Lakeland Car Rally Draws Record Entries

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30768, 4 June 1965, Page 14

Lakeland Car Rally Draws Record Entries

This week-end the annual Lakeland-Atlantic car rally to Queenstown, organised by the Rallies and Trials Enthusiasts Club, of Christchurch, will be held. It has attracted a record entry of 55 cars, representing most parts of the South Island. On Saturday the cars will leave four different starting points: 38 from Christchurch, four from Dunedin, six from Oamaru, and seven from Invercargill. All cars will start from 7 a.m. onwards, and the rally will finish at Queenstown 11 hours and 400 miles later The large entry is the biggest for any event held in New Zealand this year, and is believed to be the biggest for any such event held in the South Island. The event is being run on different lines from other years, and will be very similar to the Monte Carlo rally held in Europe. One of the organisers, Mr G. Wall, of Martin-

borough, has competed in the Monte Carlo event, and it was this experience which gave him ,the idea for the form of this year’s Lakeland rally. On most rallies the cars have to keep to a set course. Navigational instructions are given by map references, road signs, numbers on telegraph poles, names on letter boxes and other methods. Not surprisingly, it was common for cars to go off course The cars are given set average speeds, which they must keep to at all times, and to ensure that they do so check points are set up at undisclosed parts of the route, and the competitor's time of arrival is recorded. The competitor’s correct time of arrival, had he kept to the exact average speeds set, is calculated in advance by the organisers. Points are lost by arriving at a check point more than 30 seconds early or late, by going off course and failing to pass through a check at all.

or by committing any breaches of the road code There are other rules which must also be observed. In Saturday’s rally, however, competitors will be told where they will find each check, and what time they should arrive there. They can arrive early and wait before clocking out from the check point at the correct time. Between many checks, the competitors will be able to ehose for themselves what they consider the best route Nobody, however, will be able to go too fast in the hopes of arriving very early Speed traps will be set up at various undisclosed points, and the penalty for exceeding the speed limit through such a trap will be exclusion from the event. In some parts of the event there will be emphasis on correct navigation, and over all the emphasis will be on navigation and driving rather than timekeeping. From 7 a.m. onwards many rally cars will be seen or. parts of high way one, the organisers have revealed. The event is to be filmed for television, and on the Sunday evening prizes will be presented, at a social function, by the area manager of the company sponsoring the event, the Atlantic Union Oil Company. The total prize money is £l7O. First place carries a prize of £5O, second £4O, third £3O, fourth £2O, fifth £lO and sixth £5. There will be a prize of £l5 for the winning team of three cars, the R.A.T.E.C. Lakeland Trophy for the winner, and other trophies. Last year’s winner, W. Renalson, will be competing in his Morris, and entries include “The Press” Zodiac G.T.