ROBINSON HEADSFOR SILVERFERNASSAULT
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Leading British historic rally contenders Matthew Robinson and co-driver Sam Collis are mounting a serious assault on the Silver Fern Rally in New Zealand next month.
The eight-day event covers 830 stage miles in a total route of 2200 miles and finishes with the famous 28-mile Motu Road stage. The rally starts in Hamilton on November 24.
The two leading characters from the BHRC are tackling the marathon event for the second time, but this year will revert to a Ford Escort Mk2. On the last Silver Fern, in 2016, they ran a Fiat 131 but have now hired an Escort from Grant Shand’s Rally Xtreme operation.
“There’s probably nobody better for the event,” said Robinson. “It is a lot easier, as taking your own car can take up a lot of your time.”
Shand has extensive experience of the event, both as a competitor and a car preparer.
“It’s like my biennial holiday,” said Robinson who will be partnered by regular co-driver Collis. “We can just about control him for a week or two. We’ve just got to go and see what we can do.
“Competing on North Island will be a new adventure for us, and they say it is a lot tighter and so it might suit us a bit better. We went to South Island last time and it was like Whacky Races, just flat out. You just have to tick every stage off, one by one, and see how far you can get. We’d love to do well but first we’d love to finish.”