Marston wins NZ two-wheel-drive rally championship title

Josh Marston Rallysport

Press Release – Rally Wairarapa

8 October 2013

Marston wins New Zealand two-wheel-drive rally championship title

After a season full of extremely close battles, Christchurch rally driver Josh Marston, has emerged as the two-wheel-drive champion at the final round of the New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) held at Rally Wairarapa over the weekend.

Marston, in his Rubber Developments Ford Fiesta R2, won the rally over two-wheel-drive competitors David Holder and Phil Campbell, in second and third in the rally respectively, by approximately 20 seconds after one of the closest championship battles in years.

“We are absolutely stoked. All of our hard work has been worth it and I can’t thank my team enough for everything they’ve done during the year,” said Marston.

“The car has been faultless at every rally thanks to Tony Power from RDL Performance and all of his hard work on the car. But my parents, Leigh and Susan, along with my wife Liv, have also made a massive contribution to the win and I can’t thank them enough either.”

“I also have to thank my two co-drivers, Rocky [Hudson] and Malcolm [Peden] who both looked after me during the year and kept me on track, literally.”

Marston secured the championship at Rally Wairarapa by just 10 points over Campbell after a season of intense battle between the pair.

“The battles this year have been great. The competition between us [Rubber Developments team], Phil [Campbell] and Dave [Holder] has been intense all year and even though it’s always been close, they’re both friends and that kind of camaraderie is what I love about the sport.”

Leading into the final event, only 10 seconds separated Marston and Campbell after five rallies, with a total of 61 special stages covering hundreds of competitive kilometres, showing just how close the championship battle was.

“To whoever worked that out, thank you. It was crazy to think that after all those stages Phil [Campbell] and I were that close but it just goes to show how great the two-wheel-drive class is.”

“For anyone who wants to get into rallying, the two-wheel-drive class is the way to go. It is a fantastic learning experience for any driver wanting to compete in the national championship.”

The Rubber Developments team now return to their base in Christchurch where plans will be discussed for the 2014 rally season.

“We haven’t made any decisions about next year yet. We have a few options to consider so we’ll be taking our time.”

The championship winning Rubber Developments Ford Fiesta R2 is also up for sale so any inquiries about the car should be directed to Josh Marston at RDL Performance in Christchurch.

Marston’s 2013 NZRC campaign is supported by Rubber Developments, RDL Performance, ILS, Castrol and Signwise.

ENDS/

© Scoop Media