Mount Maunganui's David Holder heads to the fourth round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, Rally Gisborne, looking to fight for the win and extend his lead in the championship.

Holder held a strong lead heading into the previous round at Canterbury but left the road and was forced to retire, cutting his lead to just six points.

Holder competing in the Otago Rally. Photo: Jason Byrne/A Little Bit Sideways.

However, his team have pulled out all the stops to ensure the Stadium Finance Evo is ready to attack the Gisborne stages, particularly Farmline Machinery, Force Automotive and M.Tech Evo's.

With a car to do the job underneath him, 27-year old Holder is well aware that he and co-driver Jason Farmer need to be at the top of their game with the most recent round winner, Emma Gilmour, hot on their heels in the race for the championship.

"I've already put the mistake at Canterbury behind me, in my eyes it was a small error in judgement so now it's time to focus and get down to business as usual. We're in a great position (leading the championship) but we need to be doing our best as it's still anyone's game," says Holder.

"Emma is close behind, and has shown great form so without a doubt we will expect her to be pushing us all the way.

"I guess the one good thing I can see from having a crash is it really shows how supportive our followers and sponsors are. I'll often get random offers to come help out on the car which is fantastic."

Looking to the Gisborne event, Holder is focussed on being at the top of the field across the six special stages, with the intention of increasing his lead before the final round of the season seven weeks later. However it will be a case of balancing outright speed with the need to finish, as failing to finish would spell the end of a championship chase.

'Jase and I know what we are capable of doing in regards to outright speed, the tricky part is picking your pace when you're in a hunt for a championship rather than a one off rally.....we always try our best, but more so it will be crucial that we drive a smart rally.”

The 2016 Rally Gisborne takes place on July 2. Crews take on six special stages totalling 150 kilometres before returning to Gisborne for the ceremonial finish at Reads Quay from 6.25pm.

-BB Media.