McRae heads Brit hopefuls in New Zealand

Jimmy McRae will lead four British crews in the top 10 starters for the second running of the Silver Fern Rally in New Zealand. The quartet of Ford Escorts will take on the best of the Kiwi crews when the eight-day rally starts in Christchurch on October 16. Joining McRae at the head of the field will be Grant Shand, Iain Freestone and Simon Tysoe, with Shand aiming to repeat his top-10 finish from the 2006 event. Further down the field is Peter Smith, father of Le Mans winner Guy, who has returned to rallying this year after a long break. He will campaign a Ford Escort RS2000.