Hutt Valley Motorsport Club driver Andrew Thomas gasses up his Toyota Corolla before winning the 0cc-1600c A Class on the Brunswick Rd leg of the Wanganui Car Club's dual hill climbs over the weekend. Photo / Lewis Gardner
Hutt Valley Motorsport Club driver Andrew Thomas gasses up his Toyota Corolla before winning the 0cc-1600c A Class on the Brunswick Rd leg of the Wanganui Car Club's dual hill climbs over the weekend. Photo / Lewis Gardner
Hometown knowledge proved crucial in the Wanganui Car Club's dual hill climbs over the weekend, with Damian Johnson leading the charge in his Mitsubishi Galant, breaking records along the way.
Johnson posted the fastest times on both the Pukerimu Rd track near Maxwell on Saturday and on the Brunswick Rdcircuit on Sunday. Racing in the 4wd E class, Johnson posted the only sub-minute run on Pukerimu Rd with a 57.47s pass and then franked that form with a quick 1.19.48 run on the slightly longer Brunswick Rd track.
These fastest times broke the longstanding records on both tracks by a substantial margin.
His performances gave him overall fastest times on both days and a win in his class.
Whanganui drivers completely dominated on Saturday, winning every class they competed in, leaving Hutt Valley's Alan Austin to take the 3900cc+ D Class in his Mazda RX7 as the only competitor to clock an official time with his 1.01.05 run.
Austin also won the D Class on Sunday with a 1.19.79 pass, which was second fastest of the day on Brunswick Rd. It also broke the longstanding Brunswick Rd record, although that was superseded later in the day by Johnson.
Alan Austin ran second fastest time in his Mazda RX7 on Brunswick Rd breaking the record on Sunday only to have it superceded later in the day.
Ironically, Austin is from Whanganui, but drove out of the Hutt Valley Motorsport Club over the weekend.
Whanganui drivers Stu Robertson and Luke van Dalen won their respective classes on both days - Robertson the 1601cc-2000cc B Class in his MK1 Ford Escort, clocking 1.04.77 on Saturday and 1.28.90 on Sunday. Van Dalen claimed the 2000cc-3900cc C Class both days in his Toyota MR2 with 1.02.46 and 1.26.41 runs.
Stu Robertson and his MK1 Ford Escort was one of three Whanganui combinations to win their class on both days of the Wanganui Car Club's dual hill climb event over the weekend. Photo / Lewis Gardner
Austin's Hutt Valley Motorsport clubmate Andrew Thomas was the only other visiting driver to win a class on either day, when he pushed his Toyota Corolla to victory in the 0cc-1600cc A Class on Sunday with a 1.28.54 pass.
Results
Pukerimu Rd Saturday, November 23
Fastest time: Damian Johnson 57.47 Mitsubishi Galant Whanganui
0-1600 cc Class A 1st John Gray 1.05.41 Toyota Corolla Whanganui Class A 2nd Andrew Thomas 1.05.49 Toyota Corolla Hutt Valley Class A 3rd Jane Stella 1.11.63 Toyota Tureno Dannevirke 1601-2000cc Class B 1st Stu Robertson 1.04.77 Ford Escort MK1 Whanganui Class B 2nd David Graham 1.05.90 Datsun Manawatū Class B 3rd Brett Tasker 1.6.68 Datsun Whanganui 2000-3900cc Class C 1st Luke Van Dalen 1.02.46 Toyota MR2 Whanganui Class C 2nd Michael Carrick 1.11.93 Triumph 2500 Wellington 3901+cc Class D 1st Alan Austin 1.01.05 Mazda RX7 Hutt Valley 4wd Class E 1st Damian Johnson 57.47 Mitsubishi Galant Whanganui Class E 2nd Mark McGinniss 1.03.15 Subaru Imprezza Whanganui Class E 3rd Ken Lilford 1.04.78 Nissan Skyline Whanganui
Brunswick Rd Sunday, November 24
Fastest time: Damian Johnson 1.19.48 Mitsubishi Galant Whanganui
0-1600cc Class A 1st Andrew Thomas 1.28.54 Toyota Corolla Hutt Valley Class A 2nd Greg Hart 1.37.40 Toyota Levin Hutt Valley Class A 3rd Jane Stella 1.37.45 Toyota Tureno Dannevirke 1601-2000cc Class B 1st Stu Robertson 1.28.90 Ford Escort MK1 Whanganui Class B 2nd John Gray 1.29.95 Toyota Corolla Whanganui Class B 3rd Gareth Stanley 1.31.93 Honda Integra Manawatu 2000-3900cc Class C 1st Luke Van Dalen 1.26.41 Toyota MR2 Whanganui Class C 2nd Jared Neilson 1.31.49 Honda Civic Taranaki Class C 3rd Paavo Torkkola 1.43.90 Rover SD1 Taihape 3901+cc Class D 1st Alan Austin 1.19.79 Mazda RX7 Hutt Valley Class D 2nd Paul Tulloch 1.26.55 Toyota MR2 Whanganui 4wd Class E 1st Damian Johnson 1.19.48 Mitsubishi Galant Whanganui Class E 2nd Mark McGinniss 1.25.96 Subaru Imprezza Whanganui Class E 3rd Ken Lilford 1.28.16 Nissan Skyline Whanganui
