Sun Gods Smile On Sprint
Media release: Wednesday 29th April 2009
Ruakaka
Street Sprint
Northland Car Club
Sunday 26th April
2009
Sun Gods Smile On Sprint
The Ruakaka
Street Sprint held on Sunday was a success, enjoyed by all
and missed by forecasted wet weather
which threatened but never eventuated despite dark clouds
looming near by.
"We had a few small drizzles but
although there were dark clouds all around us we more or
less had dry weather all day." said event organiser Brendon
Oakden.
Incredibly in most other parts of the
region including inner Whangarei the rainfall was very
heavy.
The annual event, held south of Whangarei
near Marsden Point, attracted over 30 entrants from
Northland and Auckland, and even as far away as the USA in
the form of ex-Kiwi Steve Millen.
Millen, who was
the star of the show in his stunning Ford GT40 race
car, placed third overall hitting up against staunch
competition from Aucklanders Jason Gill and Peter 'PJ'
Johnston.
Johnston took second place with a best
time of one minute 12.18 seconds in his
historical and impressive Ford
RS200.
The 1986 four wheel drive rally car
boasts 450 horspower and was built in the era of the
infamous and since discontinued Group B rally
cars.
Taking overall honours for the Ruakaka Street
Sprint was Jason Gill in his Mitsubishi Evolution IX with
his best time of one minute 24.56 seconds.
Gill
recently took overall 'Modern' honours at the two day Targa
Bambina held throughout Franklin and
Waikato.
The Mitsubishi was equally impressive as
the GT40 and RS200 but able to get the better of the two on
the day by around a second and a half to second placed
Johnston and nearly another second again over
Millen.
This year's entrants were allowed up to
seven runs on the street course with organiser Brendon
Oakden happy with the turn out but looking for a rise in
numbers next year.
"I think we got a pretty good
turn out this year considering we didn't hold it last year
and there wasn't as much publicity about it as there could
be." he said.
The highest placed driver from
hosting region Northland was Graham Walker in a historical
open-wheeled Titan race car achieving a best time of one
minute 27.98
seconds.
ends