Media release, 27 October 2013
Alpine Offroad Racing Opens The Championship Year At Twizel
• Racers ready for an action and incident-packed weekend of motorsport
• No holds barred as shortened championship begins
Every finish, every point counts when the fastest offroad race teams in New Zealand grid up this weekend in Twizel to
open the 2013 championship year.
The South Island becomes the focus of New Zealand offroad racing at Easter, with the opening round of the 2013
championship drawing leading teams from both ends of the island to a spectacular one-day short course event at Twizel on
Saturday that is followed by a stand-alone 250 km endurance race at the same venue the following day.
The weekend is the only alpine offroad race event held in the southern hemisphere and attracts strong fields of racers
including a likely entry from defending national champion Hamish Lawlor in his tiny Hayabusa-engined Odyssey,
Christchurch drivers Wayne Moriarty (Euroblast Cougar Toyota) and Bryan Chang (GT Radial Ford Falcon Pro-Lite) and
defending class 4 champion Darrin Thomason of Nelson in his 4.0-litre Nissan Navara.
With the national championship shortened this year to enable teams to contest the sport’s flagship event, the Taupo
1000, there are only two chances for championship teams to score points before the national final at Labour Weekend.
Short course racing puts all cars on track for three in-class heats of race action followed by an all-in race that
offers points within each driver’s class.
Scrutineering for the event will be held on Friday at the Twizel Hire yard, 25 Hooker Crescent; championship racing
starts at 11.00 am the next day on a farm course west of the town opposite the Ohau canal. The event will be signposted
from Max Smith Drive. Spectator admission is $10 a car, there will be food and coffee available both days.
2012 Mickey Thompson New Zealand Offroad Racing Championship class winners (South Island drivers in italics):
Class 1 national champion Malcolm Langley
Class 2 national champion Mike Hay
Class 3 national champion Wayne Moriarty
Class 4 national champion Darrin Thomason
Class 5 national champion Alistair Manning
Class 6 national champion Roger McKay
Class 7 national champion Taine Carrington
Class 8 national champion Martin van der Wal
Class 9 national champion Mike Konings
Class 10 national champion Hamish Lawlor
Challenger VW national champion Ben Howard
Kiwitrucks:
M class national champion Ollie McCall
J class national champion Fergus Crabb
ENDS