Father & Daughter Combine For Catlins Coast Rally

Father And Daughter Combine For Catlins Coast Rally

The day Katie Taylor was born her father, well known Timaru rally competitor Mark Taylor, won the 0-1300cc class in the Autosport Rally near Christchurch. Thirteen years on Mark is still competing while Katie is about to make her rallying debut when she co-drives for her father in the Catlins Coast Rally on Saturday 4 August.
 
The duo will compete in Mark's 1976 Ford Escort RS2000 and Katie, a Year 8 student at Timaru's Sacred Heart School, says she is "pretty excited about it." While it will be the youngster's first time in the heat of competition she is no stranger to the sport.

"I've been around motorsport as long as I can remember," she says. "We have always gone to Levels (Timaru International Motor Raceway) to watch motorsport and I've always been around when dad has been racing and rallying. I've been to the Catlins Coast Rally three or four times with dad as well."
 
Now that she is thirteen Katie has recently obtained her National Rally Licence and father and daughter have done some laps together at a recent test day at Levels. "She'll be great," says her proud father.

"She knows her way around - she used to check the timecards for my previous navigator. At thirteen years of age it will be a huge learning curve for her but it is exciting for both of us."
 
Meanwhile the Taylor family are looking forward to a good run at what Mark describes as one of his favourite events along with his home event, the Rally Of South Canterbury.

"I haven't had a great run of late," he says. "We've had a couple of reliability issues and the main aim is to get to the end. We're running in the Classic 2-wheel-drive section in the Mainland Series and we are second in the class to Groove (Christchurch driver Robert McCallum). We are looking for a reasonable points finish."
 
Mark Taylor jokes that having Katie in the co-drivers seat will be very different to what he is used to. "My last two co-drivers were big guys. One was close to seven foot tall and the other was close to 100kg - it's nice to have someone a little lighter on board," he laughs.
 
The father and daughter pairing will be amongst a strong field who will start the 2007 Catlins Coast Rally from Owaka Motors premises in Owaka at 9.00am on Saturday 4 August. Competitors will battle out the event over nine Special Stages and 152 kilometres with the first car expected to finish at Balclutha's Rosebank Lodge at 4.24pm.

Major support for the rally comes from Rosebank Lodge, SouthRoads, MWH and Owaka Motors while Century Batteries are supporting television coverage that will see the event filmed for both Sky and Prime Television by Leggeworks. 

The event is Round 4 of the Mag & Turbo Warehouse Mainland Rally Championship as well as the third and final round of the Laird Motorsport Southern Rally Series 07.
 
ENDS

© Scoop Media