rain that caused the real trouble according to Bateman, who said that combination made for slippery roads. Bateman went in seeded second, but said the locals had the edge on him, as did Christchurch drivers Buist, who has raced the rally regularly for the past 20 years and David Clearwater who has been a regular in the last five rallies. The knowledge of the roads those competitors possessed had a greater advantage than usual, with drivers racing blind - without races notes for co-drivers to operate from. Source: www.stuff.co.nz
