Rally New Zealand - round 11 of the World Championship - starts in Hamilton today with testing at the Mystery Creek event base this morning and a ceremonial opening in Hamilton tonight before three days of action on the gravel back roads of the Otorohanga, Waitomo, Raglan and Franklin districts.
The first special stage starts at 9.18 tomorrow morning at Pirongia West.
Saturday's action is underway just after 9 with a special stage at Port Waikato and Sunday morning sees competitors head for the Te Hutewai special stage south of Raglan.
The four-time world champion leader, Citroen's Sebastian Loeb, is back at the head of the championship after his seventh win in a row in Germany.
But the lead has changed hands six times this season and Loeb's just four points ahead of Ford's Mikko Hirvonen with five rounds to run.
After last year's split-second win to the now-retired Ford driver Marcus Gronholm, the battle between the runner-up Loeb and third-place getter Hirvonen promises to be just as exciting.
