Yet the slippery track near Milton for Saturday's Southern Dirtfest 2008 drew comments from some competitors, while other muck-coated challengers grinned through the grime.
Christchurch competitor Owen Chang (21), competing in a buggy in the Challenger class, said he would use about 20m of clear plastic tear-offs over his goggles in each 5min race.
One of the highlights for Chang was watching his father, Bryan, motor his two-wheel-drive turbo-charged Toyota Lexus V8-engined Thunder Truck around the 1.4km course.
Equipped with 375hp, it provided plenty of sideways entertainment.
Christchurch racer Wayne Moriarty saw his South Island title aspirations shattered when his Cougar's transmission smashed in the first race.
Nelson's Dennis Andreassend won the day, making the most of a last-chance points boost before the national final at Manukau in October.
Regional pride was salvaged by Matthew Pratt, of Queenstown, who won the Challenger class outright.
Otago's Garry Cooper won the Baja class for cars with Volkswagen bodyshells. The 19 off-road competitors were joined by ATVs and pit bikes in putting on a show for the crowd.
The event was part of the Offroad Racing Championships' seven-round series in which three sets of off-road races take place in both the North and South Islands before the competitors meet for the national final.
Media spokesman Mark Baker said it was the first time a round had been hosted in Otago, as usually Christchurch or Nelson provided the venues.
