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Otago Daily Times
30-07-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
Quality field set to line up for Barry Robinson Memorial Wyndham Rally
In 2023, the Eastern Southland Car Club resurrected the Wyndham Rally, an event they had previously organised from 1977 to 1998. In doing so, the club paid tribute to South Island rally great Barry Robinson, who died in March 2022. Robinson was a popular competitor who led the 1983 New Zealand Rally Championship into the final round only to suffer an engine failure which cost him the title and left him the championship runner-up. Robinson farmed in the Mokoreta area near Wyndham during the height of his rallying career and had plenty of success in rallies. A quality field will descend on Wyndham for this year's event. The 2023 winners, Andrew and Hayden Graves, of Gore, in their Mitsubishi EVO 3, are the top seeds. The duo did not compete here last year, instead concentrating their efforts on the New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) in which Andrew won the drivers' title and son Hayden the co-driver championship. The second seed is the driver second in the NZRC, Robbie Stokes, of Waikuku, in the Ford Fiesta used by Gore driver Derek Ayson the past two years. Stokes is fresh from his fever NZRC round win at Canterbury recently and is coming south looking for points to assist his challenge for the Mainland Rally Series which he leads. He will have his sister, Amy, co-driving in this event. Caleb Macdonald, of Queenstown, and co-driver Larisa Biggar, of Australia, are the third seeds in an EVO 6. Macdonald finished third in 2023 and was very much in contention last year until a tyre came off the bead in the fourth special stage. He is third in the Mainland Series and leading the NZRC. Carter Strang, of Wallacetown, runner-up in this event for the past two years, starts behind him at four with Catriona Flynn alongside. Strang charged home last year taking 8.1sec out of winner Mark McMillan's lead on the final stage. Strang thoroughly enjoyed last year's event. "They are magic roads and it is so laid-back. I was touch and go in that last stage though." Strang finished second in last year's NZRC and was rookie of the year while Flynn was runner-up in the championship co-driver standings. There are two Australians in the rally — Richard Galley and Peter Leicht — and entries from all over New Zealand including from as far north as Ruakākā. The rally is based around the township of Wyndham, 45km east of Invercargill and 25km south of Gore. It will start at the MLT Three Rivers Hotel in Redan St, Wyndham at 9am on Saturday. The first special stage is Jesco Hydraulics Tuturau over 21.15km. Challenge Marshalls Garage Wyndham Valley, over 17.49km, is the second stage before the 28.12km Derek Ayson-PGG Wrightson Real Estate Waikawa Valley stage. Stage 4, the Marshall's Excavating-Pine Bush stage over 25.99km is followed by a new stage, the 13.95km Advance Agriculture Graham Rd, before the final 30.45km iHire 0800 24 7 Rent Fortification stage. The first car is expected to cross the finish line back at the MLT Three Rivers Hotel in Wyndham just before 3.30pm. During the day there will be three service parks — the first in Wyndham after stage 1 and two in Tokanui, about 44km from Wyndham, the first after stage 3 and then again after stage 5. The winning crew will be awarded the Barry Robinson Memorial Trophy. The rally is round 4 of the Mainland Rally Championship, round 4 of the H6 Cup and also carries points towards the Eastern Southland Car Club Rally Championship. Sponsors this year include Traffic Management Services and Yuasa Batteries with support from the Southland District Council, Gore District Council and the landowners on the rally route. By Lindsay Beer
Scoop
28-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Club Milestone At Barry Robinson Memorial Wyndham Rally
The Barry Robinson Memorial Wyndham Rally returns to the roads of the area on Saturday 2 August. The rally, which remembers the feats of the Mokereta farmer who was a very successful rally driver including finishing runner-up in the 1983 New Zealand Rally Championship, was instigated by the Eastern Southland Car Club in 2023. In addition to remembering Robinson, this year's event will also mark 50 years since the club held its first special stage rally, a Gore based event in March 1975. There are slight changes to the route of this year's event with an extra Special Stage increasing the length of high-speed competition to 137.15 kilometres and many of the stages to be contested in a different sequence this year. As usual the rally is based around the township of Wyndham, 45 kilometres east of Invercargill and 25km south of Gore. It will start at the MLT Three Rivers Hotel in Redan Street, Wyndham at 9.00am on Saturday 2 August with the first Special Stage at Tuturau over 21.15km. Wyndham Valley, over 17.49km is the second stage before the 28.12km Waikawa Valley stage. Pine Bush, over 25.99km is next with a new stage, the 13.95km Graham Road, next before the final 30.45km Fortification stage. Assistant Clerk of the Course, Roger Laird says, 'having driven the route twice with Clerk of the Course Craig Jessop, as we did checks and alterations for the Rally Safe system the new formation of stages drive really well and I am sure competitors will enjoy it. Craig has done a huge amount of work in creating the new route.' The first car is expected to cross the finish line back at the MLT Three Rivers Hotel in Wyndham just before 3.30pm. During the day there will be three service parks – the first in Wyndham after Stage 1 and two in Tokanui, approximately 44 km from Wyndham, the first after Stage 3 and then again after Stage 5. The event will be Round 4 of the Mainland Rally Championship, Round 4 of the H6 Cup Rally Series and the opening round of the 2025/2026 Eastern Southland Car Club Rally Championship Cup. Sponsors this year include Traffic Management Services and Yuasa Batteries with support from the Southland District Council, Gore District Council and the landowners on the rally route. The event prizegiving will take place in Gore at the MLT Croydon Lodge with the winning crew awarded the Barry Robinson Memorial Trophy. The leading Otago Sports Car Club driver in the event receives the Glen Shirlaw Memorial Trophy while the best crew in class from the Central Otago Motorsport Club win the Barry Robinson Trophy or if no crew finishes it will go to the top driver from the club.
