RallySport Magazine September 2016

NEWS@RALLYSPORTMAG.COM.AU
APRIL FOR OTAGO RALLY
The Otago Rally will be the
first round of the 2017 New
Zealand Rally Championship,
and will again incorporate the
hugely popular Otago Classic Rally.
To be held from April 7 to 9, the rally
will be centred around the South Island
city of Dunedin, with a ceremonial start
on Friday evening, before competitive
stages on Saturday and Sunday.
The date is conditional on the
announcement of the World and Asia-
Pacific Rally Championship dates, but
presently fits well with the proposed
2017 NZ Championship calendar.
“Route planning is well underway
and will incorporate a combination
of forestry and the fast flowing public
roads that the Otago Rally is renowned
for,” Clerk of Course, Norman Oakley,
said.
“Classic stages such as Waipori Gorge,
Whare Flat and Kuri Bush are certain to
be included.”
The 2017 New Zealand Rally
Championship looks set to be the most
competitive for many years, with a
host of current and new AP4 cars set to
contest next April’s Otago Rally.
A strong field of competitors is also
expected in the Otago Classic Rally,
including a number of Australians, and
the regular guest appearance of a star
driver from the northern hemisphere.
In 2016, Estonia’s Markko Martin
blitzed the field in the Classics, while
Hyundai WRC star, Hayden Paddon,
performed similar heroics in the NZRC.
CLASSIC ADELAIDE OFFER TOURIST TROPHY
18 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - SEPTEMBER 2016
On the mend after big shunt
Victorian Rally Championship
competitors, Viv Dilkes-Frayne
and Tracey Dewhurst, are on the road
to recovery after a serious crash in
the recent Pyrenees Rush Rally in the
Victorian goldfields.
Dilkes-Frayne suffered a fractured
pelvis when the car hit a tree headon
at high speed, while Dewhurst
also received a fractured pelvis and a
broken coccyx.
The RallySafe unit in the car
recorded the Subaru’s impact with a
tree at 8g after the car got light on a
crest, hit a stump with a rear wheel
and was speared into the tree.
The Classic Adelaide Rally returns with 21 stages
through the Adelaide Hills and surrounds from November
17-19.
With a focus on pre-1986 model vehicles vying for outright
and handicap honours, the field is large and diverse.
This year, organisers are offering up a “Tourist Trophy” for
interstate entries. The fastest visitor to the state will receive
a commemorative trophy and $3495 credit towards a future
entry in the event.
“We have seen a number of gravel rally cars converted to
tarmac for this event that celebrates classic rallying as the
premium category,” event spokesman, Tim Possingham,
said.
“The tight course we have this year has boosted entries
from lower powered, but better handling cars, and it has
evened up the playing field a lot.
“It’s great to see such a mix of entries including Renault
Alpines, Lotus Cortinas, Cosworth Escorts and a heap more.
Entries close soon, with further information available from
www.classicadelaide.com.au