#46 - Donald McPherson/Warwick Levis
Both from Cambridge, NZ. Car: 1991 Nissan Pulsar NI4.
At the finish: “WE GOT HERE!! Take a picture of the car - any side, they’re all pretty - haven’t been near a fence or a tree. Tried twice to finish Targa, broken the jinx now”
SS48: “Nursing a broken engine - may not get there”
SS47: “Survival mode. I drove that like a nana. I’m not happy. Blew a piston ring at the start of the day”
SS46: “Nervous, didn’t get into that - looking to finish”
SS45: “First part was good, I passed a car in there”
SS43: “Very rough through the ford - couldn’t stand the dust”
SS41: “Great to start the stage with a coffee at the lodge”
SS39: “Everything is cooler today, new radiator & thermostat”
SS38: “Nothing is not wrong”
SS37: “Passed 54 - then went off. Rear bumper hanging on the road”
SS35: “Engine overheating - looking for water”
SS34: “Got a bit of a sweat up, hard but nice work” Car stopped outside control, engine boiling “Lots of 2nd gear & no air flow, the teas nearly ready”
SS32: “Nervous start - felt like a puncture, but no”
SS30: “Must be cows around here somewhere - catching 32″
SS26: “Co-driver made a mistake at last intersection - very annoyed with himself, overshot & spun. Good to be able to make a mistake where there is room to spin”
SS25: “I’m liking the fast stages now, not like earlier in the week”
SS24: Two little spins today, lost 20secs”
SS23: “High gearbox temperature” Looking worried
SS22: “We have gearbox issues, the temp is too high, might have been all that 2nd gear work”
SS21: No complaints” Driver’s glove worn out - hole in glove
SS18: It was different - we fitted not only new tyres, but a new brand of tyre - don’t know whether its for better or for worse”
SS15: “The lack of local knowledge was a disadvantage in that stage”
SS14: “Lots of left food braking - smooth, sweeping, great”
SS13: “This met my expectations. An exercise in sustained concentration. This is a landmark in my rallying career. I completed in this stage, more stage km than all I have done in my previous 2 rallies”
SS12: “Not unlike Waitomo, a bit lumpy in there”
SS11a: Broken oil cooler in SS11
SS9: Spin
SS6: “Lovely day, except for our early morning error”
SS5: “Happy to go round & do it again! Great stage”
SS4: “Roads fast, this is amazing”
SS1: “Hit rock on 2nd corner in. All OK though”