STANDING THE TEST OF TIME
420 ROTORS HIT REUNION 2020
There is nothing more Kiwi than showing up late to a party; for years now, Guy Maxwell has been telling me that I needed to experience REunion and everything that goes along with it first-hand. For a self-professed rotary nut, it is certainly odd that I have taken so long to tick this one off, but I finally have and all I can say is that ol’ Maxwell and the crew do all right! Actually, ‘all right’ is the understatement of the century; this meeting is top-shelf and a perfect example of what happens when Kiwis pour their hearts and souls into something, whether it be an event or a specific genre of car.
It is no secret that we Kiwis have an unhealthy obsession with the Wankel, and, as far as I am concerned, nobody on earth does it quite like us ‘Craftsmanship’, ‘investment’, ‘presentation’, and ‘innovation’ were all words that continually came to mind as I walked through the garages and pits at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park. Not only is REunion the largest on-track rotary gathering in the world, but also being in the presence of 420 rotors in one compound is a serious assault on your senses. Usually, the only thing that wakes me up in the morning is a strong coffee, but that first whiff of premix hitting the nostrils was like a quad-shot latte being injected straight into my bloodstream. I was good to go!
REunion is a tight ship, comprising cruising, hardpark, drags, and skids — there is something for everyone. Each part of the event overlapped slightly so you could go from one attraction to the next with zero downtime. For those who were happy to bask in the sun and watch the cruising, the rooftop terrace was ideal. Down in pit lane, a taxi stand was in operation for those who needed an up-close experience, with guys like Max Flower, in his turbo four-rotor FD, lining up to give 55 passengers a taste of FD greatness over the three days.
As the parade lap geared up, all 420 cars slowly filtered out of the pits to park up on the front straight, producing a sight that you are unlikely to see anywhere other than in good old New Zealand. I was constantly surprised at the number of beautifully presented cars that just continued to roll out onto track — seriously, where the heck have all those immaculate RX-2s and RX-3s been hiding all this time? As the cruise got under way, seeing Aidan Barrett’s RE Amemiya Japanese
Grand Touring Championship (JGTC) FD gracing the track with a Simmons-clad S1 behind, shadowed by a tubbed spud, was pretty special. The parade included other platforms that have been ‘rotorized’, such as the KE70 Corolla, the Starlet, and the BMW E30, which all fit in perfectly with their Mazda counterparts.
Over at the drag strip, everything from skid cars to drift cars and some insanely clean street examples were taking their prestage skids to the next level. The fact that many of the cars were valuable classics didn’t stop their drivers from absolutely sending it down the sticky strip of tarmac.
A highlight of the event for me was finally getting to see Steve Ellicott put ‘L0R0TA’ through its paces on the skidpad: an immaculate cover car being driven like a true skid pig at 10/10ths is what REunion is all about.
KE70 Corolla, the Starlet, and the BMW E30, which all fit in perfectly with their Mazda counterparts
REunion shows our car culture at its best. Of all the events I have attended, this one has to be hands down my favourite — and not because I am a biased Wankel lover. The camaraderie, genuine yarns, genuine appreciation for fellow car fans, and slick operation just made for a superb day out in the sun. Whether or not some want to admit it, the rotary is as Kiwi as hokey-pokey ice cream.
The event had everything any car fanatic could ever want, but, for me, one thing set REunion apart from any other event in New Zealand. Throughout the pits, there was a raft of young and old; seeing the older generation peering under the bonnets of cars, reminiscing about the set-ups of cars they grew up with, was pretty darn awesome. The rotary forefathers were out there enjoying the modern incarnation of the scene that they set up for us all. The exact cars they bought, modified, and went out and thrashed are some of those now sitting pretty with a new lick of paint and shiny wheels.
That is a true testament to the pull the humble little rotary has on enthusiasts; if REunion is anything to go by, the next generation will end up just as hooked as you and the others who went before. At the end of the day, once you go braap you never go back!