Trucking good: A championship of two halves

Big air from northern truck class leader Andrew Hawkeswood. Image by Darren Stanley

The 2021 New Zealand offroad racing championship is a tale of two islands

Rally driver Andrew Hawkeswood has become the early truck-class leader in the 2021 offroad racing championship. In the North Island's opening round the multi-talented Hawkeswood scored 70 point, holding a narrow lead over Nelson's Bruce McKenzie who completed the first southern round with 69.

The series kicked off in March with the opening northern round at the TECT motorsport park near Tauranga. The event was in short course format with four in-class heats on a track that features some of the biggest ‘berm’ corners in the country.

Hawkeswood scored two wins and two second places in his ProLite to finish the day with 70 points.

Defending overall national champion Nick Hall had a win, a second and a third placing in the trucks but was a non-finisher in the final heat.

Rob Cresswell won class four for improved trucks, taking a full 72 points. In the unlimited race car class, Brad Harvey had two wins and two second placings to take top points of 68 ahead of Shaun Russell and Justin Davies. Taranaki’s Brendon Old won class three, taking home 72 points.Class five went to Bradley Scott; class 7 was won by Brooklyn Horan and Challenger was won by Matthew Bishop, all with 72 points. Boston Morgan-Horan won the hotly contested U-class UTVs but netted only 46 points, while Joel Giddy won S class for modified UTVs. John Sarten won class 10 for motorcycle-engined cars with three second placings.

The Kiwitruck junior classes were won by Holly Russell (72 points); Kenna Baker (72 points) and Asher Morgan (70 points).

Meanwhile in the south, five drivers shared top points at the opening short course round at West Melton in early April. The biggest grids were in S class (modified UTVs), while the 29-strong entry left many classes with only one or two entries, handing those racers a clean run to maximum points.

Bruce McKenzie of Nelson took top points in Thundertruck, with Bryan Chang second despite only contesting one of the three heats. Chang’s Giti Chev blew its gearbox in the first race, though he won that heat by more than half a lap. Third was Darrin Thomason of Nelson.

Southern drivers with the maximum 72 points were Kadin Thomason and Riley Parkes (Kiwitruck M and J class); Taranaki racer Brendon Old in his 1.6-litre class three car; Steve Boyd (making a return to the championship in his Suzuki Vitara); and Tony Terrell who took a clean sweep in the U-class UTVs.

 

Bryan Chang, left, and Bruce McKenzie launch off the front straight tabletop as the first truck heat gets under way. Image by Morgan Dumelow

 

 

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