Buist secures victory after torrid battle
DEREK Ayson and Deane Buist battled tooth and nail for Otago Classic Rally honours over the weekend before Buist finally emerged victorious after some seesaw action yesterday morning.
A threetime winner of the classic event, Ayson dominated Saturday’s action, winning six of the seven stages in his Nissanpowered Ford Escort MkII.
However, Buist, driving a Volkswagen Golf GTI, made Ayson work hard all day, winning the day’s longest stage, and ending the opening leg just 21.8sec behind his rival.
Living up to predictions that yesterday’s opening forestry stages would suit his car better than Saturday’s more open public road tests, Buist snatched the lead at the start of leg two. A solid win on the demanding 39km opening stage propelled him into the led by just 0.1sec, and a further victory on the next stage down Waipori Gorge enabled him to extend the lead to 6.5sec.
However, the Canterbury driver then clipped a bank and damaged his steering on the very next stage, allowing Ayson back ahead. Two stages later, it was Ayson’s turn to strike trouble; the South Otago driver punctured, losing more than 4min 30sec, and with it any chance of a fourth classic rally win.
Buist duly romped to classic victory and outright seventh overall (and first twowheeldrive finisher), adding to an Otago victory tally that also included a classic win in 2007, and outright victory way back in 1992.
Ayson, meantime, had to settle for third place in the classic behind fellow Escort driver Jeff Judd, of Christchurch, whose only major problem over the weekend was the loss of power steering on Saturday’s opening stages.
Fellow Cantabrian John Silcock (Mazda RX7) and Cambridge driver Anthony Jones (Escort) completed the classic rally top five, ahead of
Balclutha’s Craig Barclay (Escort), who was the first Otagobased classic driver home.
Special guest driver Aaron Slight also failed to complete the event, slipping off the road midway through yesterday. Even so, the former world superbikes ace impressed on his rallying debut.
After a selfconfessed cautious start on Saturday’s opening stage, Slight progressively lifted his pace in the Rossendale Ford Escort RS, setting a top10 classic time on the Anzac Avenue superspecial stage. At the time of his exit, the Mastertonbased driver had improved from 25th after the opening stage to 16th.
Avalon Biddle also adapted well on her move from twowheeled competition on the track to rallying, finishing 6th in the Classic 4WD division and 47th overall in the event. It was rare to see her without a big smile on her face as the event progressed.
“You have to experience rallying firsthand to understand how different and challenging it is compared to the motor sport I am used to,” Biddle, who has won motorcycle racing titles in Europe and Australia, as well as here in New Zealand, said.
“For sure if the chance came up to rally again, I would take it.”
Class wins in the classic went to Whitianga’s Miles McElwain (Toyota Corolla) in the 13011600cc category, and Christchurch’s Kerry Sloan (Toyota Starlet) in the 01300cc class.