event writeups
Sore head... and car.
My heads killing me.... havent I been up this supermarket isle before?... what am I doing here?.... what?... huh?
Fully proof that planting a race car at 90kph into a ditch nose first isnt the best of options, but is the good conclusion to a pub story.
But conclusions arent the best start to a story, which, with this story started with my race transporter dumping all its radiator water on the ground. A refill and a race home after a successful scrutineering would almost end the transporters weekend... almost.
However the Isuzu truck decided it would hold water, not overheat. As such I dragged her, my beautiful Jimco and the huge array of replacement parts to the Final of the South Island Series.
Saturday, Short Course. Beautiful and cold morning. My fuel has just been personally delivered from Wellington. A fantastic service from Alcotane meant I could start and run the car. I warm the familiar Jimco up... my god is she addictive. The big V6 twin turbo grunting her way to life and thrusting the car to the horizon with alarming speed.
First heat. The car runs up through the field well and then the car feels soft in the rear end, particularly in right hand corners. It feels like a blown tyre but no familiar flap of the carcase against the shocks. So I circulate, gain first in class and fourth overall.
Second heat. The blown tyre proved to be something as simple as my imagination and a very soft track. As such when the green flag drops I throw the car at the pack ahead of me. I battle forward managing not only to distance my class 1 competitors but catch and pass all the class three cars ahead. So my first, first of the day.
Third Heat. I attempt a repeat at the second heat, but Wayne Moriarty has other ideas, battles hard, and holds me out to ensure Im placed second.
All In. I throw the Jimco at the first corner ensuring a few places taken and then gradually work my way up to the front of the pack where Wayne makes sure his slower Class 3 car is very very wide. Wayne tries to bolt, presses hard, and I follow. I start to overdrive, taking corners more sideways than I should and scrubbing off speed. The car warns me of my stupidity by shining the overtemp light in my face. I slow. Waynes Cougar starts to smoke, a power steering line now detached and his PS fluid now pouring on the exhaust, but he still presses the point. We merge into lapped traffic and Wayne selects a wide line, I cut low forcing the two cars in front to split. In a classic chess move Wayne is blocked and I follow the lower car on the faster, clean line into the lead. A position I maintain until the finish.
Sunday greeted the survivors with another beautiful sunny day. This enduro consisted of two one hour enduros across varied tussock, grass and hills of the Bruce Rolls farm. Time trial proved very slippery and I was happy to be placed second behind Wayne Moriarty, who was very familiar with the track.
The green flag drops and the Jimco skates lazily on the thick grass surface. The track is tight, wet and a good portion of it heavily grassed. I watch Wayne pull a little lead then reel him in on the tussock. Cheekily planting my nose in front in one of the dryer sections. I didnt want the lead, I just wanted to let him know the Jimco wasnt too hard to handle around this track and that I was up for a play. The Jimco unfortunately doesnt like to show off and she instantly threw away the rear brakes. There was something there, intermittently... I think. But for a majority of each lap there was nada.
So I short shifted, braked incredibly early, played by myself. Bruce Rolls started to reel me in. So I cheated, using the silly horsepower of the Jimco to throw up as much dust as possible on the dry uphill sections. I started to get used to what was left of the brakes (or so I thought), spinning four times while doing so. I started to scrub a little off my lap time, got into a rhythm, felt good on several of the high speed sections while the car jumped momentarily in the air and the RPM skyrocketed. Then like a bull to the colour red, Wayne, running in second, presented himself several hundred meters in front. So I pushed boundaries, gained a little on the dryer sections where I could brake by throwing the car sideways and lost a little on the wetter grassed sections where by braking points were ridiculous. I was having too much fun. On one of the rolling grass pit section straights, where the car would grab air then grass then air again I overshot the Im stopping in a mile braking point. Doing approximately 200kph I had to scrub off as much speed before crossing a ditch on a slight corner culvert. The culvert only just wider than the Jimco width. Downshift! Brake, lock fronts, Downshift, steer in!!!!! This isnt going to work, Im drifting wide, Im going to hit the culvert on an angle with one wheel and roll... badly. So I straightened up, headed directly for the irrigation ditch at as closely to 90 degrees as the Jimco would allow. Scrubbed off as much speed as possible....... and braced.....
The Jimco was doing about 90kph when I hit the other side of the ditch, instantly decelerating, it rolled out at about ten kph. Although I couldnt see the front end and the inevitable damage that would have been done I knew instantly that I couldnt continue racing and hit the kill switch. On exiting the car I was surprised at the limited damage the ditch had inflicted on the poor Jimco. I had thought I would have ripped all four A-Arms from the car and done some substantial chassis damage. However she fared considerably better than that. One corner was badly damaged, both upper and lower arms destroyed. The shocks looked okay but both steering tie rods were now bow shaped. Had the car not been an early Jimco the impact would have certainly destroyed most of the car and caused myself considerable more damage than a mild concussion and some neck strain.
In the end it was Hamish Lawlor to take out both one hour enduros showing just how quick that little car can be given some fuel. Congratulations to Wayne Moriarty who took out the South Island Series convincingly. A great competitor and a fantastic president to the Canterbury Offroad Racing Club.
Daniel Powell 118
Powell Perspective
Fun Anyone?
It had been a year since Id been at the helm of the Jimco. The car, Twizel and myself needed awakening. A hastily glued together Jimco with a stock Nissan V6 engine was thrown on the dyno the Wednesday before the event and threw a lazy 468whp to the ground at 7psi of boost. A full 150whp lower than the Cosworth engine it replaced. Still should be enough for a bit of fun in Twizel.
Twizel was raining.... horizontally. The wind chill and precipitation making for an event I didnt even want to start. Id screwed up the prologue missing a marker and having to slow to discard my waterlogged goggles. I was offered a second lap (as all other competitors were) but I wasnt looking forward to the event and I really couldnt be bothered bashing puddles in attempt to gain a few starting positions.
Then it all happened....
The wind died and took with it the rain. The sunshine showing off the spectacle of the stunning scenery bracketing the venue. A radical change of events that instantly changed all potential for the race. With rain quashing any chance of a dusty track and now a pleasurable afternoon sun warming the earth, competitors and outlook Twizel had the potential to be a fantastic event.
The track was pure adrenal overload. Set a max RPM, top gear track in amongst some of New Zealands most rugged and awe inspiring terrain. A small 10km lap meant it was easy to support but challenging enough to keep the driver occupied. Three good length straights were interspersed with rock gardens, technical switchbacks, tight forestry, open plains and jumps. A good mix of open and forestry terrain that really sets this event apart from any other event in New Zealand.
The green flag dropped and I managed to snatch fourth position by the first corner. Hamish Lawlor, in third, falling behind Tim Culling and Wayne Moriarty, both slowly disappearing into the distance. I took Hamish and chased down Tim and Wayne. However with not the best directional sense I held back and let the other two battle to get our group of three lost. A task which they accomplished with amazing precision. Second lap, the precision continued this time our group of three getting lost in an area that I still have no idea where it was, Hamish taking three positions easily and leading us successfully to the next marker.
Lap three and the first corner past the pit section the car squats right and I hear the unmistakable flap of a flat tyre. Great.... 10km of completing a full lap while nursing a flat back to the pits. Not only do I lose placing on the lap I cruise but I return to the track over a lap behind. I know I have the pace so I start to chase hoping to scrub off enough time to get myself unlapped in the 20 remaining laps. Im keeping low RPM on the switchbacks and the forestry sections as the low RPM torque is easier to control. Im also cautious in any rock garden as Im not keen on losing any more time to another flat. However, when a straight beckons I stretch her to the 7700 RPM limit in every gear, the car leaping to the horizon. Logs would later show a sphincter clenching top speed of 242kph.
By lap 6 Im getting used to one handed driving. The other hand wrestling with the jaw of my helmet to stop it lifting off my head. The speed of air entering the front of the car lifting the peak and pulling the entire helmet with it. Lap 10, lost rear brakes. Lap 11, the car squats funny and I think Ive got a flat rear again, but its doing it on both left and right turns? Both rear tyres flat? She also wont jump straight anymore. I keep driving adjusting to the new roll in the rear, the antisway bar now disconnected and the arms now distributed through the Twizel landscape. Lap 18 and the steering now has an eighth of a turn of slop, makes it very difficult to miss the individual rocks which grow in large bountiful gardens in the Twizel track. Lap 20 and I finally unlap myself from Wayne. Its too late to win the race but at least Im not a lap down. I start to belt out a few fast laps, having fun with the Albins sequential and the rev happy Nissan engine. I travel through the start finish line to meet the white flag on lap 24. I accelerate away, turn hard right... car squats left... oh shyte! Another flat in the same place on the track!!! I have to complete another 10km lap limping on a fully deflated tyre hoping that the remnants of the carcase wont destroy what remains of my rear brakes, shocks, wheel hub. The lap takes an age, frantically looking over my shoulder to see whos about to lap me again. I take the checkers with the tyre waving hysterically at the spectators. I ask Kevin Nankivell where Ive finished to which he stated.... first. It would appear that I wasnt the only one to have issues with tyres.
Twizel was an event that words just cant do justice. NO SERIOUSLY! Its an emotive, adrenal injecting blast that will both make your smile wider than its ever been before and scare the shit out of you at the same time. Will I be back? You bet your boots, make it a 500 and Ill be back... twice!!
I wish to thank Andrew Thomason who continues to make the car competitive, Kevin Nankivell whos always been fantastic in pit support and engine building. Id also like to thank my sponsors, Albins Offroad Gear, Mace Engineering, Link Electromotive and NZEFI.
Daniel Powell. 118
Moriarty Takes Another Trophy
The Wade Densem Memorial was the last race of the year and the final chance for drivers to grab points for the 2010 Canterbury Championship. Super 1600 driver Wayne Moriarty took full advantage of this, winning both of the one hour enduros and once again claiming the Wade Densem Memorial.
The event was held on one of Bruce Roll's farms and a bit of local knowledge (and no doubt a few practice runs) saw him claim second for the day in his Honda V-Tec Super 1600.
Third place honours went to Geoff Densem racing his old twin seater class 1. The event is, of course, held every year in memory of Geoff's son, Wade Densem.
Driver of the day in my opinion was once again Steven Boyd in the mighty, giant conquering, Suzuki Escudo. Despite racing in production truck class 2 Steven manages to stay competitive for outright placings and this was no exception, he finished the event in fourth.
There were a few issues for other competitors. Ian Simcox ran out of fuel in the first race and then managed to park his Isuzu upside down in a ditch after losing control at around 120kph in the second race. The ditch was big enough to almost fit the entire vehicle and only the wheels were showing.
Fellow class 2 competitor Ron Campbell made a less than triumphant return to the sport. Daughter Sasha tried her hand at co-driving for the first time and probably the last after Ron decided to do a full 180 degree spin in front of a gaggle of buggies, barely missing a fence. Things only got worse from there with Ron losing a rear shock and a gearbox mount and therefore not being able to compete in the second race.
Class 10 racer Murdock Halliday was debuting his new hayabusa powered buggy from the North Island. Unfortunately that didn't go at all to plan, with a blown axle on the start grid ruining his day.
All in all it was a great social day and a great way to remember Puala and Geoff's son Wade.
PAUL MILNE 454 - DRIVER PROFILE
" Paul Milne in winning form at the Ruff \'N\' Tuff 2010 "
The Truck
Engine: Toyota Supra 3000cc
Gearbox: Ford 4 speed
Suspension: Fox shoxks
The Driver
Sponsors: Mainfrieght, Nelson Tow and Salvage 2007 Ltd
First Race: Ruff 'N' Tuff 24/04/10
Got into Sport: Co-driving with neighbour (Darrin Thomason)
Other Motorsport
involved in: Drag racing, kart racing, crewing for pre-65 and at present crewing for a super saloon
Worst Moment: Blowing the clutch at the Supercourse and being unable to do the all-in
Best Moment: Winning class 4 national title 2010 and rookie of the year
ATTWOODāS AGONISING OFFROAD VICTORY AT MANUKAU
West Auckland offroad racer Donn Attwood crossed the finish line in Sundayās 160 km endurance race at Manukau in absolute agony.
