Veteran rally man takes the wheel

JOHN Esler has been around rallying for so many years, (he's coming to 30 years membership of the Wairarapa Car Club, which earns him life membership), that it's surprising to hear that he's never driven in one.
He's helped organise them, he's navigated for various people and he's been a service crew member, but he's never taken the wheel in a rally. That's going to change next year, he reckons, when he finally gets his V6 Escort built for the classic section of Rally Wairarapa.
"I've only had club cars up till now," he says. "This will be the last car I build" (yeah, right) "and I want it to last as long as I do."
John was to have driven the car this year, but other things got in the way. The 48-year-old businessman (he owns Jemee Engineering) says work has to come first, and then there's other people's projects.
"The problem is I have too many mates, with stock cars and speedway cars. From October I find I have lots of friends, and I like to help where I can," he says.
John started work on the current Escort after his previous one broke in half on the same day the (Nissan) motor died. It was a New Zealand replica of an RS1800, and originally had a 1300cc engine. (It also had a "Baby BDA" sticker). In that car John won a Wellington Motorsport Association gravel sprint series, one of the highlights of his competition career.
Friends contributed various bits for the new car, including a couple of spare V6 engines, the Fiat gearbox and Zephyr diff. He enjoys the intellectual as well as mechanical challenges involved (he's moved the motor back to improve balance and rebuilt the rear suspension to accommodate coil springs and 15in wheels) but finding time's the thing.
"I'd love to shut the doors and just concentrate on that," he says.
That car was to be his 48th birthday present to himself, so he's running a bit behind on that. His 50th birthday present is to be the Ford Bonus truck that shares the shed with another project, a Capri. That started as a simple repair and became a major rebuild.
John's role on the Rally Wairarapa committee is "technical engineer", which he translates to "general dogsbody". He's made various bits of equipment, including a start/finish ramp, flashing lights and so on. He's also the local contact for the Wellington members of the committee.
It's good to see rallying again having a high profile in Wairarapa he says. It used to be strong in the 70s, but died away for a few years.
Rallying has changed a lot over the years, with safety requirements, both local and FIA, much more stringent. The shape of rallies has also changed, with central servicing points making organisation much easier.
The sport relies heavily on the support of the local community, and that can have its moments. One remote back-country stage has been cancelled because of one man's opposition.
It's wasn't the civilised write-a-letter style of opposition, more a shotgun-wielding
"I'll shoot any bastard that comes down my road" stance.
Point taken, and rally moved.