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Otago Daily Times
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
'It's fast, high adrenaline': South Island drifting champ's burning ambition
Drifter Sheldon Kneale at the recent Drift South Pro Series championship. PHOTO: SUPPLIED South Island drifting champion Sheldon Kneale has his sights on national success. The 30-year-old Ashburton driver won the recent Drift South Pro Series championship and is lining up for the New Zealand pro-sport series next year. He has come a long way from when he first started drifting more than 10 years ago. Thrill-seeking Kneale, a keen mountain biker and BMX rider in his youth, attended a drift school run via the Christchurch Car Club in his late teens. He ''loved it'', and likened drift battles, at speeds of up to 170km/h, to the thrill of downhill mountain biking, with the same adrenaline rush. ''You are constantly on the verge of crashing into other people but so in control that you don't crash,'' he said. ''It's fast, high adrenaline. There's heaps I like about it.'' After his first training session he attended every track event he could. There were competitions every three to four weeks, he said. Sheldon Kneale in the winner's circle. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Drivers get points for line, angle and style during drift events. The highest score out of 100 wins. 'It's the fastest growing motorsport in the world,'' he said. Kneale has been with the South Island-based Drift South Pro Series for the past seven seasons. During that time, he has won the championship twice - most recently at Easter and has multiple podium finishes. He said there was plenty of camaraderie in the drifting community, with drivers from all walks of life taking to the motorsport. ''Everyone is in the same mindset … I've got friends who do it as well,'' he said. They remained friends, even in battle. Kneale said he could not do what he did without the support of wife Emily, mother Donna and dad Jason who he described as ''his right-hand man'' at drift competitions. The young drifter, a carpenter by day, works alongside his dad, Jason, in the family business, Southern Traverse Homes. ''We're working together and playing together,'' Kneale said with a grin. He also has the support of many in the building industry who were backing his motorsport ability with sponsorship from Aotea Electrical, Welshy Contracting, Placemakers Ashburton, Roddick Plumbing, Mike Greer Homes Mid and South Canterbury and Johnson's Panel and Paint. Brother-in-law Nathan Lodwidge from Full Spectrum Fabrication was also on his side. He kitted out Kneale's Nissan Silvia S13 for competition, including fitting the roll cage, gearbox, suspension and engine mount. Kneale said he has had two vehicles since taking up the sport: A 180SX Nissan Silvia, which was written off after a collision during an event – which still irked him – and his currrent 1990s Nissan Silvia, which is older than him. He considered his current car better than the first, and used a standard 235mm road radial tyre, not the wider tyre such as a 265mm, as it benefited him long-term for the D1NZ Pro-Sport Series, limited to the narrower tyre. Kneale said every venue had their own track layout but events could include up to 30 laps with solo practice runs, then qualifying ranking battles between two drivers, followed by elimination battles. He could replace anywhere from 14 to 20 tyres per event, at a cost of about $100 each. He said he got a good deal on tyres from Tyre Owl in Christchurch. His favourite track was the A-track version 2, at Ruapuna Motorsport Park, but he was impressed by Highlands MotorSport Park in Cromwell which he recently visited.
Otago Daily Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Hospitality chain takes over Lyttelton Club
The financially troubled Lyttelton Club will be taken over by the Armadillos restaurant chain from August. The 153-year-old club will lease its Dublin St premises to the South Island hospitality chain, which has committed to retaining all current staff. Details on membership options for existing club members are expected to be announced in the coming months. Under the new arrangement, the club will operate as The Lyttelton Tavern and Armadillos Lyttelton as part of the South Island-based chain. A meeting was held in March to discuss future options for the club after the governance committee said it lacked enough support from members and could not remain open. 'Despite (our) best efforts, there is not enough support for the club to remain open. We understand circumstances can change, but the lack of engagement and involvement from the broader membership base has ultimately led to this decision,' governance group member Steve Gallop said in an email to members in February. Speaking to The Star this week, Gallop said a 'declining and ageing membership' meant leasing the building to Armadillos was the best financial option. After The Star revealed in February the club's plans to close, governance group member Dwayne Pool said the original email 'said nothing about the club closing or being in financial difficulty' and claimed the media misrepresented the situation. However, the email clearly stated the club would be weighing up options, but 'either way, the Lyttelton Club will close'. It is not the first time the club has experienced financial woes. It came close to shutting in December 2022 due to pandemic-related pressures and insurance issues. Leasing was a proposed option in the March meeting along with a full sale or turning the building into a community centre. Under the new arrangement, some areas of the building, such as its private function venue, may stay under the operation of the club but this has not yet been determined, Gallop said. The exact structure and future of the club as an entity is also up in the air and will be decided on by members before the August rebrand. 'We feel this is an exciting new opportunity for Lyttelton and it means the building will continue to be used by the community,' Gallop said. The venue will be renovated and will feature a new menu. A new patrons club will also be launched, offering benefits to long-time members and newcomers alike, with more details to come. The venue will remain open during the transition. 'We're thrilled to be joining the Lyttelton community,' said Tony Crosbie, Armadillos Hospitality Group managing director. 'This venue has a rich history and loyal following, and we're committed to maintaining that strong community feel while giving the space some modern touches.'
