EDITORIAL
There's been exciting news for rally fans this week with reports a book celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Otago Rally is in preparation, and publication is due early next year.
This is a project I am lucky enough to be involved in, as one of the book’s co-authors. My area of particular responsibility is the early years of the Otago Rally, to about 1995.
The team working on the book have already done a fine job of digging out old entry lists, results, contemporary reports and the like from this time. However, there are few specific items and pieces of information relating to these early years that Drivesouth readers may be able to help with. They are as follows:
Firstly, in 1979 and again in 1980, there were plans to run a major Otago Rally in April (either a national championship or large mainland championship event). But the major event didn’t end up being held, and instead a much smaller club rally was held at a different date. If any reader who was involved at the time has specific knowledge of the reasons for why the major event did not happen, I’d love to hear from you. I have a few theories, but at this stage no certain knowledge.
We are also on the lookout for high-quality photos from the Otago rallies held from 1976-1987, and in 1989, 1990, and 1991. Ideally these will be photos you have taken yourself, or with the photographer identified; otherwise, we cannot cover off issues of copyright.
SVG exits with credit
Shane van Gisbergen is rightly disappointed with his early elimination from the Nascar Cup playoffs, which occurred following last Saturday’s round at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
After two spins, van Gisbergen finished three laps down, though he still survived the chaotic race and finished 26th. However, with that performance and his results in the previous rounds of the first segment of playoffs, SVG had not amassed enough points to progress to the next set of races.
For all that, van Gisbergen should be hugely proud of his achievements in his first full season in the Nascar Cup. The Cup is the highest tier of Nascar racing, his four wins during the pre-playoffs part of the Cup season were equal-best of any driver in the series, and an unparalleled achievement for a rookie.
The Kiwi ace excelled on the street and roads course races, winning four of the five he contested and finishing sixth in the other. However, the vast majority of Nascar races are held on ovals, where the required skill set is highly specialised, and van Gisbergen’s best oval result of the season was 14th place. He’s a hugely talented racer, with proven versatility, so I’m quietly confident he will master the ovals in due course, though it may take a season or two yet.
Ashley excitement
Heading the list is Hayden Paddon, who is doing a double act competing with both his Hyundai i20 AP4 rally car, and Hyundai Kona EV pure-electric experimental car. Paddon has won the past four Ashley sprints and holds the all time course record of 52sec for the 1.7km course, set in 2023 in the i20 AP4 car. He also recorded a 2022 winning time of 55.54sec with the Kona EV. The Cromwell-based driver’s aims should be straight forward; win overall, set a new course record with the AP4 car, and go faster than ever in the Kona EV.
Among the other Otago entrants, Emma Gilmour (Citroen C3 Rally 2), Chris Hey (Toyota MR2) and Mike Wellington (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) should all be aspiring to record sub-one-minute times.
Gilmour, who is a favourite in the Rally 4WD class, ducked just below that mark with a 59.10sec run on her Ashley debut last year. Mosgiel-based Hey is running in the Unlimited 2WD class, which he has dominated in previous years, and for which he holds the all time course record of 1m00.9sec. Wellington, driving his ex-Paddon Lancer Evo, will have over 500bhp on tap for his sixth start at Ashley, and he too has come close to the magic minute mark in the past.
In the other Otago-based crews, Nigel Lawson (Lancer) and Corey MacAskill (Impreza) are entered in the pre-1996 classic 4WD class. Lawson, from Mosgiel, will be contesting the event for the fourth time, while Cromwell’s MacAskill has also competed at Ashley before. Also from Cromwell, Daniel Feck (Mitsubishi FTO) is an experienced driver who has recently relocated from the North Island. Waide Bridgeman Tallon is a Dunedin-based panelbeater, who has previously contested the event in a Mazda 323, and will run his newly prepared 1990 Nissan Pulsar GTi-R this year.
The Ashley sprint will follow its usual two-day format, comprising qualifying runs, and then elimination runs, that culminate in the two fastest competitors going head-to-head in the winner takes all final.
