KEY POINTS:
A record field of 75 cars and trucks has boosted the profile of New Zealand's largest single international motorsport event.
No other international race has ever attracted an entry of this size to this country. Even the Rally of New Zealand last weekend could only muster 65 entries
to compete over 360 kilometres in three days of competition. By contrast, drivers in the coming weekend's two-day Asset Finance Taupo 1000 face no less than 500km a day if they are to lead or even just stay in touch with the top five.
Entries for the 2007 Taupo 1000, the country's longest and toughest off-road race, closed with 75 racers from NZ, Australia and the United States confirmed and another 15 potential late entries yet to confirm.
Race director Tony Saelman says there are 18 confirmed entries in class one, the fastest in the sport, more than 10 of the crowd-pleasing V8 ThunderTrucks, and almost as many entries in the Super 1600 class for cars with engines up to 1.6 litres, many of which are almost as fast as class one.
Top entries include four former race champions: Clim Lammers and Melvin Rouse, both from Northland, Mt Albert's Alan Butler and two-time winner Tony McCall. Also in class one is Nelson's Neville Basalaj in a powerful, American-built Jimco Chev two-seater, which has led but not won the Taupo race for its previous owner.
Saelman says other class one drivers worth watching include keen single-seater teams: Hawkes Bay's Shayne Huxtable and Beachlands racer Neville Max Smith.
Huxtable has a fast Nissan-powered Cougar ideally suited to the twisty sections of the course.
Smith's Cougar is a different proposition. It is an advanced version of the classic Cougar concept, the most successful design in the history of the sport in this country. Smith, a Cougar co-founder with Tony McCall, has produced what may be the ultimate Cougar, with a 300kW Honda VTEC turbo intercooled engine and five speed Albins race transmission.
The other class one entry that could surprise is the recently acquired two-seater Southern Cross of Whakatane's Clive Thornton. The car runs a powerful GM V6 fuel-injected engine and, although he had a late start to the 2007 season, Thornton has already won once in a regional event and taken podium positions at the penultimate and final rounds of this year's national championship.
Ryan Millen and Kevin Necessary are the American entries. Both will be driving race versions of the Toyota FJ. Millen is the son of famous California-based Kiwi motorsport identity Rod Millen, and has raced in New Zealand before, though in the Formula Ford track racing series and not in the wilds of the production pine forests he will experience this weekend.
The event's international numbers have been boosted by two Australian entries, Roly Dixon in a Rivmasta buggy in class one and David Jameson who is bringing a production class Suzuki Vitara.
The Jameson team is coming prepared, bringing an almost complete Vitara as rolling spares for the race vehicle.