Otago Daily Times
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
Memorial rally returns to Southland roads in August
The Barry Robinson Memorial Wyndham Rally returns to the roads of the area on Saturday, August 2. The rally, named after the Mokoreta farmer who was a very successful rally driver, including finishing runner-up in the 1983 New Zealand Rally Championship, was established by the Eastern Southland Car Club in 2023. In addition to remembering Robinson, this year's event will also mark 50 years since the club held its first special stage rally, a Gore-based event in March 1975. There are slight changes to the route this year with an extra special stage increasing the length of high-speed competition to 137.15km. Many of the stages will be contested in a different sequence this year. As usual, the rally is based around the township of Wyndham, 45km east of Invercargill and 25km south of Gore. It will start at the MLT Three Rivers Hotel in Redan St, Wyndham at 9am on Saturday, August 2, with the first special stage at Tuturau over 21.15km. Wyndham Valley, over 17.49km, is the second stage before the 28.12km Waikawa Valley stage. Pine Bush, over 25.99km is next with a new stage, the 13.95km Graham Rd, next before the final 30.45km Fortification stage. "Having driven the route twice with clerk of the course Craig Jessop, as we did checks and alterations for the Rally Safe system, the new formation of stages drive really well and I am sure competitors will enjoy it," assistant course clerk Roger Laird said. "Craig has done a huge amount of work in creating the new route." The first car is expected to cross the finish line back at the MLT Three Rivers Hotel in Wyndham just before 3.30pm. During the day there will be three service parks — the first in Wyndham after stage one and two in Tokanui, about 44km from Wyndham, the first after stage three and then again after stage five. The event will be round four of the Mainland Rally Championship, round four of the H6 Cup Rally Series and the opening round of the 2025-26 Eastern Southland Car Club Rally Championship Cup. Sponsors this year include Traffic Management Services and Yuasa Batteries, with support from the Southland District Council, Gore District Council and the landowners on the rally route. The event prizegiving will take place in Gore at the MLT Croydon Lodge and the winning crew will be awarded the Barry Robinson Memorial Trophy. The leading Otago Sports Car Club driver in the event receives the Glen Shirlaw Memorial Trophy, while the best crew in class from the Central Otago Motorsport Club win the Barry Robinson Trophy. If no crew finishes, it will go to the top driver from the club. —APL
Otago Daily Times
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
Gilmour itching to get back in the seat
Emma Gilmour It has not been too long between rallies, but Emma Gilmour is eager to get back behind the wheel this weekend. The Dunedin driver will take her Citroen C3 rally car to Rally South Canterbury tomorrow. The one-day Timaru-based event is the New Zealand Rally Championship's second round and not too far from home for Gilmour, who is fresh from a successful testing day last weekend with the Paddon Rallysport team. "The Otago Rally was only a month ago, but seat time is something all of us drivers crave," Gilmour said. "It was great to be back in the C3 on Sunday for our short test near Alexandra. "I'm keen to keep up the momentum from the season-opener and build on that with [Australian co-driver] Ben [Searcy] to push our fifth place finish at Otago up on to the podium in Timaru. "I felt like I really got to grips with the C3 again at my home event in April and I'm keen to see what Ben and I can do on the South Canterbury roads." The rally will be run over eight special stages, totalling about 148km of competitive action and 224km of touring. Rally fans can catch the teams at the ceremonial start from 5.30pm in the Mitre 10 Timaru carpark. The first car starts from Timaru's Levels Raceway at 7.30am tomorrow, with the service parks based in Cave and Temuka. The rally's completion back at Levels about 3.30pm will be an ideal place to see Gilmour and the other drivers in action. The race circuit will double as the final stage of the event and the cars will complete four laps of the full track on rally tyres. Following Rally South Canterbury, the competition moves further up the South Island to the Canterbury Rally in Christchurch on June 1. After a mid-season break, teams will head to the North Island for another returning event, Rally Coromandel, to be held on August 23 from Whitianga. The series then moves to the Tauranga-based Rally Bay of Plenty on October 11, before the second two-day round of the season, the International Rally of Whangarei, to finish the championship on November 7-9. — APL
