TAUPO HISTORIC GRAND PRIX
The recent Taupo Historic Grand Prix was a huge celebration of Ford in Kiwi motorsport. Here’s our pick of the action.
With New Zealand out of lockdown, motorsport is back and in classic style with the Taupo Historic Grand Prix celebrating Ford in all its circuit and rally stage glory.
The Blue Oval badge is one of the most recognisable automotive logos in the world, and New Zealanders have had an insatiable appetite for it for over five decades. The Ford marque has obtained a cult following Down Under, and that love affair was recently celebrated at the Taupo Historic Grand Prix.
Held over three days, the event showcased the best of a bygone era of motoring. The historic Grand Prix provided a perfect excuse to pull the covers off classic race machinery hidden throughout the country, and celebrate a marque that has been a stalwart since the 1950s. While motorsport machinery was certainly the order of the day, there was plenty of road-going legends in attendance as well for the 15,000 spectators who flooded through the gates.
The Grand Prix had a few show-stoppers in attendance, albeit with a slightly German flavour. One such car was Paul Fahey’s Cologne Capri, well-known by Kiwi fans since 1973 when the car won fresh off the boat from Europe. As only one of two surviving examples of the factory 1974
RS3100 Cologne Capris raced in the European Touring Car Championship, getting up close with this piece of European and New Zealand motorsport history was a true treat for the fans. A stones-throw down the road from Cologne, two other motorsport icons hailing from Niederzissen were also making a show-stealing appearance. The Zakspeed Escort and Capri were garnering more than their fair share of attention. The two stunning Group 5 machines piloted by Hans Heyer and Klaus Ludwig enjoyed getting to stretch their legs out on track giving fans a glimpse of the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM) era of the 1970s and 1980s. With the Capri being one of two genuine examples remaining, and the 1977 Escort being the only remaining factory-built Zakspeed Escort, seeing these two together in one place was truly the highlight of the event for many.
Ford legends
Alongside the pit garages was the Ford Legends Pavilion, which also housed a raft of mouth-watering cars. Everything from Touring Cars, to rally cars and even openwheel machines, there was something for everyone from all corners of the globe.
Rallying was represented by one of the most iconic Escorts to dance on kiwi gravel, the Masport RS1800. JB780 with its original left hook setup for the Finnish driver Hannu Mikkola and Swedish navigator Arne Hertz took the outright win on the 1979 Motogard Rally of New Zealand. After a painstaking restoration comprising of the original shell, engine, drivetrain and interior, this has to be one of the most immaculate and original Escorts campaigned internationally throughout the golden years of rallying. Other notable machinery included New Zealand’s most famous rally driver; Possum Bourne’s Cortina rally car, the Willment Escort Twin Cam of Jim Richards, and a Shelby GT350R among others.
While many could have spent all day admiring the raft of incredible cars on static display, the action on track was not to be forgotten about. The historic muscle cars and saloon cars class was providing spectators with David and Goliath battles that were synonymous with motorsport through the 1980s. As if transported back in time, the humble Escorts were duelling it out with the high-powered Mustangs in a toe to toe battle that went all the way to the checkered flag in every race. Dale Mathers Mustang and Paul McCarthy’s Broadspeed BDG Escort could have been covered by a blanket all day long out on track, which was testament to just how hard these cars were being driven. It seems the grudges of yesteryear still haven’t been forgotten decades later, with fans being transported back to the sixties and seventies, where Kiwi race cars lacked the big budgets but made up for it with sheer determination and uncanny kiwi ingenuity.
It was also a rare glimpse back in time to the era of ‘Race on Sunday and sell on Monday’, which for many was exactly what makes the Blue Oval so special.
Taupo Historic Grand Prix
www.brucemclarenmotorsportpark. com/whats-on/taupo-historic-gp
“THE ESCORTS DUELLED WITH MUSTANGS IN A TOE TO TOE BATTLE”