KEY POINTS:
A rivalry spanning decades is set to resume in the Woodhill forest northwest of Auckland at Queen's Birthday Weekend.
On Sunday, June 1, New Zealand's oldest and toughest off-road race, the SFL Woodhill 100, will pit two of the sport's top drivers against each other and will once more test the boxer flat four engine format against the most advanced Japanese production engine technology.
Manukau's Tony McCall and West Auckland's Ian Foster are the leading proponents of boxer power - the strong and simple air-cooled flat four engines popularised by the venerable VW Beetle almost 60 years ago.
These two are also fierce rivals on the track.
Foster is making a comeback in a new Ryan single-seater. He is a former national off-road racing champion and multiple Woodhill 100 winner, and has imported a turn-key aftermarket flat four direct from the United States.
Multiple national champion McCall has also stood on the top step of the podium at Woodhill.
His Cougar single-seater is the sport's most successful car of all time and he was instrumental in evolving the classic Cougar race car to a 2007 aerodynamic body shape.
His car runs a 3-litre, flat four boxer engine with a Porsche transaxle gearbox. Geared for a top speed of 220 km/h, it is specially set up to cope with the punishing sand tracks and many jumps of the Woodhill course.
The boxer engine has won more Woodhill events than any other format.
McCall says between himself and Foster he expects to see the event fall once more to a driver using the flat four engine this year.
"It's going to come down to luck and preparation, and I can't say which boxer will take the chequered flag, but I reckon the big fight at the front will be between Ian and me," says McCall.
"Lucky we are old enough to have the sense not to take each other out."
Legendary among drivers for the sheer difficulty of even reaching the finish line, the SFL Woodhill 100 is 28 years old this year.
Organiser Donn Attwood says this year's course will be tough but fast, and he's refuting claims made in past years that the event is a car or component-breaker.
"I think some people get sucked into that mentality and that's more about preparation and driving style than the course itself," says Attwood.
"I drove my first five Woodhills in a VW Challenger buggy and had four finishes out of those five years, so it's not impossible to get a good, strong finish record going - you just have to build the car right and drive with your brain."
This year's course will be slightly different from 2007, covering eight 25km laps for a total distance of 200km and with some new sections of road inserted to freshen the challenge. Organisers are also evaluating removal of a sandy ridge road that has caused problems in the past.
"We've put some great new roads into this year's track, though the classic start-finish jump and the things that make the Woodhill so awesome have definitely been kept," says Attwood.
"It's the sport's oldest and most iconic race, after all. Why mess with success?"
He says with the sport the strongest it has been in two decades, the Woodhill is expected to attract a strong entry.
"Shorter laps mean more chances to see the cars racing," says Attwood. "Couple this with the chance to get close to the action as the best race drivers in the sport tackle this spectacular course, and you have some great viewing for families and hard-out motorsport fans alike."
Qualifying races start at 8.30am, and the main race begins at 11am.
