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This year, the Otago Rally proved to be no less exciting with four different leaders of the classic event in two days of competition. An initial charge by Shane Murland lasted only three stages before he succumbed to the dark and left the road. That left Stewart Reid to establish a 17 second lead over Ari Vatanen for the next four stages, until he suffered gearbox problems.
While many thought that the result was a foregone conclusion, with the rally god enjoying over a minute lead by the start of day two, it was Ayson and Jeff Judd who were fighting hard for the lower podium places. That is until Juddy also left the road in a big hurry, leaving Ayson in no man’s land, well ahead of Jeff David in his Porsche 911, and not able to catch Vatanen in front.
However rallying is full of twists and turns, and although Ayson had started to catch Vatanen it was a small mistake by the former rally champion that turned the classic event on it’s head. Sliding wide on a tightening right downhill bend, Vatanen caught a gate post with the tail of the car, and in the process destroyed the suspension and wheel rim, forcing him to retire.
Ayson was gifted the win and finds himself leading the Classic Challenge Trophy once again.
And so it is onto the Malcolm Stewart Classic Rally, being run in conjunction with the Trusthouse Racetech Rally Wairarapa. With 284km of competition over two days, the second leg of the trophy series will be just as challenging as the first.
Using county roads – and with the Classic cars seeded right behind the national championship classes – means that the Wairarapa event is more of a driver’s challenge than a mechanical challenge.
Certainly, with the high quality field entered for the national championship Historic Challenge Trophy also being eligible for the Classic Challenge Trophy, the competition will be excellent and fun to watch. A gaggle of Escorts in the hands of Jeff Judd, Gary Smith, Ron Davey, Carl Rabbidge, and Shand Murland, have been joined by the return of some favourites like Rob Wylie in his Nissan 240RS, and Euan Fuge in his Mazda RX3. Adding to the excitement will be Marcus Van Klink in his Group B replica Mazda RX7 and Ray Wilson in his Audi Quattro.
For the Audi Quattro it will be a fitting addition to the Malcolm Stewart Classic Rally. Inspired by Malcolm’s ex-works Quattro displayed at the event last year, Ray’s car was put together with help from Sue Stewart and parts that Malcolm had accumulated.
Once again, the Malcolm Stewart Classic Rally and the Trusthouse Racetech Rally Wairarapa will be providing inspiration and excellent competition.
Fast Facts
- Round 3 of NZ Rally Championship
- Round 1 of Geartech Central Region Rally Series, (points scoring based on Saturdays results only)
- Round 2 of the Classic Challenge Trophy
- 17 Special Stages, 8 on Saturday 28 May, and 9 on Sunday 29 May
- 284km of competitive Special Stages, 158km on Saturday, 126km on Sunday
- www.rallywairarapa.co.nz
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