He had driven most of the race distance with crippling cramps in both his legs and had to be helped from the car at race end.
But the result that awaited him was well worth the pain: he has won both the final race of the 2010 Asset Finance New Zealand Offroad Racing Championship and the outright title itself.
The new NZ Offroad Champion - Congratulations to Donn Attwood from Auckland photo by Mark Baker
Attwood, who won the first round of this yearās championship but has not had winning form since, had qualified outside the top ten for the race. Several unlimited-class trucks and race cars qualified ahead of him along with two racers driving fast Super 1600 cars similar to his: local racer Warren Rogers in sixth spot and Wayne Moriarty of Christchurch in seventh.
South Headās Raana Horan, third on points for the championship, had qualified on pole. He had dominated the top five shootout, lining up on the front row of the grid in his supercharged Nissan Titan V8 alongside Neville Smithās Cougar Honda Turbo. Behind them were Nick Leahy in his diminutive but fast Cougar Challenger VW and Clim Lammers in his Nissan turbo-powered class one car.
But at the rolling start of the enduro, as Smith and Horan fought over the outright lead, Attwood forced his way into contention with a determined first lap, accelerating from 12th overall to sixth in one lap and then settling into a steady rhythm.
āI was aiming to stay in touch with the leaders and see what happened. From fifth in the points table I knew the title was probably a long shot, but stranger things have happened and itās important to conserve your car through a long fast race like this so you can capitalise on any opportunities that you get.ā
On the fifth lap, however, disaster struck.
āI started to get cramp in my thigh muscle, and the more I tried to ease it, the worse it got. I ended up skewed in the seat trying to drive without tweaking the muscle, and then my left leg cramped up the calf muscle.ā
Attwood drove the remaining 27 laps of the five kilometre course in varying degrees of pain.
āFor lap after lap it was agony. Then it would ease a bit, but just as I started to think it was going away it would grab the muscle again.ā
At middle distance, hard charger Neville Smith rolled out of contention for the race win, enabling Attwood to ease his way closer to the front. Smith regained his wheels and set off after the pack, slowed by a broken shock absorber.
Then in the final six laps the misfortune went the way of Attwoodās key championship rivals. First, overnight leader Nick Hall rolled to a halt with a failed driveshaft. He had been running slowly since the first few laps of the race and the sound of the failing driveshaft was clearly audible over his engine.
Then Raana Horanās big black Nissan Titan disappeared, and was seen parked far out on the course before limping back to the pits.
Next, long-time race leader Wayne Moriarty was out with a smashed driveshaft. That put Whakataneās Malcolm Langley into the lead, and brought Attwood closer to the front of the field. But a lap later Langley too was gone, his car destroying a rear hub and losing a wheel.
Horan got going and went out to recover some of his lost time, but a few laps later rolled the big Nissan near pit lane when he clipped one of the big tractor tyres used to mark the course. The truck landed back on its wheels and he spun it around to rejoin the race, but soon found he had damaged the rear suspension and reverted to a slow crawl aimed at ensuring he would reach the finish.
Neville Smith had lost momentum soon after the start, dropping to fourth on the second lap after battling Horan for the lead, but was now on a charge. When Moriarty went out, Smith put on the pace even more, dancing the powerful; single-seater from one side of the track to the other to smooth out his approach lines and maintain speed through the trackās many off-camber corners. It couldnāt last. He tangled with a slower car and spun out, dropping slowly back once more. Smith too would not see the chequered flag.
Attwood was only hazily aware of the drama unfolding around him.
āI saw Moriartyās car, but couldnāt work out what had happened to the others who were in front. So Iām driving these last few laps just about crazy with the cramping and just begging for it to be over.ā
Fate had one final trick in store for the West Aucklander. The organisers had put out the white flag to let the remaining cars know they were on the last lap ā but then a recount of laps showed they had done so on the wrong lap, so the white stayed out for one more lap.
āI come around and Iām thinking āthank God, itās overā and they send me through to do another lap. I really wasnāt sure I could do it, but we came around again and the chequered flag came out. The most agonising race I have ever driven,ā he said.
ASSET FINANCE NEW ZEALAND OFFROAD RACING CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Southern Lakes Transmissions Class 1 unlimited race cars
1st Mal Langley
2nd Melvin Rouse
3rd Mike Cox
AFWE Class 2 Production trucks
1st Nigel Newlands
2nd Craig Patterson
3rd Anthony Hewitt
BigPosters Class 3 Super 1600
1st Donn Attwood
2nd Wayne Moriarty
3rd Warren Rogers
AFWE Class 4 Sport trucks
1st Paul Milne
2nd Glenn Turvey
Autoworld Richmond Class 5 Super 1300
1st Nick Hall
2nd Phil Finlay
3rd Dean Graham
AFWE Class 6 Challenge trucks
1st Peter Weatherly
2nd Steve McConnell
3rd Darryn Bell
V-Dub Shoppe Class 7 VW 1200
1st Josh Hoyland
AFWE Class 8
1st Raana Horan
2nd Donald Preston
V-Dub Shoppe Challenger VW 1600
1st Nick Leahy
2nd Wayne Rowe
3rd Shane Campbell
Rookie of the year
Paul Milne
Overall
NZ1 Donn Attwood 285pts
NZ2 Raana Horan 270pts
NZ3 Mal Langley 264pts
FINAL NORTH ISLAND ROUND RESHAPES CHAMPIONSHIP TOP TEN
Whakatane racer Malcolm Langley hassnatched the lead in the 2010 Asset Finance New Zealand Offroad RacingChampionship with first equal at the final North Island regional round,held on Sunday September 27 at Meremere.
The event was held on aāscratchā track after flooding in the lower stretches of the Waikatoput the All Terrain Racing Clubās regular track under 1.5 metres ofwater.
Langley was first equalfor the day in his single-seater Exide Bakersfield Mitsubishi Evo racecar; South Headās Raana Horan took top points and won the AFWEThunderTruck class in his supercharged Nissan Titan four wheel drive.
The soft track was noproblem for Langleyās car, which has been upgraded to run in the topSouthern Lakes Transmissions class with a tidy installation of a latemodel Mitsubishi Evo turbo engine.
His result nets him the North Island offroad racing championship title, which is decided over the three regional rounds.
In the nationalstandings, North Island drivers now fill the top three places, withPapakura racer Nick Hall 22 points behind Langley and leading classfive for Super 1300 cars. Also in contention is Raana Horan, whoaccelerates into third in the points table and leads the crowd-pleasingAFWE class eight for ThunderTrucks; fourth on points is the previouschampionship leader Wayne Moriarty of Christchurch.
More than 45 racers contested the round.
Southern LakesTransmissions class one was dominated by Langley ahead of WhangareiāsMelvin Rouse with newcomer Paul OāKeefe coming through for third inclass.
In BigPosters classthree, Warren Brown took top points ahead of West Auckland racer DonnAttwood, though Attwood made the most of second in class to maximisehis championship points and move within striking distance of formerclass of class and outright points leader Moriarty.
In Autoworld RichmondClass five for Super 1300 cars, Nick Hall made the most of the day andalso maximised his points; he is not within reach of the outrighttitle. Phil Finlay was second for the day and Dean Graham from HawkesBay took took third.
Waikatoās Josh Hoyland was the only finisher in V-Dub Shoppe class 7 for cars with VW 1200 cc engines.
In the V-Dub Shoppe Challenger VW class, Nick Leahy took top points ahead of Shane Campbell and Geoff Matich.
Hamiltonās Nigel Newlands won AFWE class two for production trucks, and takes the class win for the North Island.
AFWE class four for modified trucks was won by Wellingtonās Glenn Turvey in his Toyota Hilux.
Whakatane racer Pete Weatherley won AFWE class six for Challenge trucks in his Chev V8 powered Mitsubishi Pajero.
Raana Horan took outAFWE class eight for ThunderTrucks ahead of Australian Tom Dixon,making a one-off appearance in the national championship.
With six of seven rounds completed, the2010 Asset Finance New Zealand Offroad Racing Championship is closerthan ever, though the South Island racers now have their work cut outto take back the points advantage and win the title.
A champion is likely tobe found from the ranks of the Super 1600 or unlimited buggy classes,though the truck and 4X4 classes are threatening to overtake the fastbuggies.
Malcolm Langleyās stepup from Super 1600 to the unlimited class in his Bakersfieldsingle-seater has gone well. He won his class on debut at Whitiangaagainst a 12-strong unlimited-class grid and won the enduro outright;then at the second round chased the massive black Nissan of Raana Horanthroughout the Woodhill 100, finishing second overall when his carāsclutch began to slip. Outright victory at Meremere lifts him 22 pointsclear of second-placed Nick Hall.
Christchurch racer WayneMoriarty remains in contention, fourth overall on points, and can beexpected to turn out for the national final in October at the ManukauFull Throttle motorsport weekend. He won the first two South Islandchampionship rounds in his agile Euroblast Cougar Toyota Super 1600single-seater, but broke his carās transmission at the third and finalregional round leaving him short of valuable points.
The national final roundthe 2010 Asset Finance New Zealand Offroad Racing Championship rests onthe strength of fields in Southern Lakes Transmissions Class One(Langley) and Bigposters Class 3 (Moriarty), with the AFWE productionand sport truck classes waiting for a chance at the top step of thepodium as well.
A strong turnout ineither field at the final could deny the top teams essential points andallow others in the top ten to secure the title ā or even let aprospect further down the points table slip through for an upset win.
2010 Asset Finance New Zealand Offroad Racing National Championship top ten
Malcolm Langley #193 204 pts
Nick Hall #561 182 pts
Raana Horan #899 166 pts
Wayne Moriarty #312 162 pts
Donn Attwood #371 151 pts
Daniel Powell #NZ2 148 pts
Paul Milne #454 148 pts
Pete Weatherly #660 146 pts
Ian Simcox #231 142 pts
Hamish Lawlor #1010 136 pts
Latimer Hotel Racing Claim 2nd at Super Course
" Adam Reid Chasing Down Scott Cambell at the Super Course 2010 "
After almost a year of not racing it's fair to say I was fairly excited to be getting out there again. The car even started.... after a nerve racking tow. And then, much to my surprise, I managed to pass scrutineering! I soon found myself lined up on the grid for the first heat. The green flag dropped and I got a great start. Into second... wait where's it gone? What seems like hours passes as I try to find second gear. It finally slots into second and I realise Adam Reid is already a fair way in front. At this point I foolishly decide my idea to take it easy all day was stupid and I should start trying to catch Adam. This of course results in me very nearly tipping the car over at retail corner. Upon landing back on my wheels I realise my starter button isn't doing anything, luckily a loose wire is noticed by one of the marshals and I'm quickly on my way again. This is when I really start to notice that those brakes I had at scrutineering are fast disappearing so I take it easy and cruise home to finish the race and take some points.
The second heat starts better. No trouble finding second gear this time and I enter the first corner in the lead. I then stupidly took the outside lane into the split and let Adam into the lead. My lack of brakes made it near impossible to catch him and then a jammed clutch peddle put an end to my race.
The third heat goes much the same way but without the jammed clutch peddle. The tracks cut out as bad as I've ever seen it before, I can't throw the car sideways to scrub off speed in the absence of brakes without the risk of hitting a rut and rolling it. Some more missed gears and another second place.
With only the all in race remaining I was determined to get a win. Adam got the jump off the start but I had the inside line into the corner. We were side by side the whole way around the sweeper with Adam giving me just enough room to avoid the tires. I held my line though and he was soon forced into the loose stuff handing me the lead in challenger. It was now just a case of chasing down Dumbarse racing in their Class 6 Rangerover. I was now briming with confidence and pushing the car a little harder, too hard one might say. The second lap was the end of this short lived confidence however, as I slid wide at the exit of retail corner, hit the tires and tipped the car over. This brought on a restart, with me at the back of the field. I started fighting my way back through the field as best I could. And just when I'd given up hop of catching Adam, I spotted him parked up with only three wheels. This handed me the victory and second for the event. A huge thanks to Latimer Hotel, Holdfast and Allsales NZ Ltd for getting me out racing.
Powell Perspective (Things Change)
Things Change.
