GRAVEL ISLAND TIME
2019 WINMAX BRAKES ASHLEY FOREST RALLYSPRINT
Since the birth of motorsport in this country, timed sprint events have held a significant place in the competition scene. On any given weekend, in any given corner of the country, chances are there’s a MotorSport New Zealand ( MSNZ)–sanctioned ClubSport event happening. For those outside the organized car club community, bar the odd resident affected by road closures, most events of this status take place without so much as a mention, largely leaving the weekend warrior to race the clock for a fleeting moment of glory and not much else.
The Ashley Forest Rallysprint has always been a little different. For 40 years, the undulating 1.7km gravel loop nestled in the pinecovered hills outside Rangiora has proved a hit with drivers and spectators alike. From the event’s inception, it has attracted cars and teams from all over the country, with every gravel specialist wanting to add the outright title to their résumé. For a very select few with the means of achieving it, the title of course record holder remains the holy grail.
On the other side of the tape, spectators can appreciate the action from extremely close proximity. The unique ‘island’ profile of the course gives fans situated on the lower parts of the hill an opportunity to watch a car on the uphill leg, turn around, and move 20 or so metres to observe the same car on its return through the fast downhill section.
The age of social media has taken Ashley Forest beyond the status of iconic to reach a truly global audience. From the viral video of Rod Millen’s 4WD FC RX-7 cracking the minute in 1987 to Hayden Paddon documenting his annual exploits to his huge social following, word is quickly spreading internationally. As far as ClubSport events go, this is certainly something special.
For the 2019 running, and with defending champion Alister McRae and 2018 runner-up Neil Webb both notable omissions from the entry list, the 40th-anniversary edition was billed early on as a two-way dogfight between Sloan Cox and Hayden Paddon, and they didn’t disappoint. After mechanical failure prevented the World Rally Championship (WRC) winner from progressing past the Top 16 elimination runs in 2018, the Paddon Rallysport team returned with an aggressive aero update complemented by a moderate 373kW engine package in Paddon’s otherwise AP4-spec Hyundai i20.
Not to be outdone, the Sloan Cox Motorsport crew also returned with some changes for the Taslo Engineering Evo VII ‘Hillclimb Beast’, most notably in the form of a brand-new, supersized aero package. As the only two cars to break into the sub-minute barrier through the four qualifying runs, the stage was set for an epic showdown during the elimination rounds, providing the reliability curse that plagued both cars last year could be shaken. Sadly, this wasn’t the case for Sloan, who, after resetting the record early on, lost a cylinder in the Top 8, ending his weekend with third in Unlimited 4WD. This would leave Paddon uncontested for outright honours.
Paddon continually rewrote the record all weekend long, with a best of 52.77s, stating that the team had a higher-powered engine that had not arrived in time, so, by the look of it, 2020 will see the battle for sub 50s.
The battle for class supremacy down the field would prove equally enthralling. The 0–1300cc category has long been the class of the mighty Toyota Starlet, and 2019 was no different, with more than half of the field comprising KPs. One driver bucking the Starlet trend, however, was Brightwater’s DJ Musk, making his Ashley Forest debut in a Citroen GSA. Sadly for Musk and fans of unusual race cars, his weekend would not progress beyond the qualifying rounds after he nosed the ditch and spectacularly rolled in front of the large crowd gathered at the bottom of the hill on Sunday morning.
At the top of the 0–1300cc time sheets, it was a Starlet free
for all, with two-time class winner Chris Herdman locked in a battle with young gun Tim Smith, the pair trading fastest times over the course of Saturday qualifying. Sunday’s three-car final would be separated by the blink of an eye, with Herdman sealing victory with a 1min 11.40s over Smith’s 1min 11.57s. Peter Murch would round out the Toyota trifecta, albeit more than two seconds behind the leading pair.
Just four cars fronted for the 1301–1600cc category, and again the entry list had a distinctly Toyota flavour about it. Marlborough’s Jonty Brensell was never bettered all weekend long, with the 4A-GE-powered KP Starlet comfortably cruising to victory in the final over the AE101 Corolla FX-GT of Jarrod Glass. Winton driver Brendon Mitchell celebrated his first visit to the forest with a thirdplace finish in his fan-favourite Datsun 1600.
On paper, Classic 2WD may also have appeared short on entries, but, as is often the case in classic competition, quality made up for lack of quantity. First-time Ashley Forest visitor Stewart Reid made the journey from Brisbane to compete in a locally owned ex–Meirion Evans Mk2 Escort, putting in some spectacular drives all weekend long. No stranger to Kiwi gravel, Reid quickly came to grips with the Ashley Forest course and was rewarded with a thirdplace finish in the final. In a repeat of the top two from last year, the RX-7 battle between Phil Walker and Bert Murray again fell in favour of the latter; the iconic Group B RX-7 would claim a two-second margin of victory over Walker’s visually stock counterpart.
The Unlimited 2WD entry list was big on variety, with an eclectic mix of front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive, extensively modified, largely stock, and no-expense-spared builds taking on the hill. One of the more notable additions to the 12-car field was a second entry for Sloan Cox, lining up in his New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) Evo X — reconfigured to frontwheel drive! Cox cited lack of traction off the line as the car’s Achilles heel.
Daniel Feck’s road to the Unlimited 2WD final would be difficult; a dual-driven entry with father and owner Robin, their Mitsubishi V6–powered Toyota MR2 was plagued by driveline problems all weekend long. However, one good run in qualifying was enough for the Dannevirke driver to take his place in the final, only for him to promptly break an axle at the start line. Despite not finishing the run, Feck would be rewarded with third place. Second went to Robert ‘Groove’ McCallum in his Ecotec-powered Mk2 Escort, and class honours went to Mosgiel’s Chris Hey, claiming his 12th title in his Infiniti-powered AW11 MR2. Hey also managed to lower the Unlimited 2WD record to 1min 0.9s.
With records in almost every class, and the type of fastpaced action that most events can only dream of, this 40-yearold New Zealand rally institution is going nowhere. Expect the 2020 running to be even more nail-biting, the kind of action that we think is well worth a trip to Rangiora.