Kris Meeke and Noel O’Sullivan claimed second in New Zealand’s prestigious Otago Rally.
Driving a MK2 Escort, the eagerly anticipated clash between Hayden Paddon and Kris Meeke failed to fire.
Hopes of an epic head-to-head battle between the two former WRC stars were dashed on the rally’s opening stage, when the steering on Paddon’s Escort broke, forcing him to retire from the first day of competition.
Meeke then proceeded to dominate, setting the fastest classic time through all of Saturday’s eight stages, breaking several stage records along the way, and securing an overnight lead of almost a minute and a-half over Buist.
However Sunday morning’s 34km Akatore stage proved the Northern Irishman’s undoing — he and co-driver Noel O’Sullivan first lost intercom contact in the stage, then punctured, and finally suffered a broken stub axle on their Ford Escort BDA. Those dramas cost four minutes, and dropped them behind both Buist and fellow Escort driver Ari Pettigrew (Rangiora).
While Meeke was able to overhaul Pettigrew to take second place at the finish, Buist was too far ahead. He eased his pace a little to be sure of making the finish, and adding the 2025 Otago Classic title to those he has previously won in 2007, 2021 and 2022.
Christchurch driver Deane Buist entered the record books as the first driver to win the Otago Classic Rally four times.