With pumping all its oil out in the Mainland Challenge my Jimco was in need of some work. And in all honesty, with my low National Points score and the amount of work needed... I couldnāt be bothered. A committee night some weeks ago showed a low entry list. So as a gesture of support for the Canterbury club and the necessity for me to get more seat time I reversed my decision and entered the Canterbury Super Course.
The engine, gearbox, turbos, coolers, breathers and half the cage were removed and checked, then swiftly reinserted into their original position. Kevin Nankivell of Mace Engineering doing a fantastic job of pulling the engine down and reassembling it in the limited time frame. A redevelopment of the tube mounting the external oil cooler block should show this failure to never repeat itself! A bolt check from Andrew Thomason proved to show something that my narrow vision had overlooked. Both rear coilover shock absorbers had hammered their bump stops inside out and through the narrow coil retaining cup slot. Andrew quickly set to replacing both. Then into the back of the truck my Jimco was thrown.
Saturday Racing. The car started okay, ran without issue, selected gears, braked... excellent... let the racing commence.
First heat. National points are null and void, competition doesnāt have the same level of power so letās open the car up and see what sheāll do. The surface has changed. Every time I come out to the Rock FM Canterbury Offroad Raceway the track is radically different. This time there appears to be more sand in the clay, whatever it is, there is more grip.... in spots. I did however manage to repeatedly find spots of very little traction where the front washed wide and the rear (still in the air) offset to the point where Neutonās first law wretched control from me. I spun. Were that not bad enough I managed to repeat it again the next lap on the jump just prior to the jump I had spun previously. I did however manage to regain the lead and finish in first place.
Second heat. Letās not quite open her up right up. Some control is needed. So I lap quickly, having a bit of a play with the new found RPM of the Cosworth. The engine screaming like a cat with its tail stepped on at anything over 7500 RPM. First is taken without issue.
Third heat. Things change.... rapidly. Wayne Moriarty, with PERFECT scores to date, snapped an output shaft on his gearbox. Wayne was the man I was backing to ensure we took NZ1 back to the South Island where itās lived for quite some years. So this was tragic for both Wayne and the South Island. With an extremely slight possibility of a National Title again, it also had an effect on how I was to run the remainder of the day. So I started the heat slow, just enough to keep in front and I ear marked Geoff Densem and kept him a corner behind me. Just enough to ensure another first placing.
Final heat, all in. Same strategy as the third heat. Keep it slow. Keep it methodical. Keep it tidy. Flag dropped, as did my clutch. I take several cars and before I know it Iām at a reasonable race pace. I know I should slow down to secure some hope in a National Title, but Iām having fun. The ruts are getting deeper, as is the tailings from the now deep trenches in the corners. I manage to get up on top of the tailings and in several cases overtake while very wide. This tactic wouldnāt work when challenged by a car like that of Hamish Lawlor when the inside line is so much quicker, but itās good to know I can pull that wide. Itās also a chance to increase my confidence and ability with the car. The challenge from Hamish never eventuated and I took the checkers in first.
Itās not a bad recovery. Even though I was on diminishing points for the day I ended up taking enough to take second equal for the day and keep a very close eye on what points are distributed in the North Island round in two weeks time.
Daniel Powell
NZ2
Latimer Hotel Racing Confident of Victory
Latimer Hotel Racing will make their triumphant return to Offroad Racing this Saturday despite the decision to take a year off. With the team based in Canterbury they couldn't resist the opportunity to race at their home event. A recent decision has seen owner/driver Scott Campbell move to Wellington whilst the team has stayed in Christchurch. This has made things a bit more difficult as Campbell wont be arriving until the night before the Super Course and a lot of the prep will be done overnight.
Despite this Campbell is feeling extremely confident, "It's been a long time since Iāve been in the car but I'm at a point where I know how to get the best out of it and I know the team is going to give me a car that can perform at it's optimum". Despite their confidence the odds are stacked against them, Campbell has not won a national event since 2008. They have never been more determined though as this is likely to be the last chance for victory in Challenger Class as the car is currently up for sale and the team are mid way through building a Class 4. Campbell's biggest competition is likely to come from Oamaru's Adam Reid. Campbell has shown himself to be faster in the past but Reid is on a real winning streak this year with a flawless run at the last championship round.
Latimer Hotel Racing would like to thank all their sponsors,
Latimer Hotel
Holdfast
Allsales NZ Ltd
CRC
Fuchs
CAMPBELL RETURNS TO OFFROAD RACING
Campbellās toughest competition will come from fellow Suzuki driverSteven Boyd. Boyd will also be racing an Escudo and has consistentlypunched above his weight and beaten vehicles with plenty morehorsepower. The Isuzu brothers, Tod Johnson and Ian Simcox will beclose on their heals. Johnson pedals a Diesel Isuzu Mu, while Simcoxhas the much heavier Isuzu Bighorn. Both these drivers have proven themselves to be very competitive; Johnson even took second in thechampionship last season. 
Tod Johnson chasing down Ron Campbell
Experienced off-road racer Ron Campbell will bemaking his return to the sport this weekend at the Mainland Challenge,round 4 of the Asset Finance National Off-road Racing Championship.Campbell hasn't raced since the 2008 series where he won his secondconsecutive class 2 championship. AFWE class 2 is for production trucksand features all sorts of vehicles, from little Suzuki Escudos to thebig Dodge Ram of Anthony Hewitt. Campbell will be running the sameSuzuki Escudo that took made him the first and only South Islander towin back-to-back Pro Truck titles.
Despite not having championship points to worry about, Campbell hasclaimed he will be taking it easy and is just out to have fun. But likeall race drivers, once the helmet comes down any plans of taking iteasy that he might have had will be gone. The only question will be howmuch difference the time out of the sport will have made to hisperformance.
The Mainland Challenge is held at The Rock FM Off-road Raceway, WeedonsRoss Rd, West Melton. Racing starts at 11.30am and entry is only $10with under 12s free.
Nelson Ruff and Tuff - Powell Perspective
I finished dry reaching at the front of the transport truck. It was puzzling as I hadnāt realized that consuming great quantities of dust could actually make you throw up. But this story has finished before it began. I only decorated the grass in front of the truck after racing had been terminated for the day and the pits almost bare.
We wonāt start at the beginning, as planning and preparation began months ago. However letās start at 4000 RPM.
Iām sitting on the Nelson ruff and tuff start line, kicking myself for the poor performance in qualifying. Fifth off the grid was a very poor showing considering the huge power plant stuck in the middle of the car. The driver of the car in fourth, Clint Densem, being gracious as he was offered to pull left off the line and let me through on flag drop.
Flag Marshall walks to the front of the line of cars and I raise the big V6 to 4000RPM. The flag drops Clint pulls left and I ram myself into a wall of light coloured dust. Itās amazing how disorienting this stuff is. Your attention already turned past āmaxā on the dial then robbed of all sight. Suddenly you donāt know which way to turn or even if the car is pitching, yawing, rolling.
But there in front shines a guiding light. Itās the dust light hanging out the back of another car. Follow him, but not too close, not too far either as the light dims the further into the dust he disappears. Letās hope that the cars spread out a little and wind blows the dust from the track, so that at least we can start racing. Ninety degree left and onto a straight, CARS STOPPED, BRAKE HARD! There is tape across the road and an open spot right, however most of the cars have stopped past the tape. I take the road right and run forward into an open forestry skidder area. There is no tape exiting this area so I presume Iāve gone the wrong way, turn around only to be met by the rest of the field coming down the same path Iāve just ventured. So I turn around again and sheep like follow the herd. Mistake. A couple of kilometres down the track the herd realise the mistake and bolt in all directions in an attempt to get back to the track down the original fallen tape. After returning to said tape we stop to digest the grass we have just consumed and discuss witch direction to continue. āBUGGER IT JUST GO!ā I cough in the direction of Hamish Lawlor in his class 10 and stupidly allow him to take the lead. Mistake. I would have had clear air had I taken the lead, but now Iām stuck in a thickening, disorientating cloud impossible to race in unless you have a X-ray vision (something Iām hoping my Mum will get me for my birthday). But I digress!
Dust, squirt, dust, squirt, dust, cliff face, dust, corner, dust, rolled car, dust, dust, dust. Getting the picture? So was I until on a 180 degree left hander the steering went slack and the big Jimco took more steering input than she should have. Something seriously wrong here! Turn left, bit weird but able to compensate, turn right, forget it! I can hear a soft tapping from the front end, a tie rod reminding me that it should have been checked before racing. Now free from its bolted position taunting me with a constant tap on the lower right arm. Mistake. So I take it easy for the remaining half of the lap. Injecting some throttle when the road was wide but generally limping home to the pits in the hope that it could be repaired in good time. I eventually do arrive at the pits where the dynamic duo Father and Son team of Dennis and Hayden Andressand jump to my rescue and after much wrestling with the front end ram a bolt home. Cheers Gents! My elation at being fixed short-lived as Wayne Moriarty (currently leading) laps me while Iāve still got one wheel on a jack. Ashley South, dust maker extraordinaire, also takes me before the jack is released. Great, now Iāve got to chase fast dust. There were two small sections that werenāt dust laden. These were a short bulldozer track up a hill face and a downhill section leading into the pits. It was the downhill that close on ended my race. Squirting, braking, repeating had softened the brake pedal, but I didnāt realize how much rear brakes I had lost until I came into a downhill right hand corner too hot. Full brake pedal locked the front two but the rear two wheels continued on their forward course. Grabbing the cutting brake and retracting my testicles in expectation of going over the cliff face, I hung on. The car slowed to a stop a foot before tipping downward. A quick reverse had me and my testicles back on course. But I was now braking early to ensure I remained in the race.
I eventually saw the chequers in fifth place. The problem not with the car, but the driver and my unwillingness to press on with no vision. Still with a 2 year old daughter and a son soon to enter the world Iād rather play it safe.
Wayne Moriarty pulled a flag to flag first. With Gordon Adamson a fantastic second followed by a brilliant effort from Nigel Sutherland to land him third overall. All Class 3 1600cc cars. Ample proof that the boys in class 3 might not have horsepower but sure have enough testosterone to throw their cars through the dust!
Daniel Powell (NZ2)
Kev\'s Monster!
I was going to build a Truck, a Yacht, a Hot rod, a House, a batch, I decided on a class 1 car and why not. Well this is it. A squat wide monster Daniel says.
Two years of playing around with and on its wheels only last week I have lots of bits to finish off which will be held up because were moving to Rangiora soon. The Monster powered by a 2.4 V-tec Honda with a zillion inches suspension travel will need a tow rope to keep up with Daniels re-vamped car but thats ok you have to build what you can afford to run, designed to be a good club car it will be a good addition to the CORC and hopefully be at most club meetings. 
Nigels Nobbies.
Haven heard alot about the racing at Nobbies property it was great to get a chance to be able to do 2x enduros for canterburys first club race for the 2010 calender.
Arriving at the property to find Daniel (#2) and Dale putting the final markings out on the course.
With a below average turn out of cars the racing was going to be a spread out event with 6km of track.
After finish the normal safety checks we lined up to have a looks see lap / or two.
what a great track with drop offs and good size straights and fast corners. Every in the middle of one of the paddocks having a hump which was a great feeling as the fronts wheels leaped off the ground at approx 100kms.
The first of the two enduros started with the trucks and then the buggies.
After racing the first couple of laps waiting for Wayne Moriarty(312) Mr President to appear beside me, I was called up on the radio imforming me that Waynes car had power steering problems and lost a lap or so. Been able to catch the balance of the field I was able to place #3 into first spot which is such a great feeling Thanks to my friend Andrew Thomason.
After doing a number of laps for the first enduro the race came to an end.
Steven Boyd in the might red 4x4 truck finished second and a distance third for Wayne.
We stopped for a break to rest the cars(bones)
We even had a guest appearance from Clayton Nelson club in his new truck which went well all day, what do you expect running a windscreen.
The members that run the odysseyies also I thought had a great day with the female in one the cars haveing a blast.
The second race started without a few cars sorry to Simon in the class 4 but having Wayne fixing his car again it was time for the second race which Wayne got a great start so I was behind into the first corner and 312 slowed as I pulled out of the corner to find 312 coming across in my line which I tryed to miss but with the gentle love tap I was able to shot past and again back in to first position with Mathew 352 been able to hold to second spot in front of Steven Boyd.
