Gilmour, already a multiple winner of the event, sealed victory over a high-calibre field with a scorching time on the final run of the second leg, setting a time 4sec better than that of Jack Hawkeswood, of Hamilton, to give her the win after finishing second to Hawkeswood for the past two years.
Hawkeswood, seeking a hat-trick in his Toyota Yaris, had led after leg 1 and had set the best times in leg 2 until the final run when both Gilmour and Jack Stokes, of Waikuku, were quicker. Gilmour’s best runs on each leg gave her victory from Hawkeswood with Stokes third.
Andrew Graves, of Gore, finished fourth in his Mitsubishi EVO 3, winning class D in the process.
Graves was originally scheduled to drive a new GR Toyota Yaris Rally Cup car as part of a testing programme prior to the introduction of an exciting new class for the cars into the NZRC next season. The car was unfortunately unable to be brought south after a ferry breakdown prevented it crossing Cook Strait.
Jake Thomas, of Mosgiel, in a Toyota Corolla finished a superb seventh overall which gave him both class B honours and first two-wheel-drive car home, while victory in class C went to Derek Ayson, of Gore, in his Opel Manta for the second year in succession.
Ayson was eighth overall with the runner-up in the class, Tony McConachy, of Palmerston North (Toyota Starlet), one place behind. Rory Lawn, of Christchurch, completed the top 10 in his Starlet and claimed second in class B.
Last year’s class B winner, Ian Warren of Dunedin, was third in the class this year in 12th. Other prominent results included the recently crowned National ClubSport Champion, Josh Cooper of Invercargill, in a Ford Escort Mk2 who was 14th overall and third in class C.
In class A, Jak Elliott, of Oamaru, repeated last year’s success from Kevin Brockie, of Dunedin, both competitors in Toyota Vitzes.
Casualties throughout the day included second seed Robbie Stokes, of Waikuku, in his Skoda Fabia who went off the road and failed to finish the opening run in leg 1 and took no further part in the day. Richie Chadwick, of Mosgiel, encountered engine problems in his EVO and withdrew after the first run as did former winner Ari Pettigrew, of Ohoka ,in a Porsche 911 who had charging issues.
Brendon Mitchell, of Winton, in his Datsun 1600 and Ben Forrest, of Auckland, in an EVO 4 both completed two runs in leg 1 before they were forced to withdraw.
The event was the opening round of the Hawkeswood Mining Deep South Rallysprint Series which will be fought out over four rounds.
Of the drivers registered for the series, Gilmour was classified first with Graves second and Strang third.
The event involved competitors tackling two legs, the first 9.7km of public road with the second a run over 9.6 km in the opposite direction. Competitors had three official runs on each leg and results were determined by combining a competitor’s fastest single run on leg 1 with their fastest single run on leg 2.
‘‘We were absolutely delighted with the great entry and we thank the local residents for their co-operation as we run the event,’’ Eastern Southland Car Club committee member Roger Laird said.
‘‘We are thrilled for Emma [Gilmour], a member of our club while disappointed Robbie Stokes had his day cut short. We are rapt with the way the event went. It was a big ask with such a big entry list but a great team effort saw it go very well.’’
- Lindsay Beer
