Pukekohe Car Club
What a Year
The rally’s been run, the champagnes dried up but the event offerings are still delivering. The cogs never stop on the committee watch & the next events are lined up & ready to go. It’s been another year of exciting events across the board Miss Ford.
Looking at the events calendar, there’s an array of events to choose from hosted by all our favourite clubs. A timeline is constantly updated & promoted, to keep you informed & encouraged. There’s enough to go round for everyone, so keep checking the events board & sign up to the next event now!
Speed Weekend is up next for PCC & the hillclimb road really is the creme de le creme of hillclimb roads, I mean I’m probably be a bit bias but she’s a real beaut. Get in behind club members & lend a hand, volunteers just as valuable as competitors. To those that assist, we salute you – your help is invaluable..
We’ve had a great year, prosperous & varied. Club members actively compete at our favourite events & old friends return back to the scene. This is a humble club, one of many people over the years. Members no longer with us are forged into club memories, a club united by members who share the love of motorsport, of rally, of comradery. We’ll keep the foot hard down, destination race road, with kinks, crests & a whole lot of sideways.
There’s a hot ticket awards night coming up 25th Nov @ The Northern Sports Car Club for the Northern Rallysprint Series & North Island Rally Series, it’s a bit black tie without the black tie & with a bit of lion red – it’s just the sort of night to congregate with mates & talk a bit of racing. Kind of a plug but very relevant & a night you’ll probably enjoy – all members welcomed!
AGM – The New/Old Committee
The meeting of the people was held on Wednesday 1st November. All our favourite faces, the BBQ churning over snags & good yarns all round.
Amongst other meeting formalities, committee positions had a slight reshuffle:
Fiona Gower – President
Brian Best – Vice President
Suzie Tickle – Secretary
Frances Best – Treasurer
Nikki Sim – Club Captain
We’ve got a stack of awesome people for the greater committee, we are humbled & lucky we are to have all these valuable people as part of the team.
Absolute kudos to the people in the fast lane making things happen. To Noel for steering the ship for the last 6 years, to Fiona for her new appointment & to all members for their ongoing commitment & contributions.
Also, to the people who have stepped down from the Committee to take a break. Perhaps out of the meeting minutes but still there to lend a hand & support the club as we stove forward & into the future.
A mixed bag of tricks, we combine our skills into a superpower called ‘the committee’, where we juggle hot potato items & deliver your favourite kind of events. We’re essentially a small to medium not-for-profit entity where no one gets paid, so it’s clear we all love doing what we do.
A Note from the Secretary
Well, my time has come to an end …. well not really, just changing positions. It’s time to pick up the reins of Secretary again. While Nikki has done a fantastic job over the years it’s time for her to take a step back and enjoy more time with the kids, as we all know they grow up too fast! But we aren’t letting her run too far away, with her staying on the committee and picking up the Club Captains role.
Thank you to all those that came along to the AGM it must have been the biggest turn out for a number of years. Huge thanks and congratulations to Fiona for stepping up to fill the role of President and to Noel for 6 years of leading the club, it’s definitely in a better place than it was 6 years ago. We also have a few new faces on the committee this year which is awesome to see.
As Nikki has pointed out, Speed Weekend is fast approaching and we are hoping to see a few of you out there having fun, we realize it does clash with a couple of events which is unfortunate, but we will make the most of it. We have a couple of local clubs coming out supporting us with food on both days so please bring some cash out with you and grab yourself something yummy as we all know rural mums make the best food. I know I’m looking forward to a lamb roll on Saturday!!
Moving forward, we are going to try and get our mojo back and get more motorkhanas going again. We know they are a good cheap form of motorsport and a great way of giving people a taste of what we love doing and besides, I really enjoyed chucking the Stratos around last time!!
So that’s it from me for now.
Cheers
Suzie
Speed Weekend
Are you ready for our Pukekohe Car Club Speed Weekend? Make sure you have the 18th and 19th November marked in your calendar. We would love to have you with us out at Limestone Downs for one or both days!! Entries are now open on Sporty, or you can enter on the day
Saturday 18th is Motokhana Day – a family friendly day being held in one of Limestone Downs paddocks- it’s a chance to try your driving skills out around our courses- you don’t need anything special- just your daily drive car will do. Anyone 12 and older can have a go! For the Autocross, which is a bit faster, you do need a helmet and overalls. For those who are new to it, there might be the chance to have a ride in one of our club members cars on the day- then join us for a BBQ after
Registration is from 9am, driver’s briefing at 10.30am
Cost is $15 for Motorkhana, $30 for Autocross or $40 for both.
Sunday is the awesome Limestone Downs Gravel Hill Climb- 4.2km of stunning road. Fast flowing straights followed by a tight twisty climb finishing with a very deceptive corner.
