Atmosphere attracts many motorsport enthusiasts

ANOTHER Waimate 50 Motorsport Festival, another year of hard work for organiser Rob Aikman and his team.

This year’s event takes place on October 20 and 21 and will feature all of the usual favourites that attract motorsport enthusiasts from around the country, including the street attack, invitational race and North v South drift battle, among others.

Mr Aikman said final preparations were close to being completed to turn Waimate’s central business district into a toplevel racetrack.

‘‘We’re probably where we need to be right now, so we’re happy with our progress.

‘‘ We’ve constructed part of the track and we’ll be doing some more track construction this weekend.

‘‘All our safety plans are pretty much approved and entries are full, so we’re pretty much on our game at the moment.

‘‘It’s just sorting everything else out in general.’’

He said there was plenty to get excited about for the thousands of people that will descend on Waimate next month.

But for Mr Aikman it was putting on a safe, wellrun and successful event that spun his wheels.

‘‘I’m excited about the simple fact that we’re still able to do it, because its pretty hard in today’s safetycompliance world and the cost of achieving that.

‘‘It will be our ninth consecutive year and I’m excited because we’ve got a lot of new drivers coming this year from the North Island.

‘‘We’re getting the word out further and further I think every year.’’

D1NZ driver Daniel Woolhouse, one of the country’s leading drift drivers, will be back in 2018 alongside several other top drivers who have made their mark on the drifting scene.

Nigel Barclay, former boss of the Paul Morris Motorsport V8 Supercar team, will be at the event for the first time, which Mr Aikman said showed the Waimate 50 had wideranging appeal.

While no new events had been included, spectators and participants alike would notice a few subtle changes.

‘‘The changes are probably in the way we go about things.

‘‘We’ve changed a lot of our infrastructure as we build and improve every year.

‘‘We’re also in the process of not only building more concrete blocks [for barriers], but also drilling into the road as well . . . so we can put some support infrastructure in.

‘‘It comes at a cost, but it’s a big step forward for us.’’

Mr Aikman believed the Waimate 50 was special because it was the only street race in New Zealand and one of only a handful staged in the world.

‘‘We’re pretty stoked about that . . . it’s pretty special for Waimate.

‘‘It’s a different atmosphere than you get in other places. People do have a good time when they’re here.

‘‘It’s an event we want to try and keep going.

‘‘Sustainability is always a worry, I guess, because it’s so hard to pull off every year. Every year when you achieve it, it’s a real rush, I guess.’’

PHOTO: HAMISH MACLEAN Andrew Kitching, of Timaru, competes in the street attack in his Honda Civic at last year’s Waimate 50.

Shane Allen behind the wheel of his 2008 Ford Mustang V8 during the North v South drift battle.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED Timaru’s Darren Galbraith, a threetime Westland Rally winner, in his Mitsubishi Evo 8 at the 2016 Waimate 50.

PHOTO: HAMISH MACLEAN Multitime D1NZ champion and professional drifting driver Daniel Woolhouse, of Whangarei, wows the crowd during a drift battle at Waimate 50. Woolhouse will return for this year’s event.