Silver Fern Rally races into Tararua

The NZ Silver Fern Rally swept through Tararua on November 29 in its sixth leg, taking in the most challenging gravel roads the district had to offer.

It left Hamilton on November 24 and had travelled the back roads through much of the North Island, stopping in New Plymouth, O¯ hakune, Palmerston North, Havelock North and finishing in Rotorua on December 1.

The rally has been run since 2006 and was organised originally to commemorate the first Silver Fern Rally in 1969.

Since 2015 it has been run by Ultimate Rally Group which also runs the Targa Rally.

This classic gravel marathon rally for drivers of older rally cars has become iconic, attracting many overseas drivers who rate the New Zealand event up there with the East African Safari.

It is an expensive rally, costing $11,000 to enter.

The average rally car uses 1.8 — 2 litres of fuel per kilometre and wears out a set of tyres in each stage.

Defending Champion from the 2016 South Island Rally Meiron Evans with co-driver Lestyn Williams of Wales were back with their newly-built Mk 11 Ford Escort, with this model the most popular type of car in the rally.

There were 31 entries set to tackle the 1300km in 23 historic sections involving 50 special stages, four of them passing through Tararua, stage 32 taking in the Mangaoranga Rd, Stage 33 Daggs Road and Stage 37 Waihoki Rd east of Eketa¯ huna, with stage 38 in the Pongaroa-Waitahora area. Dannevirke Host Lions were marshals on this latter leg and witnessed some spectacular motoring as the rally left Manuhara Rd Pongaroa, wound around the Waihi Falls area before travelling Towai and Conoor Roads over the Puketoi Range into the Waitahora concluding near Waewaepa Station.

There were 27 cars starting the final stage and five had to withdraw. Brad and Stuart McFarlane’s car caught fire.

Brad said they had gone into the stage with gearbox problems developed during the challenging morning stage through the Three Kings area and everything unravelled as they were about 12km into the afternoon stage.

‘marathon

This classic gravel rally for drivers of older rally cars has become ’ iconic.

RIGHT: Action from the marshalling point on the Silver Fern Rally at Pukehinau yesterday. Driver Brad McFarlane scrambles from the driver’s seat and his father and co-driver Stuart McFarlane is quickly into firefighting mode as flames lick from underneath the engine of their Porsche at the Waihi Valley/ Manuhara Road intersection on Thursday November 29.