The Rothmans Rally of New Zealand 1991 tested not only the driving skills of the World's leading drivers, but their temperament, endurance and nerve. The organisers decided to run the stages the other way round from the previous year, an unpopular decision with the professionals. The leading Lancia's of Juha Kankkunen and Didier Auriol, cast such distractions aside. Carlos Sainz in his Toyota GT4 was masterful over all terrains, whilst Markku Alen (Subaru Legacy) was to keep the joint challenge of the Mazda 323 GTX, driven by Neil Allport and Rod Millen, at bay. After 6,000 gruelling kilometres, just over two minutes separated the top three in yet another top-class sporting spectacle.