RALLY ECOSYSTEM
We are very lucky as a club to have the use of a selection of venues to run some of our favourite local club events.
The A&P Showgrounds in Pukekohe is one of those venues and they have supported the club in running our very well supported motorkahanas.
When we have people coming along, young and old, we relish in putting these events on.
It is really enlightening having new faces coming along to compete, particularly the younger kids learning how the whole car thing works.
Some are cautious and some take to it like a duck to water.
As Pukekohe Car Club volunteers, we feel proud to be part of the journey of people of all ages just getting out there and living their best life, navigating the cone courses and having a whale of a time.
Motorsport starts from the grass roots and motorkhana events are just as fun sometimes as full blown rallies.
A motorkhana, by definition, is usually run on a sealed, gravel or paddock surface.
They are low speed and are a course set out with cones or flags. There are dozens of popular course diagrams to use, usually no longer than 200m. Normally, there are 3-4 courses with 2 attempts at each course, the end of the test will result in the vehicle coming to a complete stop in a defined area like a garage or finish line.
These family friendly events are popular, cost effective and offer serious fun in a controlled environment.
In between motorkhana’s, the focus continues on delivering our members their favourite events. Hours are poured into planning, strategizing, formulating. There are those in the thick of it, those outside the thick of it and those that are always there, in whatever capacity, helping, aiding, assisting to make our events work. It’s a team effort and the end result, well, it’s always pretty cool out there on event day!
Presidents Rambles Sept 24
Welcome to Spring and to a busy time on the Rally Calendar. I would like to thank the previous committee for their hard work last year, and for others providing support and advice throughout the year.
Thank you to all those who came to the AGM, Our committee is in the process of planning for the year ahead, so watch this space and the Facebook page for updates.
What a great day on Sunday at the CPS NRSS Maramarua Rally Sprint- well done to Nikki Sim and her band of merry helpers who pulled the event together so successfully.
There were a lot of happy people taking the opportunity to have their first skid in a while. A good turn out of PCC members both in cars and helping out- thank you to you all, events can’t run without competitors or volunteers. Congratulations to all those who took home awesome looking trophies.
Next weekend we turn our attention to Rally BOP, all the best to those competing there- especially Ben Hunt as he goes in holding the lead in the NZRC. A few of us hardy souls are heading over to volunteer there as well.
Anyone keen on helping out as part of our timing crew for Rally Whangarei, please let Nikki know.
And after the Waitomo Rally, we can turn our attention to our events. The Maize Motorkhana is coming back- this time on Sunday 27th October- Labour weekend. And this time we can drive to the paddock without getting stuck!! We have a large paddock that will be sprayed out for planting, so rally tyres will be ok!! We are going to promote it out to locals, especially those on our rally roads to come and join us for the day. This is the second round of the Repco Paul Crispe Memorial Series.
And then we are into Speed Weekend! Always a great two days, and a fun way for us to see out the year, as it is the last event on the Rally calendar for 2024- Tarmac on Saturday, Gravel on Sunday. We would love to see plenty of Clubbies coming out, either to compete, help or spectate. We are hoping a few kind drivers might offer their passenger seat to a few of our locals again, as they had a blast last year- so good for our relationship with them.
We have begun resident visits for our proposed North Waikato, and so far the response has been outstanding. The biggest issue we are facing right now is the tightness of the economy, leading to the challenge of attracting sponsors. If anyone has connections to someone that would be interested in becoming a financial partner in the event- please let us know. If you are interested in helping organise the event or on the day, keen to hear from you.
I will miss Club night on Wednesday- we’ve taken a few days away trying to catch elusive whitebait!
Fiona
Paul Crispe Motorkhana Memorial Series
Sunday 15th September saw us kick off the first round of the Paul Crispe Memorial Motorkhana Series at the Pukekohe A&P Showgrounds. We wondered who’d come along after a bit of a hiss and roar with the weather the night before, but alas, they turned up one by one, ready for cone course fun.
Grab the ute, bring the mini, it doesn’t matter what you have, we’ve seen it all. We had another solid field attend with some newer faces coming along again after our July motorkhana event. We threw a reversie course in to kick off the start of the days courses & with two experienced volunteers failing the demonstration run, well, we decided not to do a reversie course. The second demonstration course wasn’t much better for Nikki & Bruce. Too much fun was being had putting Bruce’s car to the test, it turns out, it gets confusing spinning & sliding cars around cones, a diagram at the start of each course a far more reliable instruction of accuracy for the fellow competitors to follow.
It’s a skill understanding the mapped course, sitting back & watching a few people nail it is usually the best technique. Skiddies are fun but not great on your time, so driving the courses cleanly & neatly rewards those good times.
A big congratulations to young Elsie Sanderson who had Dad helping her understand how to drive a car & navigate the courses in an excellent manner. Congratulations also to young Sam Anderson who looked every part the racer in Dads BMW 118D, very cool!
