OFFROAD RACING
"The track has been getting a bit of a reputation too, there are heaps of people keen to race on it."
Gary Preston
It has only taken one season and Joe Morris is hooked on offroad racing.
The plumber from Midhirst is a member of the Taranaki Offroad Racing Club (TORC) and races his challenger class vehicle the second Sunday of the month at the club’s purpose-built track on Croydon Rd.
‘‘Its just real good fun’’ he said.
‘‘It can be a cheap sport or you can spend as much as you want.’’
Morris spent $1000 building his car and said he did it on the cheap just so he could get out there.
‘‘Some of these cars are worth over a hundred thousand,’’ he added.
He acquired the chassis off girlfriend Louise Lang, who is also a member at the club, and set to adding all the racing components.
She has her own car too and races with her sister Morgan after being introduced to the sport through father Greg Lang and longtime racer Ricky May.
‘‘It’s a great family environment,’’ Morris said.
‘‘There are members in the club that don’t even race.’’
Club spokesman Gary Preston said there were 23 paid up racing members and 12 social members.
‘‘They all just want to be part of what’s going on here. From helping out with oncourse marshalling to cooking sausages on the fundraising barbecue.’’
It is a positive sign for the club, which had had a short hiatus since the early 2000’s with no permanent track and most members racing in Manawatu.
Once a suitable piece of land was located the club’s new track was built over the last four years.
‘‘It’s taken a lot of hard work behind the scenes to get the club up and running again,’’ Preston said.
‘‘The track has been getting a bit of a reputation too. There are heaps of people keen to race on it,’’ he said.
All the hard work has paid off, with TORC hosting the first round of the Off Road Association of New Zealand Nationals on March 11.