ED. TEAM CHATTER
How you can lose a year in the blink of an eye is beyond me: it really doesn’t feel like all that long ago that I was packing my backpack full of crap and hopping on a flight to Timaru for last year’s V 4&Rotary South Island Champs. It was only my second trip to that big mass of dirt somewhere south of the mainland, and it was where I met more than a few folk that I now count as proper good friends and who I stay in regular contact with today.
The event marks a pretty full-on weekend of work, and while I didn’t get to see much of the scenery last year, I was treated to the automotive underbelly that I was itching to witness.
This came via an Ashburton local that I linked up with then — shout out to Callum and Co. He rang me early Friday and said that I had to free up any plans I’d had for Friday night. Quite fresh to Timaru, and not knowing where the hell anything worthwhile was, I took the offer, and we caught up to roll through town in my rental racer. I was expecting to see a handful of cars and spin some casual yarns, as you’d do in Auckland, so my mind was blown to find the streets literally swarming with people and cars. I’d even go as far to say that it topped anything I had seen back home. No matter where you threw your gaze, there was something noteworthy, casually sitting there. And while a few more rowdy individuals were looking to disrupt the night, a strong police presence made itself known and kept things under control, striking a balance between the factions.
That’s what I’m looking forward to seeing again — yes, the track day and show are the mainstays of the weekend overall, but what I enjoy is getting back to the roots of what cars have always been about: just hanging around, having a good time, and appreciating the glorious steel in front of you.
This mag will hit shelves a while before Champs kicks off for 2017, but that just gives you fair notice that I’ll be down there again, looking out for all the south has to offer. If you spot me lurking around, come up and say hi — I’m usually good for a chat, unless something gnarly is already holding my attention!