Cost is $160
Registration is from 8am, Drivers briefing at 9.30am
We are looking for helpers especially for the Sunday event. Here is a chance to get up close to the cars and meet their drivers. No experience necessary, you just need to enjoy watching cars going fast!
Both days we have local groups doing food and drinks- no eftpos, so bring some money- you won’t be disappointed.
Anyone that wants to come for both days, there are accommodation options, for more information phone Suzanne Tickle 027 9519700
DIRECTIONS: when at the Port, head out on Port Waikato-Waikaretu Road until you get to Limestone. We’ll have signage & as there is one road in, no issues with getting lost. The motorkhana & autocross courses will be in a paddock down on the flats, just down the hill. There is a small one lane bridge & entry will be via a gate just before the bridge.
If you’re coming from the other way, the maps above, follow your nose & look out for the bridge. Sundays hillclimb is basically same place, but entry to pits will be off the Limestone turnoff.
ACCOMMODATION is available at the shearers quarters at Limestone. PCC members congregate on Saturday night winding down & enjoying the beautiful backdrop of Limestone country in preparation for next day hillclimbing. Bring a sleeping kit, towel for shower, some food & a tipple. Accommodation is built into your entry fee but spaces are limited, so please notify Suzie Tickle to reserve a room.
Next-Gen Motorsport Day @ Mt Smart Stadium
The first Hyundai New Zealand Next-Gen motorsport day, a free community event that brought motorsport right into the city.
It showcased next generations of technology in the motorsport industry, with Paddon Rallysport ‘s 2022 Rally NZ WRC2 car winner & Hyundai i20N Rally2 both on display.
Partnering with Heart Kids New Zealand, there were celebrity go cart races & lots going on, to raise awareness & much needed donations towards this excellent cause.
PCC put up the mighty gazebo & members brought their cars along to be a part of the show.
EVolocity’s mentorship brought in racers who’d designed, built & developed race EV’s, Auckland University raced their state of the art SAE formula cart, there were go cart races where team PCC quickly formulated & delivered as part of an endurance race. Fiona Gower’s white knuckles visible as she jumped in as team racer 2 of 4 in the big go cart endurance race, not having raced one of these things before.
The icing on the cake though, the driving demonstrations by Hayden Paddon with some fair decent burnouts, spraying the crowd in rubber.
Northern Rallysprint Series Final Round & Prizegiving
Unfortunately, the final round of the Rallysprint series also falls on Sunday 19th November, the same weekend as Speed Weekend. We hope to see as many members as possible at our hillclimb, it always hard decisions when you have to pick from events.
Kaharoa Road is a tarmac round bring run by MBOP- the final round of the 23′ series.
The Rallysprint series prizegiving is the following week on Saturday 25th November at the Northern Sports Car Club, kicking off from 5pm.
Run in conjunction with the North Island Rally Series prizegiving, this will be an evening NOT to miss. There will be display rally cars, food trucks, MC’s, guest speakers & an awards ceremony.
An evening to celebrate competitors, award winners, series supporters, clubs, volunteers & the people that make up this excellent series.
A free ticket event, this night celebrates Rallysprint and Rally at its finest.
This is a night to celebrate, enjoy and engage with the greater rally family.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Rally School
Rally school is a Motorsport NZ endorsed course for people who want to get started in Rallying. It covers both theory and practical elements which allow you to sit your R grade Motorsport NZ license after completion of the course.
Day one in the classroom we cover intro to all you need to know to enter and compete in a rally. This is followed by a road trial touring stage to familiarize you with using a route book. In the afternoon you take part in a motokana course and an autocross course.
Day two we are in the Forest at our McRobbie’s gravel road loop. You learn to drive real rally cars with an experienced tutor alongside providing expert tuition. The road used provides students with a mixture of smooth and twisty surfaces in a real rallying environment. A range of 2WD and 4WD Mitsubishi rally cars are used to teach skills and abilities. To round out the day students receive a ride in the rally car at rally pace with an experienced rally driver.
Both days are fully catered, Saturday we are based in Waerenga – a 10 minute drive from our day two base at Maramarua Forest.
2024 dates are soon to be released, if you would like to join our mailing list to have the first opportunity to book please email
Members in Action
Its BNT Spending Time
It’s almost time to fill the rally car with new presents, ahem, fill the underneath of the Xmas tree with presents. Members;
BNT Pukekohe, one of our valuable sponsors from Maramarua Rally, is behind the club and looking to provide further discounts to the member base.
There’s a dedicated club account for members to use to receive further discounts on products.
Pukekohe Car Club Account No. 58019
Validate account usage by showing your membership card
