Bay driver jan 17 2 by Sun Media

Friday 17 January 2014

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Friday 17 January 2014

Weekend Sun Friday 17 JanuaryThe 2014

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Reliving the muscle car era Brought up in an engineering family in Hamilton, Dale Mathers had oil flowing in his veins from an early age. The Tauranga mechanic and long-time figure in the Historic Muscle Car scene, was following in his father’s tracks from an early age – but instead of building farm implements, he was making mini bikes and go karts in his father’s workshop. Weekends at the old Baypark raceway and Hamilton’s Forest Lake stadium watching his dad doing dirt track speedway racing fuelled his interest in racing. “Motorsport’s been in my blood since a young age,” says Dale, who remembers being mesmerised at 11 watching “loud and spectacular” factory Trans-Am Boss and Shelby Mustangs go head to head. Ask too many questions about his personal background and he tries to turn the interview back around to the “real star”, the historic muscle cars. It’s the same for the Bay Driver photographer when she visits his workshop and is told to focus on his 1969 Boss 302 Mustang. Dale followed his father into competitive dirt track speedway racing at 19. About the same time, he was building performance car engines – mainly for Anglias and Cortinas – for himself

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and his friends. The passionate Ford fan had been turned on to the brand for its top performing cars at a great price. In his early years, he went through a series of British Fords from a 105E Anglia through to Fairlanes and his first Mustang, a 1968 J-code fastback he drag-raced at Baypark. In 1984 his passion for cars from the era was boosted when he worked in California for four years, following the muscle scene at major tracks in the area and exporting Mustangs back to New Zealand. Dale remembers being impressed by the scene’s focus on fun and offering an accessible recreation outlet. “We wanted to keep up the fun factor. It was just something not too serious and not too expensive, but there’s always going to be a bit of expense with motorsport.” Along with Hampton Downs director Tony Roberts and saloon car racing enthusiast and blogger (www.theroaringseason.com) Steve Holmes, Dale has been a driving force behind establishing the non-competition pre-1978 historic muscle car category. “It’s just about getting out there and having

fun,” says Dale, who himself regularly finishes races near the top, including in some events at last year’s New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing and recently in Queensland. He was part of a Kiwi contingent which took it to the Aussies at events in June and July. “All our cars were competitive [in Australia] and I picked up a win myself, but that’s not what it’s really about.” The emphasis is also on sticking with the original setup for the 1965-1978 era cars, only allowing parts and material available from the factory. “It’s all about authenticity” says Dale, requiring everyone to stick to the 1967 FIA Group 2 rules for modified saloons, ruling out big spoilers, modern brakes or suspension and requiring original body work and 15 inch wheels.

Dale, who specialises in cars from the era at Coastline Automotive, will be returning to the track at Hampton Downs today for the annual festival of motor racing. There will be two muscle car events every day of the festival, which runs during two weekends on January 17-19 and January 24-26. Fellow Western Bay historic muscle car fans Peter Stevenson (Mustang), Kevin Gimblett (Camaro) and Gary Raiti (Falcon) will be joining him on the track, with the 3000 cc-plus classics going up against the feisty Escorts, Minis and other smallbore racers in the Historic Saloon and GT class. Dale says the combination creates exciting racing, with the smaller cars faster on the corners. Australian drivers have taken part during the last two years – including seven last year – but the grid will be limited to Kiwis this festival, with a visiting contingent every second season cutting the cost of bringing cars over. But when it comes down to it, how do these historics stack up on the track? “It all depends on your diff settings, but I’ve done 260km/h – not bad for an old dinosaur,” says Dale, about By Hamish Carter his Mustang.

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Friday 17 January 2014

Weekend Sun Friday 17 JanuaryThe 2014

Bay Driver

The real play station Subaru XV

Looking for a mid-size car with a bit of funk? Something that has more space than the standard four-door, a bit more zizz than the usual family shopping cart and looks really hip? More importantly, do you want stunning handling that has been likened to the legendary WRX? This is one hot little number from Subaru that could be the answer to all your questions. The WRX’s little sibling, the new XV handles as well as it looks. Okay, so it hasn’t got the grunt of big brother but man, it’s nimble! It’s based on the platform and much of the

mechanics of the Impreza, but with a stretched wheelbase, higher ride height and an underbelly on steroids. The result is a striking and stylish SUV with a look and attitude of its own, and performance to match. The XV is loaded with features, gizmos and all the stuff that technology offers. But all that becomes secondary when you get out on the road and experience the drive. We were impressed with all of the dooflickies when first seated in the XV, but virtually forgot all about those excellent features once actually driving.

all of their vehicles since 1997. It’s the sort of joy of performance that immediately makes you want to forget about writing a review and just head for the hills. The Coromandel, the Kaimais. Even some east coast gravel. A beach or two. This little beastie just tugs at the heart strings, saying “drive me, now.” And the snow. If ever there was a zippy little mountain machine, it is the all-wheel-drive XV. There are snowboarders in our family who would sell their father to get their mitts on the wheel of one of these.