Daniel and Dale made a great track and event with the finishing touch of having a fews beers and BBQ, great day
Scott is still the Dick of the Month with the engine off and air condition on to keep himself cool he was puzzled why the battery went flat.Funny when the air con doesn\'t work when the engine is not going.
Thanks #3
Nigel Sutherland
National Finals - Powell Perspective.
Enduro. The first rule of āenduroā is take it easy for the first couple of laps. Bugger that! I have little hope of winning NZ1 so itās go out and have some fun. With Andrew Thomasonās unfortunate demise in the A Main yesterday Iām placed on pole. With the flag drop we cycle through the short course venue and venture off into the forest. What an absolutely BRILLIANT track! Begins with short stretches and tight turns, flows into a right-left-right hander that attempts to put you into a strainer post, into longer straights, faster turns, stump garden, extremely rough section, rally sweepers, and terminates with long running straights. WOW, how the hell did they get all that into the mix? Iām running large braking distances, screw up a couple of corners as I there was no scrubbed line and I had no idea where the track went, but on anything I can see to the next corner I give it a squirt or seven. First lap completed, Iām happy with it, but there is a hell of a lot of work to be done on my braking distances. Off into the forest and she knocks down on a cylinder, kicks back up momentarily, then Iām running on 5 again. Shyte, so I cycle the engine through different loads and RPM in an attempt to find a sweet spot where she doesnāt misfire. Itās tidier at low RPM with about Ā¼ throttle max, but it still doesnāt fully negate the misfire. So Iām short shifting, probably hitting 5th gear before 100kph whereas I can theoretically do more than that in first. Iām also well and truly off the accelerator the only time I give her a good squirt is the frustrating long straights where Iām forced to run her on 5 with the foot flat and a serious HP disadvantage. It sounds awful and Iām very conscious that this is the string of events that led to the engine failure in the Taupo 1000. End of lap two and I signal to Kevin that Iām coming in next lap. Back out into the forest for lap three. There are soft tight corners where the engine loads up and I swear itās not even running on 5. Because of the misfire and the low RPM, Iām also having trouble spooling the turbos. It makes me incredibly slow out of any first gear corner. This is not going to be a good enduro. But the laps complete, Iām very tempted to pull in and attempt a repair but I know itāll cost me considerable time in the pits, if we can fix it at all. So I wave Kevin off. On lap 4 my rear brakes go, Iāve been using the cutting brakes too much and Iāve glazed the rear pads. Itās not too hard to counter in a straight line or softer corners where I simply Scandanavian flick her around. But Iām pushing wide on any corner that hasnāt already rutted a permanent line. Itās about this lap where I also start to lap competitors. The true gentlemen of racers, every single one of them pulling over whenever an opportunity arose. Giving way to the Jimco with the model T ford horn. Fantastic work gentlemen! Then Iām rudely awoken from my admiration of other competitors by a tap on my rear cage (later to learn it was the huge black truck of Raana Horan). I pull wide (not slowing) on a couple of corners in the hope that whoever it is will come through. They donāt. Hey Iām limping here buddy just come on through! They donāt. A lap or so later, still without knowing who it was, I was presented with the tail end of a rather large black truck now several hundred meters off the course wrapped, bow like, in a fence. Raana having lost his brakes and run straight on from one of the fastest straights. I wouldnāt have liked to wash out the seat after that ride!
The laps remaining deplete, Iām continuing with short shifting and little accelerator but every once in a while she plays ball for a few seconds and I get back some of her full 6 liveliness. On the last two laps she fires up on the last of the big straights and Iām able to reach the limiter in 5th. The film blew out of the goggles and the only way I could hold my head into the wind was to drive one handed and wrestle with the jaw on the motorcross helmet with the other. To quote the famous intellectual Luke Duke āYeeeee haa!ā.
Somehow I was the first to meet the checkers which made for a straight weekend run of firsts. Fantastic event, great support (thanks very very much Kevin and Andrew), great competition and a good bullshit story to regale over a bar.
Congratulations have to go out to the event organisers, the fantastic track marker, and the new NZ1, good work Dennis Andressand.
Daniel NZ2
Latimer Hotel Finals Report
Campbell\'s third and final season in Challenger Class has ended with yet another disappointing weekend. He has never been able to capitalise on the speed he has shown throughout the past three years due to numerous breakdowns and injuries. In the past season alone Campbell has broken his thumb, suffered a severe ankle injury and had appendicitis. The cougar framed challenger He drives hasn\'t had any better off a time, blowing both the engine and gearbox, as well as having several smaller breakages.
The finals was never going to be easy for Campbell, racing against all the top drivers from around the country and doing it with a cast on his left foot. The first day consisted of three sprint race heats and then a handicapped all-in race. The first two races were held on a wet track, which did not suit Campbell\'s car at all. Despite this Campbell was the fastest South Island car scoring two fourths. By the final heat the track had dried out a lot and was suiting Campbell\'s car much more. However after a couple of small errors he was forced to settle for another forth. Three fourths was enough to put Campbell in the top three on points going into the all-in, unfortunately a clutch problem stopped him for two laps but he managed to get going again and finish the race.
Braking problems at scrutineering meant Campbell was forced to qualify on Saturday morning rather then Friday. The track was heavily watered on Saturday morning, which put Campbell right near the back for the start of the endurance race on Sunday. With nothing to loose Campbell was on a real charge and quickly made his way through the field. Campbell was still having problems with his brakes and was forced to use hand controls but still managed to pass all other South Island challenger drivers in only a few laps. Unfortunately Campbell\'s left rear collapsed half way through the race ending his charge. Had it not been for that breakdown Campbell would most likely have taken second place both in the race and for the weekend.
The finals was the last time Campbell will be driving the Latimer Hotel challenger as it is currently up for sale. The team plans on building a class 4 and will likely debut the new race truck next season.
Latimer Hotel Racing would like to thank all their sponsors for their support this year;
Latimer Hotel Chch
Holdfast
G J Gardner Homes
Volksworld
Fuchs Oil
Allsales NZ Ltd
Kiwi Express Couriers
CRC
Arbi Monograms
North vs South as the championship rolls into Christchurch
Grudge match: there are scores to settle as the 2009 Asset Finance Offroad racing National Championship heads for
Overall championship leader Dennis Andreassend of
Confirmed from the North Island are the new champion of the Asset Finance Taupo 1000,
Andreassend made the most of a dominant performance at the first South Island round, held in a forest outside Dunedin at Anzac Weekend; he shrugged off a string of second placings behind the well-sorted Jimco of defending champion Daniel Powell when the second South Island round happened at Christchurch, and excelled in the mud and slush of the final regional round at Nelson, where the agility of his Cougar Evo was decisive, enabling him to make the most of the grip provided by his specialist handcut tyres at the short course heats. Using new BF Goodrich rubber, he then dominated the second dayās forest enduro, revelling in the carās power and torque on the tight but fast course.
Powell was unable to close in on early race leader Wayne Moriarty in thick dust at the first South Island round, was fastest in the early heats at the
The truck classes have not been as hotly contested this year. Mark French was the only ThunderTruck racer to contest all three rounds in the
The Championship is run this year under a ādrop a roundā rule that sees competitors only able to count their best two regional rounds ā but only for the standings going into the national final. This means that while
The race weekend features both crowd-pleasing short course stadium-style racing on the Saturday of Labour Weekend and a punishing 166 km endurance race in the forest adjacent to the track and near the banks of the
Short course sprint races start at 11.00 am on Saturday at the Radio Hauraki raceway,
The sprint races on the Saturday will feature three in-class heats and a handicapped all-in race. The clubās year on year programme of improvements to the track have seen thousands of tonnes of clay trucked in to the track, spectator stands built and modified shipping containers placed at the start line for lap scorers.
The following dayās endurance race will also start on the short course track, offering ample spectator viewing. The enduro course is based in production pine forests but the course composition is unlike any raced elsewhere in the championship. Under light, loose silt soils the course base is pure loose river rock, meaning drivers have to plan overtaking attempts carefully to avoid being peppered with fist-sized rocks by the car in front.
Despite the recession gripping
Organisers of the national final are playing to the strengths of the venue and have also scheduled ATV (quad) racers as part of the Saturday race programme.
Campbells season over
Another ankle injury may have spelt the end of Campbell's season. The young challenger driver rolled his ankle a week ago and it was originally suspected to be a sprain, however doctors are now doing further tests and He is not expected to walk again for 6 weeks. This is almost an exact repeat of last year when Campbell raced the finals with his leg in a cast. Three will be no such heroics this year though as the team has instead opted to put somebody else in the car for the event.
That driver has now been confirmed as none other then Owen Chang. Chang drove a challenger at Dunedin's round of the championship last year and managed to win the first three races before blowing the clutch at the start of the all in final. Latimer Hotel Racing is confident that Chang can post a good result for the team.
Not only does this prematurely end Campbell's season, it may also prevent Campbell from having a final farewell in the cougar frame challenger. The car is currently up for sale and with the interest it has had so far it is likely that the car will sell soon after the event.
Latimer Hotel Racing would like to thank all their sponsors for their support this year;
Latimer Hotel Chch
Holdfast
G J Gardner Homes
Volksworld
Allsales NZ Ltd
Kiwi Express Couriers
CRC
Powell Perspective
Leaving it too late again... from the moment the car came back from Nelson we worked non-stop to get her ready for Taupo. It still wasnāt anywhere near enough time. Taupo is an event that generates its own warp of the space time continuum. Time simply disappears. Next thing you know youāre in Taupo without having tested the car and staring at all the added weight wondering how itās going to affect handling.
The prologue track consisted of a series of dense forestry switchbacks with a lengthy run down a bumpy sand straight. The severity of the corners are hidden by scrub, so itās a matter of pre-running it until you know how the car will react, then run it hard on your one and only time trial. This is where the logistics of such a big race overtook me. When I should have been pre-running the time trial track, I was pre-running the enduro track. I ran the car through scrutineering as quickly as I possibly could but it still only allowed me one preview run... and the overtemp warning light shone in my face. It was of course a lie, during the course of upgrading the Link ECU software I hadnāt checked the LED switch points, and the temp warning was set to 77 degrees. A quick reset and I was set for my one and only timed run.
I didnāt want to qualify first. I wanted to be second or third row. This would allow me to be a lazy bastard, get others to drive a line through the scrub, just follow their lines and correct their screwups. As such we left the 60 litres of fuel in the car, the spare tyre, the jack, toolkit, etc and I ran hard but not 100%. The flag drops, I allow a couple of seconds for the track to clear a little (itās all done on transponders as such I didnāt have to adhere to the flag, it wouldnāt affect my time) and then Iām gone. The car squirrels a little off the line but smooth input from the accelerator gets her pointing straight. Hard right, surprisingly grippy, should have taken it much faster. Then itās into the switchback forestry section. Iām slow, braking far too hard for corners that I had no familiarity with. Then a couple of short straights and break out onto the main, show off, straight. The car sits flat on these straights, dancing a little but not waggling her tail as Iāve been used to in the past. I break through the finish line. Kevin Nankivel and Geoff Gale greet me in the pits, where I proclaim how slow my run was, and they rebut with Iād qualified first... damn. Tom Dixon was to come to my rescue, having a second run (for reasons I donāt know) and bet my lap time by some margin, and pushing me into the second spot. Cheers Tom!
Race Day 1.
Tom Dixon took off from the line like a mad man, and I naturally thought this was the pace to meet. I followed, watching Tom clear scrub from the side of the track until he spun for a second time. When I overtook for the lead Tom Dixon said I was misfiring like a byatch. I've always had a problem with the car cutting back to 3-4 cylinders given a ford. Heat would quickly evaporate the water and she'd fire on all 6 within 10-20 seconds. Unfortunately the first 31 kilometres of Taupo was just standing water. She never got a chance to recover. It was shortly afterward the Jimco started stalling going into corners. Not good hurtling into a corner with 1400kgs (wet) of car with no power to give direction. It was on one of these stalls that Tom took me back for the lead. We then headed to the open high speed sections. It was here that I hoped to get some heat into the engine and rid her of all the water causing misfiring. When she comes up on boost it's very hard to tell it it's only firing on 4 and impossible (unless you are behind her) to tell if it's running on 5. As such I gave her a bit of welly, making sure to button off every so often to stop her from overboosting. I ran down this fast section at the limit of my neck muscles. Forced to rest the helmet against the seat because I simply couldnāt hold the peak into the wind. From this position I can see SFA, and god did it get the adrenalin pumping. Maximum speed was well below what the car was capable of, my rather small testicles, limited visibility and 14 degrees of caster, limiting speed. I matched Tom easily who would later be clocked at 210kph.
