Classy field for Ashley rallysprint

Press, 16 May 1985, Page 24

Classy field for Ashley rallysprint

By

JOHN HAWKINS

This week-end’s Dunlop Rallysprint at Ashley Forest has drawn an entry which reads like a who’s who of New Zealand rallysport The Rallysprint, which has a prize fund of 611,000, is organised by the Christchurch-based Rallies and Trials Enthusiasts’ Club and has gained in status over the years to the point where it is considered the premier event of its kind in New Zealand. In recent years the I.7km sprint has been the domain of the Aucklander, Reg Cook, with his circuit-racing Shellsport Nissan Sunny, but as Cook has sold his car and is undertaking a strictly limited programme this season he has decided against defending his Rallysprint title. Cook’s outstanding course record of 1:4.96 will remain as a mark for this year’s competitors to strive for. '

The runner-up in last year’s event, Barry Robinson, of Wyndham, will be at number one in the starting order with his Chevette but in spite of Cook’s absence strong competition will come from up to a dozen other competitors. New Zealand’s most successful international rally competitor, Rod Millen, will drive a Mazda RX7 on the event and although his car will be a rear-wheel-drive model rather than the four-wheel-drive car that he uses in the United States, the former American rally champion’s first appearance in New Zealand for a number of years is sure to be a highlight of the week-end’s competition. The former national rally

champion, Malcolm Stewart, will give South Island enthusiasts a chance to experience the sight and sound of the exciting Audi Quattro. Stewart's car is virtually identical to that which the world champion, Stig Blomqvist, drove to victory in last year’s New Zealand international rally. It will be interesting to see how quickly Stewart can adapt to the different driving technique required by the powerful four-wheel-drive car. The New Zealand champion, Tony Teesdale, will drive his Nissan 240 RS, while the spectacular Aucklander, Neil Allport, a past winner of the event, will debut another Mazda RX7. The winner of last weekend's Mainfreight/3ZM rally, Inky Tulloch, is seeded sixth m the entry list — one place ahead of the rallycross champion, Kim Austin in a Chevette VB. An-

other V 8 has been entered by the O.S.C.A. circuit racing champion, Trevor Crowe, in the form of his Starlet Oldsmobile. Two further four-wheel-drive cars are entered for the rallysprint, albeit with considerably less power than the Quattro. These are the two Subaru RXs of Possum Bourne and Mark Jennings, which Bourne, in particular, has used to good effect in New Zealand rallying over the last two seasons. A total of 64 entries has been accepted for the two-day event, with eliminations beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday to find the 32 competitors who will go on to the next stage of the competitions which begins at 12.30 p.m. on Sunday.