Otorohanga's Tony Sircombe will take some serious home course advantage into next week's FIA World Rally Championship in New Zealand.

Sircombe, now London-based, is the co-driver for Japan's Toshi Arai who holds a handy lead in the Production Car World Rally Championship.

The 38th Rally New Zealand, which is Round 11 of the FIA World Rally Championship, will be based in Hamilton, heading to the King Country, Waikato and Franklin districts from 30 August to 2 September.

For Sircombe it is a return to his roots, with the opening day stages going past the backdoor of his parents who live in Otorohanga.

Arai and Sircombe have a handy 14 point advantage in the PWRC - the production class of the World Rally Championship but they want maximum points in New Zealand where there is an element of home advantage.

"The Waitomo-Otorohanga stages on the first day are on my hometown doorstep and it will be great to be able to relive some old memories of rallying over those roads," said Sircombe, who flies home to New Zealand after a stop in Singapore.

"The roads are enjoyable to drive and challenging so it should make for good competition."

The 2005 PWRC champion has kept busy in the three months since the last championship round in Greece where he and Sircombe had a well-earned victory.

"I have competed in the last two APRC (Asia Pacific Rally Championship) events, Rally Hokkaido and Rally Malaysia, to keep up the driving mileage in preparation for Rally NZ," said Arai.

They sit on 29 points after their perfect 10 in Greece, 14 ahead of second placed Mark Higgins (Great Britain).

"I find it hard to be on the defence and with the strong competition at Rally New Zealand I'll have to attack to be up in the points. We are aiming for a top-three finish to put us in a good position for the championship."

PWRC drivers nominate six events of the eight events with Arai completing his season after New Zealand and his home rally in Japan.

Higgins is bypassing New Zealand but will start in the remaining three PWRC rounds in Japan, Ireland and Great Britain.

With third placed Kristian Sohlberg (Finland) unable to fund his venture downunder - his seat has been acquired by two-time New Zealand champion Richard Mason - fourth placed Mirco Baldacci (San Marino) joins Higgins as the only serious contenders to stop Arai.

The New Zealand cars in the PWRC lineup include Mason and co-driver Sara Randall, along with Rally NZ scholarship winners Hayden Paddon and Emma Gilmour.

Rally New Zealand starts with the traditional shakedown test at Mystery Creek on Thursday 30 August ahead of the Ceremonial Start in downtown Hamilton on Thursday evening.

The rally proper begins on Friday 31 August in the Otorohanga and Waitomo region, day two is in the Franklin District and northern Waikato and final day in Raglan, with super special stages each day back at the rally headquarters and service park at Mystery Creek.