Toughest offroad race attracts record entry

10 July 2013

Toughest offroad race attracts record entry

• ENZED on board for spectacular offroad endurance race
• All-new course with spectator-friendly farmland start
• TV coverage, dates, distance confirmed

Organisers of the 2013 Taupo 1000 international offroad race have confirmed a record entry for September’s event, with pre-race ‘intent’ registrations standing at 140.

Taupo 1000 spokesperson Tony Saelman says the race now has a major sponsor, television coverage confirmed, an all-new course based around a ‘classic’ 50 km lap, and the biggest-ever entry – all of which are “a major step forward” and an endorsement of the quality of the event itself.

The two-day endurance race recently signed a main sponsor and will be known as the ENZED Taupo 1000.

“We’re really pleased that such a high profile company as ENZED, with such a long and proud history of involvement in motorsport, has become our main sponsor and event partner. This adds so much to the months of hard work we do as race organisers and volunteers to make this iconic race happen,” he said.

It is the first time ENZED has become involved in offroad racing at such a high level.

With eight weeks until the race cars and trucks grid up to race, five former Taupo champions have confirmed they will compete. They are Alan Butler (Auckland), Clim Lammers (Hikurangi), Tony McCall (Auckland), Melvin Rouse (Whangarei) and Clive Thornton (Whakatane).

Run over three days in September, the Taupo 1000 is the longest, toughest, fastest offroad race in the southern hemisphere, completing 1000 km over two days – or the equivalent of a Bathurst 1000 track race without once running on sealed roads. Free practice and qualifying laps are to be held over a short course on Friday 13 September, with the race itself taking place on the Saturday and Sunday and competitors aiming to complete up to 500 km per day.

The event has been plotted over a new course based around a 50 km lap on new roads never used for the race in its 20 year history, with a new pit and prologue area on rolling farmland just 12 kilometres from Taupo.

“We always try to run to a 50 km lap, it’s part of the challenge of the event. The race runs over two days for safety, and to ensure people get a good run at the whole event. It’s an epic distance and an epic course, and we are very excited to see the response from racers,” said Mr Saelman.

The international standing of the Taupo 1000 grows year by year. With race teams planning their Taupo 1000 assault up to two years before the event, the event always draws record numbers of media and is covered for television in New Zealand and Australia.

The Taupo 1000’s official coverage will screen in New Zealand on TV3. In Australia, the race will be shown on Simon Christie’s popular 4WD TV programme. Christie and his crew have covered the Taupo 1000 since 2007.

Each year the online profile of the race grows, with its Facebook page attracting tens of thousands of views per day and a race-weekend daily ‘reach’ approaching 400,000. Racers post on-board and other footage on Youtube and link the coverage back to their own team’s social media channels and to the event page.

This year, the race will once more be a feature of the CRC Speedshow, New Zealand’s biggest automotive and motorsport expo.

“Every time this race happens it takes huge steps beyond what has gone before. One of the great things this year is the new track. We have been able to bring the race much closer to Taupo, and the new start-finish and pit area is on wide, open rolling farmland which means spectators get to see plenty of race action from the one location,” said Mr Saelman.

The 2013 ENZED Taupo 1000 begins with practice and qualifying on Friday September 13. Race days are Septrember 14 and 15. Event information is available online at the race website www.taupo1000.co.nz and on its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/EnzedTaupo1000

About the Taupo 1000
Longest, toughest, fastest: the Taupo 1000 has been the flagship event in New Zealand offroad racing since 1992.

It has always run to a total distance of 1000 km, and has consistently attracted international entries.

Initially modelled after the Baja 1000 offroad race in Mexico, the Taupo 1000 has a higher average speed than that northern hemisphere classic. It is run every two years in recognition of the punishing challenge racers face in trying to win this ‘race among races’ and the preparation required in order to complete 1000 km of racing in two days.

Every year, the Taupo 1000 takes a step forward in event management, technology and quite simply the ‘wow’ factor of bringing together more than 100 of the top offroad race teams from New Zealand and overseas for a two-day thrash through the logging roads and tracks of the biggest production pine forest in the southern hemisphere.

This year the race takes place on an all-new track just 12 km from downtown Taupo. As always, the pit lane for the race will create a temporary village with its own eateries, hot drink vendors, results facility and public address system. This year the race will also have its own FM radio station. The start/finish area is on wide open rolling farmland where the racers will be visible for several kilometres before they power off into the forest.

www.taupo1000.co.nz

About ENZED
ENZED began life in New Zealand in the mid 1970’s with the idea of providing a comprehensive hose and fitting service system across all industry sectors. The company pioneered the concept of mobile service vans attending to the needs of clients on site and thus minimising machine downtime.

At the time, the hydraulic hose and connector replacement industry operated in a very traditional manner. Machinery and equipment came to a stop with hose assembly failure, which required removal and identification of the damaged part, getting access to the part and then reassembly. It was all very time consuming, expensive and inconvenient. The ENZED solution was to develop comprehensively equipped service centres and then to take service to its customers using mobile hose shops that can make up virtually any replacement hose assembly quickly, reliably and cost effectively on site.

ENZED’s innovative business model reshaped the industry as a whole and has saved customers millions of dollars in downtime. In the process the company has established a whole new level of quality service.

Today, ENZED HOSE DOCTOR®s are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the company’s service is second to none. Service, quality and response to the needs of customers has seen the business grow across Australia and New Zealand.

The company’s emphasis on quality and service has earned it accreditation to ISO 9001:2008 which is annually audited by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), an external auditing body that ensures compliance with all ISO Standards.

www.enzed.co.nz

“Intent” list of entries to date

ENDS

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