Pukekohe Car Club
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With a good splattering of events on, people have been putting in the km’s around the country to get to their place to be. Race skills activated with pothole mines everywhere along thy journey.
The weather pressure cooker’s still simmering so we’ll count our lucky stars and take any events where we can. We feel for the organizer’s, watching rain clouds swirl leading up to race day. Winter racing has its extra challenges.
Bring the right tyres along because tomorrow won’t be like today. Invest in a good gazebo.
12-14 May, The International Rally of Whangarei highlighted off the back of two bumper April rallysprints. The pinnacle of events, the stars were out in action enjoying the weather of the sunny north, which experienced a slight reprieve on rally weekend. Not all crossed the finish line though, a rally clearly is a marathon not a sprint.
Whatever the challenges, a good group of die hard mates will see you set for a good time. Take a jacket as it’ll probably rain. Big breath if you’re a driver, big cheer if you’re watching from the side line, if you’re servicing, well you’re a bloody legend!
A Bunch of Yellow Vest People
A few of the Pukekohe club members went to get up close and personal with competitors at Rally Whangarei 12-14 May. Working in with timing crews, what better way to learn the ropes of check ins + outs than to crack into it and try the job.
Get the all round experience and stay at the same place together for the weekend where laughs are had well into the evenings, long days ensue and a working weekend quickly turns into a pretty fun experience.
Having a place minutes from the service park definitely helps, hot coffee within a 500m radius, tick, and other amenities close by. It was awesome welcoming all competitors through our TC, trying to park cars in flexi service area in the dark before the Pohe Island night stage slightly more difficult. What a hype, grab me a light bar!
Whangarei blessed us with good weather, even the day two early start wasn’t too bad. The larger competitor group on day one had gaps appearing on day two, attrition clearly working its way through the field. Our yellow vest team felt a bit more in control on the second day, understanding the flows a bit more. Coffee and hot choccies plugged in the downtime periods between check-ins, the younger ones of our group happily taking lie downs where ever to rest the feet.
Sunday afternoon and the time was ticking down to welcome in competitors for the last time. Timing crews were getting restless, there is a lot of standing around, overall it’s a mammoth event for all teams and crews.
We could almost hear the champagne bottles popping from the ceremonial finish close by, some competitors kindly bringing back half sprayed bottles of bubbles as they entered the final parc ferme area to stay a little longer.
For the volunteers, the mighty yellow vest people, it was another great event. Almost like a family reunion, we see each other at these key events and catch up and have a good yarn while doing a bit of hard mahi. It takes a mammoth effort and a whole lot of people to make these things work, and our yellow vest team learnt a whole lot!
MSNZ Celebrating 75 Years
The 76th MSNZ Conference, AGM and Awards Dinner was held in Wellington on 19th & 20th May.
Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen was inducted into New Zealand’s MotorSport Wall of Fame.
Hartley, Paddon & Kennard, Hedge & Wilkinson won motorsport New Zealand premier awards and the 2023 Elite MotorSport Academy of New Zealand recipients were named.
They were many winners and grinners on awards night, including photo of the year going to Clint Thambi, catching the essence of Dave Strong doing what he does best.
PCC’s Maramarua Forest Rally
It’s coming, preparations are in full swing for the rally in the forest. A clubmans at heart, a big thumbs up for the guys and gals currently planning to put this one together. A welcome return of the clubmans rally to this neck of the woods.
Round three of the newly formed North Island Rally Series, Pukekohe Car Club have stepped up to the challenge and are locked and loaded to deliver on Saturday 16th September.
Volunteers play a HUGE part in the running of the event.
We need YOU – support the club, support the series and sign up to help us run our biggest event for 2023.
GENERAL EVENTS
With a good splattering of events on, keep your eye on the EVENTS tab in the Pukekohe Car Club website.
This is updated often with the aim of keeping people informed of what to sign up to. We hope to see you out at the next event soon!
WHERE’S HAYDEN PADDON
Hayden Paddon’s hemisphere hopping rallying campaign continues to reap podium placings with a second in Poland extending his lead in the European Rally Championship.
In the three rounds of the eight-round championship, Paddon and Kennard have now had a win in Portugal and second placings in the Canary Islands and Poland.
