Look back in history Sunday: The Westland ‘Grand Prix’

The Westland ‘Grand Prix’ is the name the locals have given the Westland Rally since its inaugural event in 1974.  It’s a great description for the event and its very fast sweeping gravel roads.  It has gained a reputation amongst the annual rallies that make up the South Island calendar, attracting many drivers from the rallying fraternity. 

In recent times it has become a ‘must-do’ event for NZ Rally Championship contenders as a prerequisite for sorting any initial problems out with the car (and driver) before they tackle Rally Otago in April, the opening round of the NZRC.  Certainly, this was the case in 2021 with a number of competitors bedding in new components or pleased to have struct problems before Otago.

On Saturday, John Giltrap and Daph O’Rourke added their names to the history of the Westland Rally after their victory in the 2021 rally.   It’s a prestigious line up of names who have won over the years, many having gone on to win national motorsport championships.

Leo Leonard won the inaugural event back in 1974 driving a Datsun 1200 with N Cruickshank as co-driver and went on to win again in 1978 with Stu Barclay (Ford Escort RS1800).

Cantabrian Brian Stokes has the most wins to his name, five in total, starting in 1983 in a Ford Escort RS1600, repeated in 1989 (Ford Sierra Cosworth), 1992 (Ford Sierra Cosworth), 1999 (Ford Escort Cosworth) and again in 2002 (Ford Escort Cosworth).

Regan Ross may well beat Stokes’ record and started the 2021 event with a fifth win on the radar but retired in SS3 after hitting a tree.  Ross first won back in 2008 and repeated this in 2009, 2012 and 2013, all in a Mitsubishi Evo 9. 

Mitsubishi has the most wins for a marque now with 17 after John Giltrap’s win in the weekend in an Evo.  Ford is not far behind with 15, 13 of these in Escorts. Ross, now campaigning a Ford Fiesta R5, may well, in the future, add to the Ford tally.

In 2010 the rally was cancelled as a result of the major Canterbury earthquake that occurred in February of that year, affecting many of the entrants from the Canterbury region. This was the only year the rally has not been run.

Main photo: 1987 Westland Rally winners’ Alan Hewlett and Jim Hewlett (Ford Escort RS1800)

Westland Rally Winners