Tauranga rally driver Phil Campbell is aiming for another solid performance heading into the third round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship.

This weekend is the Lone Star Rally Canterbury, and Campbell currently sits second in the NZRC standings after topping the four-wheel drive class at Rally Otago earlier this month.

Tauranga rally driver Phil Campbell is looking to cement his position at the top of the NZ Rally Championship standings at the Lone Star Rally Canterbury taking place this weekend. Photo: Supplied.

Campbell and co-driver Venita Fabbro head to Christchurch knowing a strong result will cement their position at the top of the championship leader board heading into the second-half of the season.

One challenge offered up by the Canterbury NZRC round is the use of two forestry stages on Saturday night, before returning to the forests the following day to cover a further eight stages.

'Night stages are certainly a challenge and something we are looking to improve on,” says Campbell.

'We've had a great start to the championship so far and it is now really important that we put together another strong result to really boost our chances of a strong championship result.”

Last year, Campbell missed out in the battle for fourth place that went right down to the final stage, but this year he'll be looking to move further up the field.

But he is still well aware that getting The Roofing Store Mitsubishi Evo 9 home for a solid finish is crucial.

Despite the short turn around between events, the Campbell Rally Sport team have done plenty of work to ensure the car is in the best possible shape.

This has included a precautionary head gasket change after the car consumed plenty of water during a standout performance at Otago.

The Lone Star Canterbury Rally gets underway with a ceremonial start at Lone Star Manchester St in Christchurch, with two night stages on Saturday from 5pm.

Sunday will sees a further eight special stages before returning to Lonestar for the finish at 4.45pm.