Classic Team’s Chevette First Entry For Rallyfeste

Classic Team’s Chevette First Entry For Rallyfeste

The Classic Rally Team of John Kershaw and Jane Buckman, who will drive their 1976 Vauxhall Chevette, was the first of over a dozen entries already received by organisers for the Dunlop Rallyfeste, which will celebrate four decades of New Zealand Rallying.

Organising committee chairman Laurie Brenssell commented “It was not surprising to see that John and Jane were first on the list of entrants for the Rally section of the Rallyfeste celebration, they are passionate rally fans, and great supporters of the sport”.

Their philosophy in rallying is “Enjoy it, be a good sport, look after your sponsors, respect your competitors and officials, be an ambassador for motorsport, be competitive and get to the end!”

The Kershaw - Buckman team have a passion for the “classic” side of Rallying and have a number of Vauxhalls at their disposal, a Viva GT, and two high spec Chevette HSR cars, one designed for Tarmac events such as Dunlop Targa and another gravel car which the recently used to good effect in the 2006 Marathon Silver Fern Rally.

The pair started rallying back in 1975, with a Vauxhall Magnum 2300, and then using their rebuilt Viva GT won the pre-72 section of the Top Half Series in 1994, and later the Clubman’s section of the International Rally Rotorua in 2002.

Their ex Dealer Team Vauxhall, Pentti Arikkala Chevette HSR (silver) car has also served them well with top overall and class placing’s in tarmac Targa events in both New Zealand and in Tasmania, as well as at the Classic Adelaide event.

For the Dunlop Rallyfeste Rally event they will use their gravel spec (white) Chevette, which was re-built and upgraded from an original 1980’s Grant Ottway car, especially for last years 1000km Silver Fern Marathon event held in the South Island.

The Waikato Event’s Centre at Claudlands, will be the base for the celebrations for the Rallyfeste Weekend, (March 23rd - 25th 2007) with a Rally Show for the public on the Friday evening, the Rallyfeste Rally, and a celebration dinner marking four decades of Rallying in New Zealand on the Saturday evening.

Saturday March 24th will see the Rally event start at Hamilton’s Waikato Event’s Centre (Claudlands), at 8.00am, with rally competitors will travelling north to first tackle four high speed sealed special stages on closed roads in the North Waikato area, followed by four gravel stages in the “home of rallying” the Maramarua Forest.

Rallyfeste organisers encourage past and present competitors, enthusiasts, and officials from the all of the four decades to participate, and ask that they register now to keep up to date with the planning and details for the rally and celebration events.

With a vision to the future of rallying, any profits arising from the Dunlop Rallyfeste weekend will be donated to the Motorsport New Zealand Rally Scholarship Trust.”

Further information is available on the Dunlop Rallyfeste website - www.rallyfeste.co.nz

ENDS

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