Results

Maraetai Autocross Results – 10/02/2019

by | Feb 22, 2019 | Latest News, Results | 0 Comments

Results here

We had a fantastic day In Maraetai at the autocross kindly hosted by Ian Vincent
The weather turned it on, there was a cooling breeze playing across the hillside, a view out to the ocean and a huge two tiered paddock with a tonne of strategically placed cones.

My happy place.  I may one day be persuaded to leave city life if I could have a paddock like this one to play in.
I was only going to do COC duties and caravan because Kingsley couldn’t make it and I had my 2 mini’s with me (and I confess – I’m pretty rubbish towing a trailer) but a chance conversation with my brother in law the night before – who was once a pretty good peddler himself – had me loaning my starlet out to him and my 14 year old nephew, because if they took it out- well, then I could drive it too!  Win win win.

My daughters stepped up beautifully to help, recording times from the cool of the caravan while Paddy and Ian Ireland were out in the heat of it with the stop watches, eagle eyed at all the penalties the boys were incurring.  On either end of the penalties scale are the Jones’s…. myself not getting a single one (no apex was harmed that day- shoulda cut in a bit more) and young Zeal with 6 on his first run – but that could have be his Dads navigation skills.
My excuses for poor performance are the seat is too far back and I muffed changing back to first a few times when I couldn’t get the clutch all the way in, and the few times I tried to pull the handbrake I would knock the gear stick into neutral instead. So definitely some things to work in now I’ve finally sat in the starlet.

It was a brilliant day, the usual lament of “where the bloody hell are ya?” To all who weren’t there, a few more competitors would have made the effort given by Paddy to put the day on all the more worthwhile.

It was great to see the mix of novice and experience throwing all manner of machinery around, well done to all who competed and a special well done to the Jones boys – the old & retired rally driver taking fastest time and the 14 year old schoolboy on his first autocross- both beating me convincingly in my own car.

Hmmmmmm…  Might need a rematch.

Madam secretary.