We then broke into more dense forestry sections, and the misfiring returned. It was shortly followed by a death rattle. I've never heard such a loud rattle before and given it also picked up on something large and tried to chew its way through, it's almost certainly a conrod. That was pretty much the end of my race, 15 kms from the end of the first lap, tootling around waiting for the block to self destruct and hoping that the turbos were stone cold so I wouldn't have to sit beside my beautiful car and break out the marshmallows. Understandably I'm only running the accelerator to stop my 3 come 4 cylinder self destructing engine from distributing parts within a 20 meter radius. I keep pulling over to let those who surely are now running on my back bumper to pass. However nobody takes up the mantle until I pull over ready to abandon the car at a checkpoint... and she stalls. Brad Prout (Rolly Dixon car) takes me. I yell at the marshal that points out that the finish is only about 5km up the road... shyte... I hate driving this way. She could explode at any minute and given the proximity of the turbos to the block fire is almost a certainty. But where there are pits, there is hope, and yes I am a dreamer. 5km.... only 5km.... I start her, continue banging away, keep her rolling, stall her a couple of times going into corners. Four firing cylinders, a big knock, little accelerator and 106kph first gear doesn't help. But I finish the lap only being taken by Neville Smith and Alan Butler on the start finish straight. Butler, so overjoyed at the possibility of taking me, lost all control and hit my rear cage. Iām also sure he wet the seat as he laughed his way past. I cross the line for my first and only lap in 5th? Goes to show that Tom and I were being idiots. We set out on too fast a pace, even if it was comfortable. I could have held the fast pace all day, the car being very easy to drive, well balanced, and for the very first time not trying to throw me into the trees at speed. But it wasnāt a pace that the others were maintaining and we didnāt need that speed to win. Tom eventually threw it away several times by coming in with front end failure, from which Iād assume he was pushing too hard and ended up hitting things. With Clive Thorton bring a very consistent car home with a deserved first overall.
Although we only had a small run the car has taken yet another leap forward. Andrew Thomasons work in this regard is untiring and precise. The engine failure was unpredictable but the early pace we showed is a credit to just how well Andrew knows how to build a car. Itās instability at speed is now close on corrected (we need to pull a little more caster to reach her max speed). It certainly gives me more confidence in pulling high speeds in tight forestry.
Now for the painful bit... replacing the engine.
Daniel Powell NZ1
Out of the Hospital And into the Mud
Nobody can doubt Challenger racer Scott Campbellās determination after the third round of the Asset Finance National Off-road Racing Championship. Campbell was in trouble before racing even began when he started feeling severe abdominal pain on the way to Nelson on Friday night. At 1am on Saturday morning Campbell was admitted to Nelson hospital and was then held over night with suspected appendicitis. At about 10am Campbell was told further testing was needed, they wouldnāt have the results till the afternoon and it was highly likely he would be operated on and unable to race. This was of course unacceptable and so Campbell began negotiations. Doctors then pushed his tests forward as fast as possible and at 1.15pm the team was told the results. Campbell needed his appendix removed. It wasnāt urgent however so he was given permission to race.
Twenty minutes later Campbell arrived at the track with about fifteen minutes to spare before the third and final Shortcourse race. The Latimer Hotel Challenger then refused to start but that was soon remedied after a quick tow, giving Campbell just enough time warm the engine. He was then lined up on the outside of the back row. Campbell got a good start and soon found himself sitting in third place. The track was hugely muddy and Campbell soon had his stone guard and goggles covered with mud making it nearly impossible to see. This coupled with the fact he had never seen the track before made it impossible to make any gains on the two leaders but he still came home in a solid third place.
The weather cleared a bit for the enduro on Saturday. With Campbell having a full night sleep he was feeling confident. Campbell had to start off the very back of the grid due to missing qualifying but had passed two cars before the first corner. More problems soon struck the Christchurch driver when his engine began to miss and then died shortly after. The problem was only minor, a couple of plug leads had come out, however the car refused to start once they were put back in. What happened next was the lowest part of the weekend for the team. āVolksworldā, one of their key sponsors had made only one demand of the team, to beat Barry Phillips who is sponsored by rival company āThe Metric Nutā. The only way to restart the car was with a tow and unfortunately Campbell had to suffer the humiliation of getting a tow start from Phillips. The humiliation was soon forgotten though. Campbell was already 3 laps down and had to seriously push the car to its limits if he was going to finish the 60% needed to score points. It wasnāt to be, the engine went off song again and Campbell made the decision to pull into the pits thinking the he had a loose plug lead again. There was nothing apparently wrong with the car so Campbell was sent out again. The car wouldnāt restart and the gear lever had seized up making it impossible to select any gear to get push started in, let alone race. Just as the team was giving up Campbell found second and was off again. Two minutes later a water crossing killed the motor and that was finally the end of the weekend for Latimer Hotel Racing.
Although the team still has a mathematical chance of winning the nationals it is now all but impossible. The team is now focusing solely on winning the National final event. There will be a few alterations made before the finals in Canterbury and the team plans on racing the Hanmer enduro in September as a shakedown.
Latimer Hotel Racing would like to thank all their sponsors,
Latimer Hotel Chch
Holdfast
G J Gardner Homes
Volksworld
Fuchs Oils
Kiwi Express Couriers
Allsales NZ Ltd
CRC
Arbi Monograms
Advanced Motorsport, Nelson pre-event
After two rounds of the South Island section of the national championship weāre currently 2nd overall in the South Island and 4th on the overall pointās ladder nationally. At our pre-season meeting with the crew in January our plan for the 2009 race season was to be heading into the nationals in October in a top 5 position overall. To date we are accomplishing that with some hard and dedicated work from the crew (Damian, Karl & Nick) who I have the utmost appreciation for. We also wouldnāt be competing at the current level without the backing of two loyal sponsors in the form of Advanced Personnel and The Radio Works who are now in their 5th year with the team and to that we are grateful.
Getting down to business the car (#569) has approximately 55 hours of work to be completed prior the final South Island round in Nelson where it will be turning out in the newly established āevolution body styleā duplicate that of open class team member Geoff Densem and also current NZ2 and current points leader Dennis Andreassend. With a bit of re-development and alignment in the gear selector the shifter is now the best itās ever been eliminating the frustrating selection problems from the previous two rounds. One further addition is the recently purchased radio communications equipment imported from Australia as used by the US SWAT, Nascar crews and many of the desert Off-Road teams. With all the latest technology it enables the crew to speak one-on-one to the drivers or to them all generically as well as the ability for the drivers to communicate directly with each other while racing.
Under a month to go and we are very close to ready!!
Ryan #569
The 577 vehicle of the team isā¦ā¦ā¦. well depends what car you talk about. In the old car after a steady round in Dunedin we had a dreadful outing at the short course in Christchurch where we snapped a universal joint in the drive shaft. Both rounds which before the start of the season, the new car was supposed to be ready. Christchurch will now undoubtedly be the dropped round so a couple of solid rounds in the new car and anything could happen. āWhen I first purchased the old car I got a second overall in the first race at Mainland Challenge so I would be happy with a repeat of thatā The new one (hoping to be raced at Nelson) has the engine out of team member Geoffās vehicle prior to Ian Foster putting in the VW along with a lot of other major improvements. The engine is in and the only major components left are the steering and wiring loom, the latter of which was purchased with the engine. The car is looking great and with the 3rd edition of the āevolution body styleā bonnet purchased the 3 team cars will look near on identical and the team radio as described above will give us an added edge. The new car will also be fitted with a on board camera allowing up to 6 hours of video at one time which will give a different angle after racing especially in the enduroās. A huge amount of effort has gone into building the car and without the help of the team and sponsors like Advanced Personnel and the Radio Works it is not possible. See you at Nelson, hopefully with the new carā¦ā¦ā¦
Clint #577
Advanced Motorsport Writeup
Advanced Motorsport Round 2 National Series (Christchurch)
Up to now although I haven't written anything extraordinary about off-road racing itself, I do want to take two seconds to congratulate a somewhat extraordinary young ambassador to Off-roading. Most of us can only attend off-road events in the island we live so the wider media circle is imperative to keep up to play with the going onās in our sport (internet, magazines, newspaper and from time to time TV). Sure, thereās single columns tucked away at the back of āThe Press or the Heraldā but, then as is now, itās distinctly cheap. There are also a couple of specialist monthly magazines, but by the time these come to print, what they were reporting was decidedly yesterday's news. Front news stories are almost always following a tabloid-F1 driver and contain very little news - where they would more accurately be described as "statements of the bleeding obvious". Anyway my highlight of the event would have to be the feedback, comments from friends, business associates and random strangers about the fact they had seen āoff-roadingā on theTV3 News. Full thumbs up to the Latimer Hotel Race Team represented by Scott Campbell to making this happen!!
Now the race report. My full appreciation again to the team in particular Damian Peters who prepared an absolutely fantastic car. With the format of 4 short course heats (3 class heats & 1 all-in) we were confident to come away with good points and keep our national series on track.
In heat one we got a respectable 2nd behind young up and coming driver Hayden Andreassend whoās really starting to come to grips with the car, his well performing twin cam Suzuki. In heat 2 we had a back row grid accompanied with a bad start dropping to 4th by the first corner. With some good driving by Shannon Rolls and Donald McMillan we only managed to climb our way back up to 2nd by the chequered flag. In the 3rd heat the action started. Again sitting 2nd coming out of the first corner I was determined to make amends the previous 2 heats and prove the Marsh Motorsport built push rod Nissan will beat any twin cam on a dry trackā¦.but unfortunately not in this heat!! Coming around āretail cornerā (also known as the track split) we strode over the splitting tyres in a very unorthodox fashion and unfortunately rolled onto the roof and slowly proceeded to roll all the way over landing back on all fourā¦.luckily. Two seconds to clear the head, find 1st gear and drop the clutch before being past by 3rd placed Shannon. Finishing 2nd in that race we had some serious work to do in the 4th and final all-in. Starting mid-end of the pack we soon caught and passed the slower trucks and buggyās before a surging Dennis (NZ2) and Daniel (NZ1) passed. When Daniel rolled and smashed his front end attempting to pass a slower class C we moved into 2nd overall as the race drew to an end. At the end of the race I found out that Hayden didnāt line up in the 4th due to mechanical front end problems. This now will leave an amazing final round in Nelson in a month consisting of short course and enduro.
Currently nationally we are 4th overall and 2nd in the South Island.
Ryan Densem
#569
For the 577 car of the team the racing was somewhat shorter lived. There is not much to write about apart from the first three laps of the first heat where the car was running the best it has done for a long time. This could be due to the fact that the car was actually ready by the Wednesday night instead of still working on it the night before. Unfortunately though another snapped universal in the drive shaft put paid to the racing and made this inevitably the dropped round in my case for the year. Hopefully the new car (not being raced yet, as stated in another write up) will finally be ready for the Nelson race. A big thanks has to go to the team as always but as like Ryan, Damian in particular whoās commitment so far this year has been second to none.
Clint Densem
#577
Disappointing Fifth for Campbell
Despite showing plenty of speed challenger driver Scott Campbell failed to score a top three at the Super Course in Canterbury. The day started well with Campbell scoring a 2nd in the first race but it all went down hill form there.
Campbell was on pole for the first race and held the lead into the first corner with fellow Cantabrian Chris Deveraux close behind. In the off season the Latimer Hotel racing team made huge changes to the handling of the car and Campbell was still getting use to the way the car now drove. Because of this he made a few errors and let Deveraux through. Campbell soon got to grips with the new set up and pushed Deveraux right to the finish but was unable to claim the place back.