A big thank you to Repco Pukekohe who got in behind the event with prizes that were offered to winners on the day & to those dedicated to the days action. It’s really humbling having local businesses support our events, really neat. Another big thank you goes to Matt Smith, who braved the blustery days weather to come & shoot his usual top quality action shots. I chucked looking at the photos, especially the one of Kit who got his ute stuck in the swampy part of the paddock, & other images of people needed a bit of a push & heave ho’ to get going.
We tried not to leave the paddock in too much of a state & it held up remarkably well. Little Levi gets the final days fun, all of 8 yrs old & chomping at the bit to have a go on the paddock in his little dirt kart. He waits patiently towards the end of the event & has the best fun hooning up & down the paddock.
Next event is Sunday 27th October, in Port Waikato.
While we look try & add in events on our timeline, remember the source if truth is always the Motorsport NZ calendar.
Northern Rally Sprint Series
The last event of the year, Maramarua Forest, the event was dropped into the calendar at the last moment to try & add to a difficult year of rally sprint events. SACC & TVCC teamed up & delivered an absolute beaut, the solid 43-field on a fast 9km course kept the competition stiff.
The weather held up, not quite as spring like as Saturday, actually a cold start amongst the trees, but there was a coffee cart, glorious glorious hot drinks & chips. Big tick from the crowd. The day went like clockwork & Phil Campbell again challenged the field taking out the overall win with a fastest end time of 4.55. PCC members were out in force organising, volunteering & competing, driving/navigating. At the end of the day, patting off the dust, the convoy autopiloted to the Red Fox Tavern for a solid turn out to prizegiving.
So, that’s a wrap for 2024, the end of season prizegiving is set for Saturday 7-Dec
The Northern Sports Car Club are again hosting the event, the night is a celebration with the North Island Rally Series. There’ll be prizegivings, food trucks, entertainment, socialising, so please come & join us for the evening.
More details will follow on the respective Facebook pages, would be good to see you there.
Event Spotlight
Paul Crispe Memorial Motorkhana Series, round 2
27th Oct, Limestone Downs, Port Waikato
Pack your lunch & head on out to the next round of the Motorkhana series. Being held in a rather large paddock just down from Limestone Downs, this event builds on our popular Motorkhana series. Offering a slightly different underfoot, the courses can be spread out to the maximum and it is highly likely we’ll run an autocross in conjunction to the motokhana courses, it’d be rude not to.
Online entries will be available soon, please reach out if you’d like to volunteer at the event.
Email secretary@pukekohecarclub.co.nz
Port Waikato Speed Weekend
23-24th November, Port Waikato
This is one of our favourite events of the year. A two day bender of tarmac & gravel, back-to-back events with an evening of socialising in between.
Day 1 tarmac is being extended this year. Due to some damage to road from a previous storm, the start line is being brought forward. We thought, why not extend the finish as well, which will go a further few kms & finish at the top of the S bends that snake up the hill, before the gravel starts.
**This round qualifies as a round of the Production Race Series Series, so we’ll hope to see some different type track cars in attendance. **
Chuck in some BBQ food, a sleeping bag & a toothbrush as there is accommodation on site as well to lessen the commute if you’re keen on a two day affair. The lodge sleeps around 30 & has ample space for parking competition cars, where else would you rather be than the peaceful backdrop of the Port as you wind down from day one racing. We dine & chat, laugh & reminisce. The calls of the peacocks a subtle background noise into the night.
Sunday 24th, the pits are about 200m from the evening accommodation, handy for those who stayed. Gravel day two is the popular sprint across the valley into the ascent up the hill. The cambers are welcoming & commitment rewards the brave. The end is tricky, an acute left hander requiring precision to execute the apex effectively.
**This round qualifies as a round of the Interclub Hillclimb Series. **
Online entries will be available soon, please reach out if you’d like to volunteer at the event.
Email secretary@pukekohecarclub.co.nz
Volunteer at an Event
Motorsport NZ has recently enhanced the motorsport volunteer experience & now, by signing up online, you can become an accredited volunteer.
Volunteer – MotorSport New Zealand
Click on the above link & step through the process. It’s an excellent way to track the work that, for many, we are already doing. Event experience is taken from event to event & recorded. Focus can be on one role or many & it’s a great way for volunteer pool to get recognized for the invaluable work they do on event day!
There’s a few big events coming up & event organizers are keen to hear from you to help out & volunteer.
5-Oct – MBOP Battery Town Rally Bay of Plenty
20-Oct – HCC Waitomo Rally
27th Oct – PCC Paul Crispe Memorial Motokhana Series, round 2
3rd Nov – HCMC Komokoriki Hill Rd hillclimb
23-24th Nov – PCC Speed Weekend Port Waikato
If anyone is keen on helping out at any of these events, shout out! MBOP is first off the ranks & they are keen to hear from anyone keen to help out for the day.
Please email secretary@pukekohecarclub.co.nz
