NZ Hillclimb Championship starts in Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa

MotorSport New Zealand’s 2019-20 NZ Hillclimb Championship gets underway on 5 October with the first round jointly hosted by the Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa Car Clubs across two weekends.

The NZ Hillclimb Championship is one of MotorSport NZ’s longest-contested titles, dating back to 1956. Nowadays the NZ Hillclimb Championship forms part of the ClubSport discipline within MotorSport NZ’s competitive activities.

MotorSport NZ President Wayne Christie pays credit to the ClubSport Advisory Commission and the clubs which are hosting rounds of this summer’s hillclimb championship.

“I know our Commission members work very hard each year to run the championship rounds at a variety of club-run hillclimb events to ensure the championship moves around the country and is accessible to a range of competitors,” Christie says.

“Our national Gold Star Hillclimb Championship is a great opportunity for club level-and-above competitors to compete for a New Zealand championship at a relatively low cost. Some competitors decide to specialise in hillclimbs with others using them to develop their skills as a stepping stone to other events such as rally and circuit racing, which makes the NZ Hillclimb Championship an important component of our competitive activities in New Zealand.”

Each year there are two qualifying rounds in the North Island, and two qualifying rounds in the South Island. Each round comprises two events: a seal hillclimb and a gravel hillclimb. The final round alternates between the North and South Islands on an annual basis.

The following titles are presented at the conclusion of the championship:

• NZ Gold Star Hillclimb Champion is the competitor who scores the highest total of points in two of the four qualifying rounds and the final, meaning a total of six events, three gravel and three seal.
• NZ 2WD Champion is to the competitor using a 2WD vehicle who scored the highest total of points in two of the four qualifying rounds and the final, meaning a total of six events, three gravel and three seal.
• The championship also features separate seal and gravel Challenge trophies. These are awarded to the competitor who scores the most points over the three events on each surface (two qualifying rounds and the final). There is also an island champion for the highest points-scorer over the two qualifying rounds in the island that isn’t hosting the final.
• The championship comprises only two classes: 2WD and 4WD, however the organising clubs can run any classes they wish at each hillclimb event.

The points are worked out on a percentage basis on the difference between the competitor’s best timed run and the fastest time, which makes the championship very interesting and sometimes very close. Competitors are required to have a M Grade Competition License or higher and an eligible vehicle as outlined in the NZ Hillclimb Championship Articles.

The NZ Gold Star Hillclimb Championship Articles are available on the MotorSport NZ website to download. The supplementary regs for each event will also be posted on the Hillclimb Championship webpage. Entries for all events are to be made via MotorSport Online. More information is also available from the NZ Hillclimb Championship co-ordinator Donna Elder – mobile 021 773 266 or email clubsport@motorsport.org.nz.NDS/