The second race was run in the reverse direction and Campbell was off the back of the grid. He made a great start and past a couple of cars through the first corner to put him behind long time rival Matthew Pratt. When a gap opened up over on the inside of the infield jump Campbell took the opportunity and lunged into it. Unfortunately the car landed funny and sent him spinning off the track. Campbell recovered to get a disappointing fifth.
The third race didn't go much better. Campbell started mid pack and made a good start to put himself in third behind Deveraux and Nelson driver Paul Cooper. Deveraux seemed to make his challenger twice as wide as it should be and neither Cooper nor Campbell could do anything about it. Then disaster struck in the hairpin on the last lap when Campbell couldn't find first gear, he finally selected it as Pratt came flying round the outside of him to steal third.
The forth race was the all in reverse grid final. Campbell got a good start to put himself in second behind Cooper. The pair made short work of most of the slower class 2's which had started in front but Campbell could find a chance to pass Cooper. Then his opportunity came in the form of NZ1 Daniel Powell in his 600BHP Jimco buggy. Powell came roaring past Campbell on the lead up to the hairpin and Cooper moved over to let Powell take the inside line. Campbell saw this and didn't hesitate to follow Powell round. He then began putting a gap between himself and the other challenger drivers. When Campbell started to feel safe he began to take it a bit easier so as not to make any mistakes. He couldn't rest long though, Deveraux had been charging hard and caught up to him about mid race. The rest of the race was an exact duplicate of the first except with Campbell in the lead. Then with two corners to go one of Campbellās battery leads caught fire, cutting power to the engine and filling his lungs with smoke. Campbell was forced to retire and watch Deveraux take the chequered flag and the win.
Despite a DNF in the final race Campbell still finished fifth for the weekend. This has made it a lot more difficult for the team to win the season but far from impossible. This season drivers drop their worst round which puts Campbell on 39 points, only 27 points behind challenger class leader Geoff Matich. There is still one more round and then the finals to go, with a total of 216 points still up for grabs.
The Latimer Hotel race team would like to thank all their sponsors,
Latimer Hotel
Holdfast
G J Gardner Homes
Volksworld
Fuchs Oil
CRC
Allsales Commission Selling
Kiwi Express Couriers
Powell Perspective - Super Course
The injuries mount. This time, as always, itās minor. A heavily bruised foot where the front left A-Arm of Jimco, free from all itās chassis bindings, ventured through the side of the car and just tapped me. But I was lucky. The roll endo twist summersault incurred in the last of the four super course heats was precision executed, apparently spectacular to watch, but from the driving position was more like being inside a maraca.
First heat. Iām in for an arse whipping. Dennis Andressand is just going to walk away with this one and Iāll be stuck in his rooster tails all day... thatās if I can get close enough to be roostered. To make it worse Iāve been gridded in the back row so Iām now going to have to watch other cars move into the distance. The Jimco just isnāt a short course car and Iāve pretty much ignored development of the car on tracks of this type because there has been so much more to do on the car.
The green flag drops. Jimco digs deep and finds a little traction, Ashley Kelly was slower off the mark than I thought and Dennis sits churning on the line more than I expected from a light car. Gap opens up and Iām through in first into the sweeping corner. From there the car bucks its way over the smaller jumps while still able to keep Dennis at bay. I know heās there, he has to be, right up my buttocks. So I take the main jump faster than Iāve done in the past. The Jimco couldnāt have liked the extra pace more. She squats down at the base of the ramp, lifts off beautifully and remains level until touchdown, where she squats down on all four and allows me to power on from the squatted position. One word Brilliant! Come around the back sweeper and Andrew Thomason comes over the radio and tells me I have 10 car lengths, and to slow. Andrews a campaigned veteran when it comes to National Competition and heās not only supporting the Jimco heās also become my driving coach. As such I do as he requests, and slow for the minor jumps, and the car still does itās skewed submarine impersonation. Itās loose, awful, very hard to stop the arse from coming around and pointing to where the front should be. But the distance between Dennis and I isnāt reducing so I take the main jump with just a little touch of the brakes and the rest of the course at about 80% to take the win.
Second Heat. Reverse direction. I hate this way, I re-e-e-ely do. The Jimco dives off the ledge that was the top of the main jump and attempts to bury itself up to the rear number plate in earth. Iām gridded pole on the left with a perfect entry to the first left hand corner.
Flag drops and I confidently take the first corner in first but I can hear the Andressand VW over the brutish sound of the V6 pummelling all the lower sounds of the VW engine out and leaving just an annoying, high pitched, buzz. Like a fly I just wanted to swat. By the end of the run through to retail corner the buzzing hadnāt stopped, but by the end of the bumps back to the sweeper Iād managed to muffle it and by the end of the sweeper Iād managed to stop it completely. And there it is... right in front of me.... the back of the main jump... the ledge. Can we stop the race now and go back the other way?? Please? So I squirt the car up to the drop off, lock up all four, flick the nose high just before the land disappears then drop into nothing. Then the nose starts to rotate down. My GOD this is going to hurt! Front end comes down, flicks the arse end down and I grunt slightly as Iām thrown momentarily into the harness. That wasnāt so bad, but the bloody fly is back. So Iām pushed, able to make a gap on the bumpy shyte going to into the sweeper and up to the jump but Dennis is obviously so much quicker over the main jump Iāve got to keep it on the boil. The laps repeat identically to the first and I again take the checkers first. I pull into the pits where Andrew yells āFIRE!ā. I immediately exit the car to find Andrew at the left rear hub, fire out and an extensively singed CV boot. In order to correct some of the tail happiness of the car Iām forced to extensively use the cutting brake. This had heated up the rear disk to the point where it had delaminated the pads and started a small grease fire. Worse of all the hub wonāt rotate correctly. It feels like a failed bearing. So Andrew and Kevin Nankiville pull the rear CV, knock off the welds holding the hub together and remove the seals, only to find the bearings intact. The hub had heated up to the point where the inner race had shifted further inwards (donāt ask me how) and the bearing wasnāt seated correctly anymore. The only thing we could do was reassemble and not use the cutting brakes in any further racing. Shyte, advantage Andressand.
Third heat. Iām all back of the bus again. Second row start. Flag drops, Jimco digs, bye bye Andressand. God the Jimco is quick off the line. The loss of the cutting brake makes the car considerably more twitchy and Iām having to take the jumps slower and at a straight angle to stop the rear end coming around. There isnātā any buzzing. Andrew repeats the slow down call and I reasonably comfortably take the checkers.
Final āall inā heat. God there is a hell of a lot of cars on this small track. Flag drops, I take Dennis. The track isnāt so much a racing track as a traffic jam. The speed differential is staggering. Squirt, bumper, gap, squirt, bumper and so itās repeated. I end up stuck behind a very slow class three in the yellow flagged area before the main jump. Dennis takes us both, I smile, knowing heāll be punished for his indescression in taking under yellow, but I chase none the less. I close the advantage given to Dennis by retail corner. Iām on his bumper when he stutters then veers left around the very track central Scott Campbell. A wide gap taunts me on the right of Campbell and I can get the inside line leading Dennis for the pit corner. I take the bait hook line and sinker. Scott begins to close the gap as Iām taking him on the right, obviously scared by the noisy fly to his left. Iām committed, run off the track slightly but need to come back on track to take the pit corner. Unfortunately Scott taps my rear, I hook a ditch on the side of the track and my beautiful red Jimco does an instant roll turning into an endo (how the shyte is that possible) followed by another roll and lands on its feet. Half the roof and all of the rock guard now lay in my lap. But the car is on all fours, so I start it up, select first and tentatively go forward. The nose of the Jimco pitches very high and I know Iāve extensively damaged the front. Iād cleanly ripped both the heims from the lower arm and snapped a heim in the top arm. The shock shafts (two on each corner) had attempted to follow the now free lower arm and one has a really cool Z in it and the other cleanly snapped in half.
A hell of a fun day, good people, great competition, excellent race track. Letās do it all again, only much bigger (possibly sans the rollover!) for the National Finals!!!
Daniel Powell NZ Ā½
Advanced Motorsport
Round 1 Dunedin
Firstly we want to celebrate the success of the three vehicles on the start line with all three successfully seeing the finish flag. The preparation and results however need to be improved.
After flying in to Christchurch on Tuesday the car was little more than a bare chassis, which was an indication of how many hours were needed to be invested before the scheduled departure time of 5pm Friday. After 4 full-on 14 hours days and fantastic work by crew members Karl and Damian the car was started and driven onto the trailer at 4am Saturday morning. Karl and I headed our way directly to the track (some 4 hours drive away) along with Tim who had flown in from Melbourne on Thursday night. Upon arrival with little to no sleep, we finalised the last bits and pieces which consisted of brake setup and gear selector. With some appreciated help from the over qualified / over intelligent and ex NZ1 legend Andrew Thomason the car was ready to race, but unfortunately both brakes and selector in poor to ok state (lack of preparation ā no other excuses). We qualified a reasonable 6th and were ready to race.
From the start the ābig boysā with a few hundred more horse power (Wayne Moriarty, Dennis Andreassend, Daniel Powell and Ashley Kelly) scuttled off into the distance. I was following and eating a fair degree of dust from ever improving class 5 competitor and son of current national points leader; Hayden Andreassend for 3 laps until chief crew member Tim Culling gave a hurry up signal which I executed and sped up to pass Hayden and move into 5th place. We put in 2-3 quick laps including one where Daniel Powell looked like he was doing some sightseeing and parked perpendicular across the track blocking it for several minutes. Once we were underway again we kept a reasonable pace for the remaining 75% of the race to bring the car home in 4th overall after race leader Wayne Moriarty had the misfortune of collecting lap traffic near the end of the race.
In sum-up I now lead class 5 nationally and top 7 overall. We have been here before so know what the pressure is all about and thrive on it; the only difference this year is weāre optimistic, it wonāt be a respective 6th and 7th overall nationally, it will be a podium finish and re-claiming class 5 title.
Ryan #569
The preparation of the 577 vehicle was not much better, but I would also like to thank Tim, Damian, Karl and Mark and my partner Tania for all the help that was put in practically over the last week to get the cars across the finish line and not just to the event. Having been building a new Frame/Race car from scratch we were always going to be pushed for time and two weeks out we realised that the car wasnāt going to make it. As it sits now, it is waiting for some rear arms to be made up and a paint job settled on and then all the bits (fox Shocks, hubs, stubs, gearbox etc etc) that are sitting waiting in the workshop can be bolted on. With the car from the last 4 years freshly sandblasted and painted with no less than 6 bars replaced including the top of the cage, it had to go together in the two weeks left. We finally made it as we (Paula, Tania and I) left at 3am Saturday morning. We made it with an hour to spare at the camp fitted in a little snooze and then made our way to the track. Still with a selector issue to sort out we proceeded to the qualifying which was best forgotten about when you canāt get any gears. With the selector issue now sorted thanks to Geoff I lined up last in class 5 and about 4th to last. The race started well, passing slower cars and making my way through the field with a beautiful selector now. On about lap 3 I worked out I was only using Ā¾ throttle as I was struggling up the hill on the way back to the start finish. The next lap once I found full throttle I proceeded to introduce my front right wheel to a bank which loosened my steering box bolts but with the steering slowly getting worse and wobblier I made it to the finish. One downer was Daniel Powell blocking the track at the most unfortunate time for myself as I was the first to arrive and waiting near on ten minutes it killed any chance of catching anyone else. Happy with the places I made though after the dreadful start I settled for a 3rd in class and 7th overall.
With the next round looming in near on 8 weeks I can only look forward to the new car been ready and getting into some testing before the double short course. Once again thanks to everyone that helped us out and to our sponsors.
Clint #577
Family Event
A soggy Sunday didn't perturb the gaggle of racers at the second round of the Canty Champs. With many out for a bit of fun, the racing was relaxed and ,from a spectator perspective, entertaining. The Cambells showing that they indeed could be fast, the Storers noisy, while the Rolls played tag amongst father and son.
Bruce Rolls gave the field a two or three lap lead by purposely disconnecting his own ECU, only to chase down his son in a considerably less powerful machine. When Shannon actually awoke to discover his father on his tail a good tussle ensued only to have Shannon give up to the higher top speed of Dad's Honda/Chenowth. (I still think you could have taken him back Shannon!)
