It is the first time a woman driver has led the national series since the championship started 35 years ago.

The Vantage Subaru team driver started the event nineteen points behind series leader Dean Sumner, but outpaced him over both days of competition. Finishing second on each day in her Impreza WRX STI to eventual rally winner and reigning national champion Hayden Paddon, she secured sufficient points to snatch a two point 2010 series lead over Sumner, who could only manage a sixth-placing on day one and a fourth on day two.

“My aim heading into this event was to come away with the championship lead, so it is very much a case of a job well done,” said Gilmour. “The margin between us is a pretty narrow one, but that was always going to be the case unless Dean struck major problems.”

Gilmour also finished second overall on the event, which had attracted a strong international field due its standing as a round of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.

She was the second-fastest of the New Zealand drivers behind Paddon from the rally’s opening stage, and improved from sixth overall to third in the international component of the event during the course of the opening day.

“I didn’t get my tyre choice quite right for the first set of stages and there was also the added challenge of this being my first rally with Ben Atkinson as my co-driver,” she explained. “He’s a real professional, and after we took a little time getting the delivery of the pace notes spot-on, everything went smoothly inside the car.”

Having finished Saturday’s stages in third place overall, Gilmour climbed to second early on Sunday’s stages when Indian driver Gaurav Gill (co-driven by Gilmour’s fiancée Glenn Macneall) was slowed by a failing gearbox. A challenge from former WRC-ace Alistair McRae, who briefly passed Gilmour, was blunted by a faulty windscreen demister in his car.

“We had our own little problems on Sunday too, making a wrong call on tyres for a second morning in a row,” Gilmour said. “But we came through that OK, and had a fairly good run to the finish.”

“Hayden was a real class act out front; all that experience he is gaining on the WRC stage really shows. My approach was not to worry too much about what he was doing, and to keep a clear focus on securing that championship second placing that would give us the best possible haul of points.”

“Heading to next month’s championship round in Nelson as series leader will be a new experience for me, and one I am really looking forward too.”

Former national champion Chris West had been heading for fifth overall and third of the New Zealand championship competitors, but was forced out on the rally’s final stage. That left Patrick Malley to take his place, ahead of Sumner.

New Zealand Rally Championship, Rally of Whangarei

Overall Classification
1, H Paddon, J Kennard (NZ, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9) 2h.46m.32.7s
2, E Gilmour, B Atkinson (NZ, Subaru Impreza WRX STI) 2h50m28.0s
3. B Reeves, R Smyth (Australia, Subaru Impreza WRX STI) 2h50m55.8s
4. A McRae, B Hayes (Scotland, Proton Satria Neo) 2h50m55.8s
5, P Malley, M Read (NZ, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo10) 2h52m00.5s
6, D Sumner, P Fallon (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9) 2h52m30.4s

National Championship Points.
1, Gilmour, 188; 2, Sumner, 186; 3, Paddon, 166; 4, West (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9), 136; 4; 5, Malley 120; Kingsley Thompson, 105.