McRae wins Zulu Rally.

Alister McRae won the Zulu Rally on Saturday, South Africa's WRC candidate event, in his Jardine Lloyd Thompson supported Mitsubishi Evo 8.

The Scot dominated the two-day event, which featured 229 kilometres of special stages in the KwaZulu-Natal province. The former British Rally champion set fastest times on five of the events twelve tests.

"It was a good fight against the S2000's cars and unlucky for Serge Damseaux in the Toyota S2000 - he was trying to make up time and went off the road on the penultimate stage, retiring from the rally," reflected McRae after taking his second international rally win of the year.

"The event was well organised and the sun was shining. The S2000's were not as good as I thought they would be. Looking at how quick the car has been in the Italian Rally Championship I was expecting them to be quicker. I was going to test Serge's car on Monday morning, but I am not sure if that will happen now. I certainly hope I get the opportunity to drive one of the 2000's before I head home though.

"The roads have been very good they certainly make a driver work. The last 10 kilometres of the last stage were cancelled, which I am pleased about as the roads were very rough and it would have been easy to damage the cars. World Championship rallies are now sprint events and just because the rally is in Africa you don't need Safari type roads."

Former New Zealand Rally champion, Neil Allport, who built and prepared the Mitsubishi Evo 8, which Alister drove was a very happy man after the stress of the days leading up to the rally.

"The car was due to arrive in Durban on May 11 and when I arrived in the City on May 18 I was told that the boat from Auckland to Singapore had broken down," he recalled. "I was then given daily predictions that the boat would arrive the following morning. The boat docked the Wednesday afternoon prior to the rally and we tested Alister's car two hours before scrutineering. Fortunately he was happy with the car. I brought the team from New Zealand and to win a rally in Africa with one of the most famous names in rallying will stay with us Kiwis for a long time."