Gavin Storer wow'ed the ears with the wonderful sound from his thunder truck, while (nephew, son, niece??) Storer promptly attempted to emulate the sound by breaking off his exhaust at the headers on his truck. Good to see both trucks out and with a little fettling they will certainly be hard to beat.
Old man Cambell threw his half Chinese, half Thomason contraption into the event and was on the pace until he clean snapped the centre out of two wheels. Proving that given a little more time the car can be a surprise to those of greater horsepower.
In an unusual move Scott Cambell ended the day early after crossing the finish line and promptly seizing his engine. Which ensured he maintained his solid string of breaking the car, this time while finishing first in the first of the two enduro meet. Well done Scott... I think?
Unfortunately I missed the second of the two enduro's, having discovered the sausages without a wrap of bread I promptly required calories and left for the local service station, to "pie up".
Latimer Hotel Racing Update
Sunday was the second round of the Canterbury championship and what an event it ended up being! I was racing just to test the new steering box and was planning on taking it easy but all that went out window when I had a shot at winning the race! The event was two 1-hour races through farmland. It is certainly safe to say that the new set up was worth the money! I started from fourth on the grid behind cars in much quicker classes than mine and made a fantastic start making a pass on the outside coming into the first of two hairpins. This left me in third place behind Bruce Rolls in is 1600cc v-tech Honda and his son Shannon in his highly tuned 1300cc class 5 off-roader. Bruceās lead was short lived though as he broke down half way round the first lap. Realising I had a shot at winning I decided to really start pushing the car and with great success. By the end of the first lap I was leading and I then went on to lap everybody except second place getter Shannon Rolls. I was at one point very close to lapping Shannon but decided to back off a bit as I had such a huge lead and my vision was hindered by the fact I had removed my goggles and filled my eyes with dirt. However things would not end as well as they had started, with two and a half laps to go I lost my grip on the wheel which resulted in my thumb getting broken by being caught by one of the spokes on the steering wheel. And then after crossing the finish line to claim the win and celebrating with a bit of a donut the car refused to work with a suspected broken clutch or gearbox.
Thanks to all my sponsors who make everything possible,
Latimer Hotel
Holdfast
G J Gardner
Allsales NZ Ltd
Fuchs
CRC
Advanced Motorsport
New Zealand Off-Road Finals Manukau 2008
The weekend started when we left for Auckland on the Wednesday night. Arriving in Picton at 12 30am in plenty of time for our 5am sailing. Once across the strait we continued to drive up to Auckland all of Thursday arriving late afternoon. Friday seeās us pick up the new addition to the race team in the form of Ian Fosterās ex Tamiya buggy with Geoff arriving in from Australia late afternoon to drive it for the first time. With scruitenering and all the necessities out of the way it was time to look forward to the racing weekend.
After an early start (getting anywhere prior 9am is an early start for me), we made our way down towards Price Road in Manukau where the next two days would decide a new New Zealand overall champion.
With a reasonably good turnout of 10+ class 5 and 13 odd class 1 cars we were positioned 3rd row back for the first heat and in thick mud and consistent drizzling rain managed to conjure up at 5th. In heat 2 we were off the front and managed the first of two 2nds. In the final mixed heat which included racing with other classes, we had the misfortune of having a coming together with a class 3 in which we ended finishing (3rd from memory) but having no 2nd gear to choose from with a dislodged gear selector.
Geoff had mixed heatās as if learning to drive a new car is bad enough the weather made it twice as bad. The start of the first heat was an absolute shambles and should have been restarted by anyone but the person in control. What made it worse was the fact a C Class race following was restarted under less of a shambolic situation. No more than what was expected was achieved but starting on the front row of the last heat Geoff & Clive touched and Geoff tried to move a tractor tire. Unfortunately coming off second best and doing some unrepairable damage for the weekend he would miss the next days racing.
So with average results in day1 we headed to Ian Fosters workshop which he had kindly donated to have a good look over and prep the car for the following days Enduro. No majors, although a cracked full tank was causing some gloomy thoughts in the hope and trust it would clutch together for 175kms of racing the following day.
The start of the race itself seemed to be a little disappointing. No disrespect to the competitors that were present nor the organizers, more the lack of dry track. The rolling start was a great idea but by the time the tail- enders got to the start because of hold upās the leaders were already in the 3rd or 4th paddock. With having water problems (condensation under the dizzy cap) forcing 2 stops in 4 laps things werenāt off to the best of startsā¦..things soon got worse! On catching a nameless class 1 for the 3rd time this was the beginning of my undoing. After tail gating and continuously being held up (next time Iāll re-think if the 1 minute penalty for a tap is an option?) I āstupidlyā attempted a passing maneuver down the front straight in treacherous conditions making for some good spectator action-all this unfortunately leading to the demise of my race and a top3 overall finish. We hit one of the main concrete barriers flat out in 3rd and did some serious damage to the car.
Congratulations to Daniel Powell who is now crowed NZ1, Dennis Andreassend NZ2 and Nick Hall NZ3. Huge thanks to the event organizers and thankless helpers throughout the year. The biggest thanks must to our continued sponsors and dedicated crew who supported the team for the 2008 season!!!
Ryan Densem
5/569
Canterbury Championship Nears End
After 6 rounds of the Canterbury Off-road Racing Championship it is a two car battle for outright champion. Class 5 racer Rodney Walls currently leads the championship but newly crowned class 4 national champion Simon Smith is still in with a chance. With 44 points separating the two Walls just has to finish all his races to claim the trophy. This wont be the first time Walls has won the Championship, claiming victory on three other occasions since 2001. Another victory would mean Walls has won the championship more then any other driver. Simon Smith would be taking his first Canterbury Championship if he was to win as this is his first full season.
Third place has also become a two horse race and is also a contest for rookie of the year. Bruce Rolls is currently sitting in third place closely followed but Greg Booth. Earlier in the year Rolls was a serious contender for championship but unfortunately missed two rounds due to other commitments and will be fighting just to stay on the podium.
Many of the class places are already decided, however an interesting battle has developed in class 2. Tod Johnson and Allen White are only sitting eight points apart. There certainly wonāt be any close racing between them on the track though, they have been sharing the same car all year. So the class 2 title will simply go to whoever can convince the other person not to drive at the Wade Densem Memorial. Class 3 may come down to the wire as J P Griffiths is only holding on by 24 points and has to hold out last years NZ 2, Wayne Moriarty.
The final round is the Wade Densem Memorial on the 23rd of November. The Memorial meeting general gets the biggest turn out of the year and is taking on a far more family orientated feeling this year. As well as racing all day there will be a bbq tea and a lolly scrabble for the children. This event is a great time for everybody to catch up without all the stress of a major race meeting or the formality of a clubnight.
Scott Campbell
Points Co-ordinator
Allsales Racing Season Review
The 2008 Asset Finance National Championship has been a difficult one for young Canterbury challenger racer Scott Campbell. Campbell had to struggle with a missing engine at the first round and then blow the engine altogether at round two where he received no points. He fought himself back into contention at round three despite an intermittent engine miss but was well off his usual pace at the Iveco finals and yet half way through the second days racing he was in position to take a top 3 finish in challenger class for the series. However Campbell was unable to shake his bad luck and turning onto the back straight of the Shortcourse track his right front kingpin gave way and Campbell was forced to park up with only three wheels.
Campbell is now looking towards the 2009 season, which will see his hometown hosting the finals. Campbell is confident his reliability issues are behind him, āWeāve learnt a lot this year and solved many of the things that caused us to drop points in a couple of roundsā. One of the changes the team is making is changing the steering rack to make them more competitive in wet conditions, an area that Campbell has struggled in this year. Currently the Allsales challenger runs a modified Morris 1000 rack. The team plans to run a professional Saco rack in the 2009 season.
Another change to the team for next year will be the name. As of next year Allsales Off-road Racing will be known as Latimer Hotel Off-road Racing due to a new sponsorship deal signed earlier this year. Latimer Hotel is located in Latimer Square in central Christchurch and due to its history of supporting Off-road Racing is expected to accommodate many travelling drivers at the 2009 National Finals in Chch.
Scott Campbell and Allsales Racing would like to thank all of their sponsors for the 2008 season. With the support of these companies the team would not exist at a national level.
Latimer Hotel
Allsales NZ Ltd
G J Gardner Homes
Holdfast
CRC
Butler Auto Mart
S P Tools
BNT Montreal St
The Powell Perspective
Where to begin?
Do I describe the journey? The strategy? The event? The people? ... ahh bugger it! IāM NZ1
You could slap me across the face multiple times with a three week old haddock and you still wouldnāt wipe the smile from my face. Itās hard to believe but I have sitting in my home a tribute to all that has been the best in offroad racing in the last 20 odd years, and now my name is to be added to the list. In a way itās not fair. Itās by no means a one man effort. Itās even bigger than the boundaries of the team that were dedicated to the car that weekend. The list of people whose names should be on that trophy extend almost to the hundreds per year. From Terry Munroe, who removed many kilos of mud from the car to Andrew Thomason who close on built the car from scratch. From Dave Knowles who removed many kilos of mud from my racing gear to Kevin Nankivell who spanner jockeyed the entire weekend. From Brett Granger who removed many kilos of mud from the car to myself, who put countless kilos of mud back on the car. The realization that without any one of the contributions the car wouldnāt have been as competitive, I wouldnāt have gained the points I did and I simply would not be NZ1. On top of this extensive list is a list of people that are even more crucial than my crew. The people that start and run events and the people who represent sponsors behind them. Without Race Shock Specialist, Camco, IVECO, Leader, Workshop, V-Dub Shoppe and of course the relentless support of Asset Finance there would be no need for me to spend the time writing this article. Or, for that matter, you to spend the time reading it. As there would be no article, no website, no offroad racing.
Itās a funny situation to be in, one that makes you very appreciative of the people around you, and those whom you have only briefly met. Appreciative of people who give their time, money, effort to help someone else achieve a goal. I just hope that those of you who have helped know that I most sincerely thank you and hope that in some way you feel the large NZ1 trophy is in part yours.
But I digress, I have a story to tell. A story that involves rain, mud, rock, grass and a tonne of sweat.
The action. Short Course - Saturday. Iām on the middle front row of the grid. Tony McCall on my right Grant Ferguson on my left. Both of whom my crew chief has stated will whip my arse. I shake the lever and select second. The first of three lights ignites and I breathe on the accelerator to raise the RPM. Second light, and Tony McCallās off... WAIT ON MATE! There is another light to go and then they all go out before you take off. Tony stops about five feet from the start and I sit there jaw dropped. The third light now powers then they all go out. Okay just sit here and wait for the lights to reset, then it happens, all shyte breaks loose. Everyone behind me takes off. McCall and myself sitting there waiting for the red flags, waiting for the restart. Then he drops the clutch and powers off into the distance. In my haste I select reverse, which of course furthers the advantage of the others who have already disappeared into the wall of mud in front of me. Of the thirteen class one entrants I work my way up to fifth, but itās all I can do given the very slippery track before the flag falls.
The second heat and the track is drying, Iāve got a rear grid position. When the flag drops I battle my way forward, gaining the most over the back jump where the car flies straight and lands beautifully. Iām gaining confidence in the car the whole time, pivoting the car up onto two wheels and just leaving it there for a few seconds confident that I wouldnāt roll or that I wouldnāt have to lose line by counter steering. I finish this heat second.
Even more mud is scraped from the track and this time Iām gridded in middle position. Most of the grid is dispensed with in the first few corners and it becomes a two car battle between Neville Smith and me. Heās pushing hard, and Iām pushing harder. At one point having taken the main jump too fast and knowing without doubt that I was about to bend the roof panels on the car. Somehow the horizon came back with sky on top (earth on top, sky on bottom is always bad) as the car leveled itself and I continued on to take the chequers first.