The second placings were split by a rush back to New Zealand for the International Rally of Whangarei which the pair dominated, eventually winning by three minutes 35 seconds before jumping on a jet back to Europe.
Paddon and Kennard are now off to Barbados for a rally on June 9-11.
SPORTY UPDATE
The MotorSport Online / Sporty project now in its final stages of development, has a ‘go live’ date set for July.
MotorSport New Zealand will aid with the roll out for clubs, competitors and officials, from the current POSSUM system.
Will it be sad to see the old system go to make way for the new evolved platform. Embrace it, it’s capabilities may just surprise you.
User-specific tutorials and training content being rolled out for everyone in the weeks leading up to the confirmed implementation date.
Get 7% Off Your Next Brake Pads
Neil Allport from Allport Motorsports is right behind competitors in the Northern Rallysprint Series and is offering deals with brake pad purchases.
Get in touch with Neil or Richard NOW to take up this current offer
Frontal Head Restraints
The Frontal Head Restraint (FHR) is designed to stop a driver’s head from violently moving forward during an impact. MotorSport New Zealand requires the use of a complying FHR device for all race permitted events in New Zealand and the New Zealand Rally Championship. MotorSport New Zealand also highly recommends competitors use an FHR for all other types of motorsport too.
- From 1 January 2023: FHRs are now required for all ‘Clubmans Rally’ event permit grades.
- From 1 January 2023: FHRs are now required for all ‘National Rally’ event permit grades.
- From 1 May 2023: FHRs will also be required for all ‘Clubmans Race’ vehicles with a safety cage.
- From 1 January 2024: FHRs will also be required for all ‘Rallysprint’ event permit grades.
- FHRs will remain recommended for all ClubSport Basic & Advanced events
Volunteers Training Schedule
MotorSport New Zealand’s 2023 Officials Training Calendar is now available. Officials Training is an important part of our commitment to ensure our competitors have a safe, fair and enjoyable experience at events and that our Volunteer Officials are properly trained and empowered to carry out their roles effectively.
If you are an existing Volunteer Official or want to get involved, take a look at the calendar below that show the opportunities available for you to learn new roles within the sport.
MSNZ Membership Perks
As part of your MotorSport membership, it entitles you to a few perks or discounts on set services.
Take advantage of discount offerings where you can and use the perks. Its good to see MSNZ giving back to its membership base, we’ll happily take it.
Cruise across the Cook Strait in style with the Interislander member benefit. Thanks to the wonderful Interislander crew, all MotorSport New Zealand competition & officials license holders can get a discount on their ferry bookings!
Simply fill out our form at https://bit.ly/3mrV2wO to book your discounted ferry ride. BOOK NOW
Crème Insurance are the MSNZ Official Members’ Insurance Partner offering discounted insurance premiums to MotorSport New Zealand licence holders. All MotorSport New Zealand volunteer & competition licence holders can take advantage of this epic deal with Crème Insurance.
Email dani@cremeinsurance.co.nz & ask about the MotorSport New Zealand discount.
Get 25% off your membership to The Food Cruncher. The Food Cruncher is a digital nutrition platform that personalises nutrition plans for your specific goals. The Food Cruncher is specialised programs for both youth and adult athletes to help keep your body in peak condition for the best performance behind the wheel.
USE THE DISCOUNT CODE: MSNZ-25%OFF
SIGN UP NOW
Volunteering or competing away from home or just want to get away with the family?
Licenced MotorSport New Zealand competitors and officials can access a 10% discount on all ASURE Accommodation properties when booking online and using the promo-code: MSNZ. BOOK NOW
Get a 10% discount when you book a first aid course with St John. St John courses range from basic first aid training and industry-specific courses to advanced resuscitation for health professionals held at over 100 public or private venues nationwide.
USE THE DISCOUNT CODE: MSNZPROMO2023
BOOK NOW
| MotorSport New Zealand partners with Autoserv Autoserv New Zealand distributes high-quality automotive consumables to New Zealand’s leading automotive mechanical workshops nationwide so where ever you are they have you covered. Access special pricing with your MotorSport New Zealand licence on their range of products by ordering directly with Brodie Scott at brodie@autoserv.co.nz |
