Bond Benefit At Eastern Southland Car Club Prizegiving

MEDIA RELEASE
10 JULY 2013

Bond Benefit At Eastern Southland Car Club Annual Prizegiving

Dean Bond of Balclutha had his most successful ever club season recognised at the Eastern Southland Car Club 57th Annual Dinner and Prizegiving in Gore on Saturday night.

While Bond has achieved much in his lengthy motorsport career the club championship had eluded him until the past season. However a concentrated championship effort in the 2012/2013 year gained him a huge haul of silverware.

Bond secured the Standing 1/4 mile Trophy, the Bent Sprint and Flying Lap Trophies, the Hillclimb Cup, the Most Consistent Competitor Award, the Class D Trophy and the South Otago Cup for the most successful competitor from that part of the club's catchment area. He also shared the Gravel Events Trophy with Roger Laird of Gore and the Sealed Events Trophy with Laird and Graham McRae, also of Gore. In addition he was second equal with Warner Reid of Clydevale in the Clubsport Championship. With a successful year behind him Bond became the Eastern Southland Car Club Champion for the first time.

McRae was runner-up in the Club Championship, just 4 points behind Bond. McRae had won the Clubsport Championship and the B Class title while sharing the Sealed Event Trophy with Laird and Bond. Laird, last years Champion, was third overall this year.

Others to claim trophies on the night were Kevin Laird of Gore who won the Motorkhana Trophy, Neville Krammer of Wallacetown who took the Autocross Trophy, Andrew Graves of Gore, the Gravel Sprint Trophy while he also shared the Rally Challenge Trophy with Rhys Gardner of Balclutha. Karen Laird of Gore won the Class A title and the Ladies Trophy while Warner Reid took Class C.

Twelve-year-old Scott Gouman of Clydevale capped a successful season by winning the Junior (Under 18) Award, the youngest driver ever to do so, and also the New Competitor Award.

The Hard Luck Award went to Damian Vincemt of Stirling who suffered a major mechanical failure soon after getting his car up and running.  

Member Of The Year went to one of the clubs hardest workers, Errol Hewlett of Gore, who has earned the award many times previously.

A special presentation was made to brothers Donald and Michael Michie of Balclutha for 15 years of voluntary service for the club. That began when they started helping on the Catlins Coast Rally as members of the South Otago Motorcycle Club and has continued on to this day.   

The night concluded with guest speaker Emma Gilmour outlining details of her radical, new Suzuki Swift Sport Maxi rally car and also her work on the FIA's Women & Motorsport Commission which is headed by former World Rally Championship driver Michele Mouton.    

 

EASTERN SOUTHLAND CAR CLUB AWARDS

CLUBSPORT EVENTS
Motorkhana Trophy - Kevin Laird
Autocross Trophy - Neville Krammer
Standing 1/4 Mile - Dean Bond

GRAVEL EVENTS
Tokanui Hillclimb - Dean Bond
Gravel Sprint Trophy - Andrew Graves
Gravel Events Trophy - Dean Bond / Roger Laird
Rally Challenge Trophy - Andrew Graves / Rhys Gardner

SEALED EVENTS
Bent Sprint - Dean Bond
Flying Lap - Dean Bond
Sealed Events Trophy - Dean Bond / Roger Laird / Graham McRae 

Hillclimb Cup - Dean Bond

Hard Luck Award - Damian Vincent

Most Consistent Competitor - Deean Bond

CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP
Class A (0-1300cc 2wd) Karen Laird
Class B (1301-1600cc 2wd) Graham McRae
Class C (1601cc & over 2wd) Warner Reid
Class D (4wd) Dean Bond

Clubsport Championship 
2nd = - Warner Reid
2nd = - Dean Bond
1st - Graham McRae

Club Championship
Junior (Under 18) - Scott Gouman  
New Competitor - Scott Gouman
South Otago Challenge Cup - Dean Bond
Ladies Trophy - Karen Laird

ESCC CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

3rd - Roger Laird  
2nd - Graham McRae
1st - Dean Bond

Member Of The Year
Errol Hewlett

ENDS

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