Hawkeswood hillclimb champion

In a tight finish, Jack Hawkeswood, of Auckland, driving a Mazda AP4 rally car, secured the 2021 Gold Star New Zealand Hill Climb championship title with a fine second-place finish at Sunday’s final tarseal segment of the two-day meeting.

Hawkeswood had won both of the North Island rounds of the national series and came south to face off in the final against the two South Island winners Jason Clark, of Blenheim, and Mosgiel’s Chris Hey.

Hawkeswood finished ahead of both his rivals in Saturday’s gravel section at Burma Rd, and at the tarseal run on Tuapeka West Rd, near Lawrence, on Sunday he again managed to earn second spot, allowing him to win the national title.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better result today.

"We had some challenges but we overcame them,” he said.

Both the gravel and tarseal races of the final round were won by Matt Penrose, of North Canterbury, driving his cross car. He also won the national cross car championship title.