West wins Propecia Rally NZ scholarship.

The bitter-sweet year for Timaru rally driver Chris West looks like ending with sugar-coating.

The 28-year-old West, who retained his national Group N championship title, heads to Australia where he will compete for the Subaru Japan Team in the FIA World Rally Championship round in Perth next week.

West has capped off a strong season with the news he has won the Propecia Rally New Zealand scholarship.

The $25,000 package for the winner, supported by sponsor Merck Sharp & Dohme (NZ) Ltd, includes an educational travel award, cash grant and package to compete in the 2004 Propecia Rally New Zealand.

The scholarship provides a talented New Zealand rally driver with the opportunity to compete in the New Zealand round of the FIA WRC and experience the operations and workings of a WRC works team in an overseas round of the championship.

The good news comes on top of this year's tragic death of Possum Bourne, whose company has prepared West's Subaru for the past three years.

Ironically it is Bourne's death that has led to West's chance to compete in his first international rally outside of New Zealand.

His performances this year have impressed the STI team in Japan sufficiently to earn the drive in place of Australian Dean Herridge, who has been promoted to the Subaru Australian team alongside Cody Crocker, to fill Bourne's slot.

West admits that life has been a buzz in recent weeks.

"It's all been a bit of a shock and an awesome opportunity," West said.

"We were really delighted to win the Group N championship again, and I think we really dominated the series," he said after winning the title with a round to spare.

"Then this opportunity to drive in the Perth round of the WRC came out of the blue. It's a fantastic chance for me to experience a major international rally.

"And then it's been capped off by winning the Propecia Scholarship. I did not expect that at all."

West will use the funds to help mount a challenge for Group N honours in next year's Propecia Rally New Zealand. And he has already made contact with the Subaru WRC team and will use the travel grant to join them for November's final round of the championship in Great Britain.

"Again this will be a tremendous chance to see what goes on inside a works team at the highest level, and to meet key people in the sport.

"I would love to think I could one day drive in the WRC although I have to be realistic. My chances there are pretty slim but I will be looking to take every opportunity to further my own career."

West said it had been a difficult year to refocus on his rally aims after Bourne's death.

He started in the sport as a teenager in hillclimb events in South Canterbury, which was a motorsport stronghold with the likes of the Sprague family and Leo Leonard.

His business involvement importing trucks and commercial vehicles from Japan led to supply of his first serious rally car, a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3 which he raced for two years, winning the Mainland Rally and finishing runner-up in Group N.

West was approached by Dynalink who planned a two-car attack with Bruce Herbert, both winning their respective titles in 2000. A new Subaru Impreza was only homologated in time for the final two events the following year with West runner-up, before claiming the title in 2002 and 2003.

"Possum had built the new Impreza at the time when we switched to Subaru with Dynalink. I approached him to help develop and prepare my car. That's led to a superb relationship with the Possum Bourne Motorsport team that still continues."

West says he will remain with Group N racing, and believes in time it will be main racing class in this country.

Before he jets off to Great Britain with his Propecia scholarship, he has his focus firmly on next week's FIA WRC event in Perth.

"I don't know too much about the car but expect it will be a reasonable package. The team are really keen for a finish, and frankly that's what I want too. That will be the main aim and I won't be driving the legs off it.

"From there we will just see where things take me but it's certainly very exciting time for me right now."