Hawera to host national competition
One of New Zealand’s biggest radio control car clubs will host its first national competition in Hawera this weekend.
The Little Forest Raceway club, which is based in New Plymouth, has decided to recycle the dirt from the Hawera BMX Club’s Winter Nats last weekend and use it for the 1/10th Scale Electric Powered Off-Road National Champs.
Amber Kendall, who is a committee member for the club and the publicity officer for the New Zealand Radio Control Association, said national competitions of this type usually changed location each year, but they’re hoping with success, they could break the rules.
‘‘We have a rule that you can’t host nationals consecutively unless no one else wants to,’’ Kendall said.
‘‘So our goal is that it’s so good that people want us to hold it again.’’
The event will be held at the Egmont A & P Showgrounds, Hawera, and after a discussion with the Hawera BMX Club, Kendall hoped this could become an annual event.
‘‘We’re on this joint venture that they do theirs the first weekend and we do ours the second,’’ she said.
The event will be held on a 1/10th scale track with electric cars that are controlled by racers with transmitters on a stand.
There are 200 cars entered and about 80 racers travelling from as far afield as Australia, the Far
‘‘Our goal is that it's so good that people want us to hold it again.’’
Amber Kendall
North and Christchurch.
Kendall said the competition was great to watch because there was a large range of ages and talent in the competitor draw and they all race together.
‘‘You’re either watching it for big crashes and breaks, or you’re watching it because the two best guys have got one lap to go and you don’t know who is going to win,’’ she said.
Kendall said the Little Forest Raceway club had about 50 members and a large number of them were children.
‘‘There will be kids at this event and they’ve barely raced much in their lives but they’re giving it a go,’’ she said.
‘‘And then there’s the best in New Zealand.’’
The event, which is free for spectators, will be held from 8.30am Friday May 26 - Sunday 28. Friday will just be a practice day, but Saturday is a qualifying day, and Sunday finals.