The final heat mixed in the trucks with the class one cars and they mass started us with a fortunate (sarcasm) grid for me at the very back of the grid. Once the flag dropped the mayhem of flying dirt and cars ensued. I had a very good run, able to find gaps easily and taking a few cars on the back jump where the Jimco stomped its ground unchallenged. It was then that a bright red warning light flashed in my face. The car was over temperature so short shifting and keeping off the accelerator was in order. Neville Smith sneaked his Cougar up behind me and pounced with a few laps to go. I had no idea he was there and were it the last lap I would have never caught him. I ignored the light and went Cougar hunting. Fortunately where the Jimco shined Nevilleās Cougar was mediocre and I took him with ease on the back jump. It then took a couple of laps for me to extend my lead before I took the chequers, again first.
Enduro ā Sunday.
First is a sprint event to determine grid position. Something goes horribly wrong with the timing system and Iām forced to repeat my lap. In the pouring rain and beyond slippery conditions I grid second behind Neville Smith. Itās an unusual start for off-road racing, a rolling, sprint car style start where you keep in position until you pass the green flags. So we start on a look lap to do a full circuit before we start the sprint to the green flags. Its so slippery that the 4x4 pace car is stuck on the first corner. The lead is then taken over by a 4WD quad who directs us around the tightest, slipperiest track I have ever been on. Iām surprised that half of the field wasnāt lost on that look lap. The pace quad pulls over and Neville Smith almost instantly starts the sprint for the green flag. Heās gone, there is no way that I can get anywhere near him. My Jimco, heavily laden with fuel pushes wide on every corner. Iām lucky to make it up most banks and although Iām covering my tracks with huge rooster tails Iām passed. A total of three cars make it past before the track dries enough to allow me to hold position. Dennis Andressand is unfortunately one of them. Unless I can catch him Iāve lost NZ1. Then the bloody thing over temps again. So itās back to the feather the throttle, short shift technique to keep the engine from becoming a pile of goo. And I circle the track, beginning to get bored, staring at the beautiful sea side scenery, when Neville Smith decides to lap me. Yeah righto mate! Its on! So I ignore the light and push a bit. I can see that Neville pushes wide then tends to cut narrow in most corners, both actions are scrubbing speed off. So I throw a nose in front when he runs wide. I do it again a couple of times, just to put the pressure on. It works and Iām greeted with a slowly rotating Cougar facing me. Heās spun out. I take him and press back to the engine saving short shifting technique. This in turn allows Neville to catch and pass again. So again I ignore the overheated engine and press to the point a gap opens and then dive under Neville. This action repeats itself five or six times before Neville is finally penalized and pulled over for a 10 second penalty. Right thatās enough playing, the car hasnāt died with the over temp issues and Iām pretty sure Iāve bagged class 1 championship so letās punish her a little and really see what she can do. The cornering ability of this car is like nothing I have ever raced before. Even my rally car canāt be placed as accurately as the Jimco. It allows me to lap comfortably at a speed that is still scaring the shyte of me two days after I have finished racing. . I finish the last few laps to be greeted by the chequered flag. I know that Dennis Andressand has beaten me and that Iāve lost NZ1, but that was a seriously fun track, the car showed just how much potential it has and most of all Iām starting to develop as a driver. I sit there trying to cool the engine as the race winds to a close. Then Dennis Andressand pulls through the chequers.... what? Iāve passed him? Iāve beaten Dennis... then that means Iām NZ1!!!!! My pit crew greets me with congratulations and state that I was in fact second in the enduro behind Neville Smith. Much dancing ensued.
My Moonwalk was cut short when, at the track, second place is given to Malcolm Langley and third to Dennis Andressand. I lodge a protest to ensure that these unofficial results arenāt held as fact. And after a few hours of knee knocking fear things are corrected and Iām handed a large plastic trophy and the title of NZ1.
This ends my story other than a few simple facts. The track was stunning. Its combination of short and enduro courses, at one central venue, that mixes in some very tough terrain and breathtaking scenery. If any of you have the chance to compete at this premier venue then I could do nothing but highly recommend it! Secondly, the North Island reception was fantastic. A great family of people, always willing to help, with great stories to tell, especially once liberally doused with liquor.
Daniel Powell.
The new real NZ1.
Campbell to take on North Islanders
Scott Campbell racing for Allsales Off-Road Racing Team had a successful weekend in Dunedin andis now looking to challenge the North Island competitors in the national finals round in Auckland Labour weekend 2008.
Racing at Dunedin in his V-Dub Shoppe Challenger Class race car sporting new Sponsorship from Latimer Hotel Christchurch, Campbell had a slow start only managing forth place in the first 3 heats. During two of these heats his brand new motor started missing due to a fuel blockage that finally cleared for the final all in feature race. Taking the lead from the start Campbell opened up a solid lead until the last four laps when Mathew Pratt started to close the gap. The last lap was anyoneās but Campbell knew his competitor was there and managed to hold his position and take the chequered flag and top points for the race.
With the points accumulated over the weekend Scott now lies second in the title chase for the Asset Finance National Off Road Championship, only 10 points behind Troy Tuffnell. The Final to be held in Auckland has 144 points up for grabs so Campbell is keen to take it to the North Islanders and bring home the trophy.
Scott Campbell and Allsales Off Road Racing would like to thank all their sponsors
Latimer Hotel
Allsales NZ Limited
Holdfast
CRC
BNT Montreal St
G J Gardner Homes
Advanced Motorsport Press Release
Over the last month or so the Advanced Motorsport team has been involved in rumors about the addition of a car to the team.
This can now be confirmed as of today Team Owner Geoff Densem has purchased Ian Fosters high flying Tamiya sponsored race car. This purchase as well as the team building a new chassis for Clint Densem with the engine that was in Ianās car previously and Ryan Densem moving into class 3 indicates where the team wants to be next year.
On purchasing the car Geoff states that he wants to return to winning ways of
the mid 1990ās in which he won almost everything apart from the national championship.
āItās about the only thing I havenāt won and I will have our best dig ever at it in the
following years with this new carā
Powell Perspective
The baby stirring announced 6am, however I had been awake for hours. This was race day, and Iāve always slept poorly on race day. 50 odd kilometres out of Dunedin I rolled the Jimco from my truck. Change the wheels, fuel up, check fluids, heat the running gear and engine.
I roll the car up to the startline and the flag drops. The car digs deep, with whistling grunt throws me at the horizon well past my racing compatriots. My grin reaches my ears. Brake hard into the first corner and lock all four. As soon as I release the brakes a single clod of dirt is thrown miles skyward from each of the front wheels.... cool.
I lap Clayton Burrow whoās appears to have run wide on one corner and got stuck (I was later to find that he had buckled a spring plate). Jason Brooks has slowed and I follow suit to save the car. I finish and find Jason in the pits holding his snapped crank pulley.
Second heat they plant me in with the now solo class 3 of Dennis Andressand, and a few targets, I mean Challengers. Dennis jumps the start, but it only takes a turbo spool to reel him in. I pull into the first corner which has dried substantially. Iāve got considerably more grip, speed and G forces. The sump pickup runs dry and the oil warning light shines in my face. Okay, slow it down in all the corners but spool the turbos in the straights. I manage to hold Dennis off for the win. Even if I have no idea as to why as I wasnāt competing with Dennis... it was however fun!
Jason rejoins us for the third heat. Heās yet to know it, but heās about to seize an engine. Dennis is quick, but Iāve planted a little more oil in the car and I have the ability to just play with him, letting him reel me in a little then letting the boost pull me free of him again. The car then goes overtemp and the engine goes into limp home mode. A four thousand RPM limiter and a tonne of fuel really cut the horsepower but itās just enough to get me home before Dennis.
We place a quart of redline water wetter in the tank and start the all with me on the back of the grid. The track is drying and Iām being thrust forward with greater force by the minute. A few laps in and Iāve taken everyone. The car then overtemps again (water wetter my arse) and Iām forced to circulate to keep the engine as cool as possible. I can see Ryan Densem a few corners back. Iām sure heās running second , so all I have to do is keep him at a distance. Every few laps the car needs a squirt to maintain distance, but Iām well down on power, so attempt to keep it as quiet as possible. 20 laps takes an age but itās completed with me in front.
The Otago offroad club put on a fantastic event, with a great course, a friendly atmosphere and incredible trophies. It proved to be a great event that deserves appreciation and great praise.
A fantastic weekend and an unprecedented score for such a new car. Something I really have to thank Andrew Thomason for. His car prep has proved impecable. I drove away from Dunedin with a first in class one, a first for the overall, a first for class one in the south island series and a second overall for the south island series.
Daniel 118
Advanced Motorsport Nelson Pre-event Writeup
This week seeās the 2nd round of the National series and 3rd round of the South Island series take place in Nelson. Currently the team is in a some what weakend position with drivers Clint Densem requiring ankle surgery on a ruptured ligament and torn cartridge that will see him out for the rest of the year and Damian Peters still nursing the slipped disc in his back. However Team Principal and driver Geoff Densem will be back in action and Ryan Densem will be leading the charge in the No. 5 car.
With so many projects on the go at the moment including a new fully enclosed trailer for Geoff things are slowly coming to fruition !! All the team race gear has been updated, No.5 currently sits on axel stands in the workshop after having the running gear out and gearbox serviced and a freshen up by the race gearbox expert Richey Wormold. Currently all Ryan's nerves are based around whether the rain and snow will keep away for the 4 hour drive from Christchurch to Nelson following the flight down from Auckland.
"The crew/guys have done a fantastic job again putting together a bulletproof car that will, with anticipation, finish on the podium unless driver error prevents so. With the North Island class 5 counterparts having dismal results from the recent Gwavas 175, itās a fantastic opportunity to capitalise and make up for our unfortunate DNF in the 3rd heat of the 1st SI round and gain some necessary points".
For this meeting Geoff Densem will have a helmet camera strapped to the vehicle which will be available to view at www.advancedmotorsport.co.nz in the coming weeks after the event.
Advanced Motorsport
After a good rest spell from the Waitahuna event I was really looking forward to getting back in behind the wheel for the first round of the Nationals in the South Island and putting the car up against some slightly more determined competition. The guys/crew had basically completed a flawless task of repairing the cars top chasis rails, fixing the cracked fuel tank and giving the car the normal full going over. Advanced Motorsport team member Clint Densem was traveling in Australia thanks to the date of the event being moved, Geoff Densem failing to get his car ready in time with Damian Peters still nursing a back injury which could see him out for the season.
Qualifying saw us in fairly good stead managing to qualify 5th quickest, behind Dave Taylor in his class 8, Daniel Powell in his hot of the assembly line Jimco and the two hasty class 3 guys; Dennis Andreassend and Wayne Moriarty.
Once the flag dropped it wasnāt long until we caught and passed Dave in the class 8 who was unable to keep pace throughout the rougher parts of the track, and then Daniel who was understandably having teething problems in the Jimco. We settled into a comfortable 3rd position keeping a close (and once even too close when he passed for Ā½ a lap) on Nigel Sutherland in his class 3 20 valve cougar.
The race was nothing short of the way a race should be runā¦..no faults, no driver error, both kept our bearings intact and saw the chequered flag around the 2 Ā½ hour mark .
Day 2 came with a reality check. After blitzing the class 5 competition on day 1, a lazy start and a bit of complacancy in heat 1 resulted in a second place. Track layout by the split didnāt help by having a superior inside line making passing somewhat difficult, however the reality was we werenāt quick enough to beat Bruce whoās the new driver of ex Dave Parrettās NZ1 A-arm class 5. For heat 2 we stiffened up the suspension and reversed the order with us in 1st, Bruce in 2nd and new comer Hayden Andreassend in 3rd in his spectacular looking new class 5. In the final heat it went from bad to worse. A quick start and missed gear on the line didnāt help the cause followed by more missed gears at the splitā¦..I was missing all of them. At this stage as I write this Iām still not sure of the fault but somewhere between the gear selector and the gearbox someone isnāt at home wanting to give drive.
The results for the weekend were a bit disappointing but acceptable. We took out first in class 5 and a modest 6th overall. The guys are on the case with the box soon to be out and sent on its way to the gearbox expert Richie Wormold. From here the car will be put back together and waiting with anticipation to take on the fast gravel roads of the Nelson forests.
For more post race reaction and information please visit www.advancedmotorsport.co.nz and check out the forum.
Event High: Podium finish overall in the enduro.
Event Low: Yeah well gearbox-not much more to say.
Ryan Densem
#5
