Revved up for A&P show
Motorkhana and fencing competition added to events
There’ll be a chance to test your driving skills at Te Puke A&P Show on Saturday. One of the new attractions at this year’s show is a have-a-go motorkhana event organised by Motorsport Bay of Plenty.
A short course will be set up, and for $5, drivers will be given the chance to have a couple of attempts at negotiating it in a car provided by the club.
Committee member Jono Lee says one of the goals of the club is to make motorsport accessible to people.
“We organise all sorts of events, from basic entry events to full rallies.
“It’s actually quite easy to get into the entry-level stuff, so we’re running this as a demonstration.
“There will be a few cones placed around. People will have to come up to a stop position, go around the cones and then come back to a stop position.
“There won’t be any reversing in this one, we want to keep it simple — well, maybe a little when they park the car.”
He says while the runs will be timed, the car will be travelling slowly, mostly in first gear, and the idea is for it to be fun.
The runs will be timed, with the fastest male and fastest female getting free entry into one of the club’s next motorkhana events held at TECT Park.
“We do a series of them, so there’s a couple of chances for the winners to redeem that.
“When we do them at TECT Park, there is reversing and a few more
difficult things, but this is just a basic taster.”
Drivers will need to have a minimum of a restricted licence, and must wear enclosed footwear suitable for driving in.
“People can just turn up and we’ll go through the things that they need — just some simple stuff, and away they go.”
The have-a-go event is new for the club. “I visited the show last year and thought it would be a good chance to present ourselves to the public. It’s
sometimes difficult for everyone to know that clubs like this are around and you can get involved fairly easily.
“Even if people want to volunteer at events — [you] don’t have to spend any money, but might be interested in helping out at the events.”
There will also be several club rally cars on display and the chance for anyone 12 or over to ride with an experienced driver around the motorkhana course.
Competitive fencing will also be a new attraction at this year’s show,
organised by Shaun Davies of Davies Fencing and Contracting.
He says he shoulder-tapped a number of locals to take part.
“I said, ‘Come on, let’s have a bit of fun, a bit of banter’,” he says.
There are national and international competitions, and perfection and speed are key.
“You get points for finishing first, then points are deducted for the time others take beyond that and points deducted for each mistake. So, while time is a factor, you could finish first but come last.”
In competitions, the finished fence is tested using a weight-testing machine.
“We’re not doing that. “We will use the rules as a guideline, and tweak them a little. We’re just cutting our teeth in terms of organising it.”
Shaun moved to the area nine years ago and became friendly with Richard and Collette Hintz, who have had a long involvement with the show.
“[Roger] started talking to me about it and said, ‘It would be great if you can do something with fencing’, and next thing I knew, I was organising it.”
Shaun is a member of the New Zealand Fencing Contractors’ Association.
“I used to be on the board, so I’m quite passionate about bringing the level of fencing up and also making it more of a recognised industry.”
He says competition helps fencers hone their skills, so it’s part and parcel of the practice.
“The New Zealand fencing champion actually travels around the world doing competitions.”
He has competed in pairs, but not as an individual.
He says he hopes to get the competition started early and for it to finish around 11am.
The show is to take place on Saturday at the A&P Showgrounds on Showground Rd.
Entry is free for children under 5. Children aged 5-12 enter for $2 and people 13 and over $10. A family ticket for two adults and up to four children is $25. The show attractions and entertainment start at 9am, but gates open at 7am.
Other attractions include mower and grass-kart racing, strongman and woman competitions, shearing competitions, a petting area, sheep racing, home industries and a range of equestrian events.