World Rally Championship leader Richard Burns is keeping his fingers crossed for rain on day one of the New Zealand Rally this week. The Englishman will start the event first on the road and that has proved to be a disadvantage in dry conditions, with early runners hindered by loose gravel. The running order will be changed to reflect positions in the event at the end of day one but Burns is fearful his chances of tightening his grip on a second title could be hit unless there is rain in Auckland on Friday.
The Peugeot driver, who leads the championship by one point from Scotland's Colin McRae, said: "I'm really looking forward to New Zealand. It's a rally I enjoy very much. The only unknown factor this year concerns the state of the stages and my start position. I will be first on the road on leg one and that could prove a disadvantage if the going is dry. If that is the case, I will do what I can to figure inside the top three at the end of the opening day."
He added; "That said, the seconds lost early in the rally are unlikely to be easy to claw back against the likes of Marcus Gronholm and Harri Rovanpera. That's why I would really like it to rain on day one."
Filed by Shane Murray
