Defending New Zealand Offroad Endurance Champion Ben Thomasen has a fight on his hands this weekend in Nelson.
The fast men – and women – of offroad racing return to the forests south of Nelson this weekend as the 700 km GT Radial New Zealand Endurance Championship roars into action.
Nelson Offroad Racing Club spokesperson Darrin Thomason says with rally-style roads joining a few tougher slow sections, top cars are expected to hit 180 km/h in parts of the course. Preparation work this week has the course in ideal condition, and a damp base means dust should be minimal.
The course is an extension of the Nelson Ruff’n’Tuff endurance race earlier this year and the race will be held over two days, with up to 350 km to be cevered at racing speeds.
“There are some great fast pieces and we’ve gone beyond where the previous track turned down into the valley. Plenty of places for people to overtake, which will be important in the opening laps as the field sorts itself out,” he said.
Tauranga’s Ben Thomasen has won the race twice on the trot, and is back to try for a ‘hat trick’ of wins with his Polaris RZR ‘side by side’ (UTV) racer. The UTVs don’t develop huge power but they are lights and more nimble than many of their rivals, and they have four wheel drive.
“Ben’s a seasoned racer, national champion and winner of this event, He knows how to stay in front of the big bangers so it’s going to be interesting to see how he runs this course,” said Thomason.
He faces tough opposition though: between the standard and modified UTV classes that are more than 15 entries, and there are any number of V8 powered unlimited-class race cars readying for the fray including enduro specialist Clim Lammers, who will share his single-seater with son Clim-Tristan (Jr). The car has a fresh supercharged V8 engine specially prepared for the race.
Also likely to run at the front is local man Greg Winn in the General, a Scorpion-Chev two seater in bright orange Dukes-of-Hazzard colours.
Auckland’s Mike Fraser is doing all his racing in the South Island this year, and brings his stunning single-seater with Toyota V8 power fresh from winning the 250 km endurance race at Canterbury’s Mainland Challenge last month.
The race’s sole female contestant, Lucida Maynard, runs a standard-class UTV.
Darrin Thomason has boldly laid down his ‘most likely to win’ list, in no particular order: the Lammers pairing, Mike Fraser and Greg Winn.
There are plenty of others who have the capability and speed to take the title. With two days of racing and up to 700 km to cover.
“This is where strategy happens: the temptation is to go out hard and race the first day, hoping your opposition will break – but maybe it’s better to hold back a little on the first day and the go for it in the second 350 km on Sunday?”
At stake from GT Radial NZ is a voucher for up to $800 which can be redeemed after the event. The voucher will be a random prize drawn at prizegiving. Race start order within each class will be decided by a marble draw at driver’s briefing.
Race action starts on Saturday with a separate enduro for the Kiwitruck youth classes at 8:45 am on Saturday, with the big race getting under way an hour later; on Sunday the second Kiwitruck race is at 8:00 am and the second 350 km of the main event starts at 9:00 am.
For spectators and crews, the forest venue will be open between 6.30 and 8.30 am. on Saturday and 6.30-8.00 am on Sunday.
“The pit area is within the course so anyone arriving after the road is closed has a three or four km jaunt through the forest to get to the big show.”
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