The last time Ratec Motorsport used Limeworks Road was for a twilight sprint in 2005.  In contrast a cloudless blue sky promised a hot day ahead for the 30 competitors.  Once the drivers had seen the road at a moderate pace it was time for them to tackle it at speed.

It soon became clear that the 2.5km course was going to be a challenging one.  First to encounter difficulties was Karl Celeste in the Toyota Corolla Levin who stopped just after the first corner with a mechanical issue.  The two parts of the course that would prove to be the most challenging were Radio Point One and the flying finish.  Corey Ross, Toyota Altezza, was the first to find the right hander before the flying finish line a challenge as the radio marshal said he only just made it through this section of the course.  Dave Ollis, Subaru Impreza STi Type R, took a different line past Radio Point One going a little bit off the road but gathered it back up.  Lance Donald in the Audi A3 prompted a “oops, think he made it” call from the flying finish radio marshal.  David Quantock, Skoda Fabia AP4, was trying hard from the get go with the marshal at Radio Point One reporting he was going quick.  Making his competitive debut was Hamish Bond, Subaru Impreza, before heading south for the Otago Rally the following weekend.  Setting the early pace was Matt Summerfield in his dual entered Mitsubishi Mirage AP4 who, like a number of other competitors was using the event as a shakedown for the Otago Rally with a 1:15.39 and a 1:16.18.  Rounding out the podium was sole North Island competitor Mike Young in a Subaru Impreza WRX STi 1.4 seconds behind. 

After lunch from Hurunui College’s fundraising BBQ it was back into the racing.  Run 2 was full of drama from the get go.  Kyle Thomson, Toyota Starlet, was pushing hard with the flying finish marshal wondering if he was going to make it across the finish line.  Thankfully he did and knocked 5 seconds off his first run time setting a 1:32.74.  Karl Celeste had sorted the Corolla to get a time on the board.  Steve Pabst took a wide line in his Holden Commodore at the first corner setting a slightly quicker time than he had on Run 1.  Jack Stokes, who was sharing the drive of the Ford Fiesta with brother Robbie, went off the road before Radio Point One.  Fortunately, Jack, sister Amy and the Fiesta were all ok and able to continue in the competition.  The flying finish marshal was also seeing a fair bit of action.  Matt Summerfield had the Mirage sideways through the finish line on this run and still managed to knock another 3 seconds off his first run time.  Event sponsor Jason McConnell, Ford Fiesta, had a spin and stall at Radio Point One.  James Palmer’s day came to an end on this run when he went off at Radio Point One hitting a fence post with the left rear of the Subaru Legacy.  Thankfully James and his passenger were ok.  More drama was still to come with Mike Young doing a bit of off roading at Radio Point Two which was reflected in his time of 1:20.76.  Willy Hawes was another dual entered driver driving a Toyota Celica GT4 and a Toyota Corolla FX GT.  He almost came to grief in the Celica at the same spot as James Palmer and was only 1.4 seconds slower.  Robbie Stokes knocked 3.5 seconds off his first run time showing the Fiesta hadn’t suffered any side effects from its earlier off-road excursion. Biggest improver was Dave Ollis who knocked a massive 12 seconds off his first run time moving from 12^th to 5^th overall.  Trevor Crowe finished his day at the end of this run with his Subaru Impreza having issues with the brakes locking on.  Matt Summerfield was still holding 1^st and 2^nd spots on 1:13.09 and 1:14.43 respectively from Mike Young just over 3 seconds further back.

At the start of Run 3 we were treated to a fly past by a Grumman Avenger, 2 T6C Texan II’s and a Spitfire from the Air Force Heritage Flight of New Zealand to commemorate 85 years of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.  This run was a lot more uneventful with Matt Summerfield getting the only two comments from the radio marshals on this run.  Radio Point One reported that he was trying which he seemed to do for the whole run as he showered the Flying Finish with stones.  Dwayne Kennett, Subaru Impreza, and Tim Smith, Fiat 131 Abarth R, were having a good battle with .26 separating them in 9^th and 10^th overall respectively.  Matt Summerfield got both of his entries into 1:12’s on this run.  Mike Young was still holding onto 3^rd overall on 1:14.77 with David Quantock hard on his heels .14 behind. 

The fourth and final run of the day saw some of the drivers try some different techniques and lines.  The driver’s door came open on the BMW 316i of Andrew Sim as he left the start line.  Radio Point One was causing trouble again. This time it was Class 3 winner Robert McCallum in the Ford Escort who just made it past this point and Dave Ollis who spun out there.  Jack Stokes was taking a leaf out of Matt Summerfield’s book as he crossed the flying finish line sideways knocking the cones for six and 2.77 off his previous run time.  He finished in 19^th overall and was a narrow .04 ahead of Hayden Shakespeare, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3.  Jack and Hayden are 2 of the 6 drivers on 1:22’s.  The Stokes Fiesta was seeing a lot of action as Robbie, winner of Class 2, had a big moment at Radio Point Three but gathered it back up to finish in 8^th overall.  Chris Herdman, Toyota Starlet, took out Class 1 and improved by 10 seconds throughout the day.  Hamish Bond showed a good improvement over the course of the day finishing in 23^rd overall on a 1:26.69 which was almost 11 seconds quicker than his first run time.  Mike Young split Matt Summerfield’s two entries to take 2^nd overall, .48 behind and .21 ahead of 3^rd.  Congratulations to Matt Summerfield for taking the overall and Class 4 win.

Thanks to Hi Tech Service Centre and Wheel Alignment Specialists and RoadRunner Traffic Management for their support of the event.  A huge thanks to our marshals who had a hot and busy day in their respective offices.

Click here for results.

Article added: Sunday 17 April 2022