Tomorrow’s Catlins Coast Rally presents a problem for North Island Rally drivers. They have never won it!
Since the first event back in 1999, Andrew Hawkeswood has come the closest driving an Audi Quattro replica and finishing just 2.2 seconds behind winner Dean Bond in 2009. That was his second attempt and this year Hawkeswood will be back driving his championship winning Mazda2 AP4 car.
In order to encourage North Island participation, this year the inaugural Stadium Finance Southern Challenge has been initiated with six trophies available for drivers and co-drivers who have crossed the water to compete.
That involves eight North Island crews plus one from Australia. In the running are Brian Green/Fleur Pedersen (Palmerston North), Mark Parsons/Mal Clark (Drury), Ray Wilson/Doug Parkhill (Pokeno), Andy Martin/Matt Hayward (Tauranga), Neil & Rachael Dodds (Gisborne), Aucklanders Jack Hawkeswood/Alex Parkin and Andrew Hawkeswood/Jeff Cress, Mike and Helen Cameron (Stratford) plus Australians Ed Mulligan/Neill Pablo Woolley.
It was Barry Robinson who won the first Catlins Coast Rally driving a Nissan Pulsar GTiR back in 1997 with his daughter Anna co-driving.
Robinson’s Nissan will be competing tomorrow but in the hands of Ray Casey and Jimmy Martin from Cromwell.
If you haven’t been to the Catlins you won’t be disappointed. In the south-eastern corner of the South Island, the Catlins cover an area between Balclutha and Invercargill. Few people live there but it has the most beautiful coastline with a rugged landscape and a dense rain forest. It is quite stunning. If you love rallying and beautiful landscape then grab your camera and get to the Catlins Coast Rally.
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