Dream to pilot

The other stuff

This amazing little hatchback, that Subaru dubs “the big small car” is a dream to pilot. It has the pep of the iconic 2 litre boxer quad cam chain drive (no cambelt) engine, plus through a six speed Automatic SLT gear box with the option of paddle shift, for economy and performance. I reckon the all-wheel-drive is the er x o B osed ntally-opp key to its stunning handling, by zo ri o H i Engine: 2.0 e. putting the power through to all in g en t l u ro tp u et o p um power wheels, means that all of the Subaru 4-cylinder ue: Maxim rq aximum o T M d . n m a rp XV models simply grip and go. It 0 0 2 Power 6 @ W /rpm 110k 00rpm. 2 feels perfectly balanced when the 4 @ m N 6 (DIN) kW n, o /rpm 19 si m is N power is on and unlike a lot of two sm ) n a IN al tr torque (D SLT manu d ee wheel drives, there’s absolutely no sp 6 : n o Transmissi tendency to pull from side to side. t. if sh m with paddle Some of the smaller front wheel k 0 10 gs, my: 7.0L/ g, 7x Airba n ti drives are positively dangerous, ra ty Fuel Econo fe P sa w Reverse tar ANCA ie S with a heap of power to just the V 5 r : ea ty R fe a t, S ssis nd Brake A front wheels. Not so the XV. It is a D B E , S AB so reassuringly stable it’s hard to d sp 6 2.0i Camera. l $38990. a u t believe this is a two litre hatch. n if a sh m le d d ad 6 sp SLT with p Price: 2.0i Subaru really pioneered the d sp 6 p o L (t it 0. 2.0 dle shif d a p h ‘crossover’ concept and have it w SLT $4099 SLT .0i-S 6 spd 2 . plenty of pedigree in this 0 9 9 4 4 $ $48990. market, having symmetrical ) el d o m spec all-wheel-drive is standard in

SPECS

Okay, eventually I have to stop raving about the handling, to tell you about the other stuff. Because it has heaps of other stuff. Firstly, the size is really interesting. It’s a little higher than a standard hatch, so you get a bit more space inside, plus a bit better road view than the standard height car. Its ground clearance is 220mm, compared with the Impreza’s 145mm. Yet it’s low enough overall to easily reach to load the full length roof rails with boards or kayaks; without the driver having to be from Avatar to reach the roof. The back seat leg room is truly impressive. You could put a leggy alien comfortably back there. With seats folded down, the cargo area is good for the overall size of the wagon. Then there’s the features. The three models share the same drive train and running gear. The other prices reflect the level of gizmos and cosmetics, with about $4000 worth of difference between models. The review car was the top-of-the-line ‘sport’ version, for $48,990 plus on-road costs. It has all the fruit, including some things us middle aged codgers hadn’t heard of. Yeah, yeah, we know about Bluetooth. However, we’d never before heard of a car that will read your texts out loud while you drive. Another feature,

a bit startling at first, is its clever fuel-saving attributes which help it achieve around 7 litres/100km – turning off the engine while stopped on the foot brake at traffic lights. Once it detects a change of pressure on the brake, it instantly and indiscernibly starts up again, ready to rock off the line. The XV-S has the works. Leather, sunroof, tinted glass, GPS, dual climate air, heated seats… and the list goes on and on. There’s the L model, which has some of those, priced at $44,990. Then the base model for $40,990 and a manual six speed at $38,990 (all excluding on road costs). Our test car’s controls and displays were a delight. The moderate-size dash screen doubles as a GPS map and a backing camera, and there’s another screen display above it, set further back, with every conceivable piece of information you could possibly need. And some. This is certainly a car for the technology fiends out there who love to connect, interact, communicate and drive like a trendsetter. Certainly, it is well pitched to the upwardly mobile young market; yet held plenty of appeal to us ‘more seasoned’ drivers. Happily, it’s also a car to celebrate that almost forgotten pleasure – the joy of exceptional handling! The suspension is firm and perky, noticeably tuned to cope with the slightly higher centre of gravity. You know, the buzz we used to get from tight cornering, balanced and smooth power delivery and those other tactile sensory experiences – before the invention of Playstation. Right, there’s a lot more to this little big car that I just don’t have time to explain right now. Talk to Darrel at Farmer Autovillage to find out more for yourself. I’m running out the door for another drive, before I have to give it back.

By Brian Rogers

The Weekend Sun

Bay Driver Friday 17 January 2014

Friday 17 January 2014

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Friday 17 January 2014

Weekend Sun Friday 17 JanuaryThe 2014

Students racing ahead When it comes to student projects, it doesn’t get much better than designing your own car. And that’s exactly what two Tauranga engineering students have just done. Ben Jackson and Kevin Duncan completed the final year of their engineering degrees by taking to the track racing their Waikato University-designed car in Melbourne. They are part of the university’s six-member design and build team which finished sixth out of 23 Australasian university teams in the Formula SAE competition. Ben says the team, the smallest in the Society of Automotive Engineers competition, is delighted with their result after the university’s team finished 13th the previous year – and were the top-ranked Kiwis. “We got to put into practice a lot of the skills we have learned during the last years and build a race car that performed amaz-

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ingly in the Australasian event. How exciting is that.” Teams were given a brief to design and build a single-seat open-wheeled race car that would appeal to weekend racers. Cars had to comply with set rules, including using any engine up to a maximum of 610cc. They designed and constructed the chassis, drive train, suspension, steering and bodywork to meet these regulations. Ben is particularly impressed with how the better electric cars in the competition performed, with the best electric model (RMIT University) achieving 10th place overall, saying it shows they can compete against petrol cars on cost and performance. This year Ben, who returns to Tauranga to

Bay Driver

Waikato’s car and team members (from back left) Brad Webb, Ben Jackson, Isaac Hayes, Kevin Duncan, Sam Brien; (front left) Michael Hoogendoorn, Daniel Lamb and Avinash Chavda. Absent; Mark Shrimpton.

do a PhD in titanium powder metallurgy in conjunction with TiDA, says he also enjoyed working on the project’s commercial aspects – including attracting sponsorship, controlling costs and designing for marketable appeal. Teams are judged on design, business and cost presentations, while the cars are also put through their paces with brake, noise and tilt tests, along with an autocross, 30-lap endurance, acceleration and skid pan events on the

track. The Waikato university team’s core six members were joined by three helpers in Melbourne. Designed for acceleration rather than a high top speed (150km/h), the car’s impressive power to weight ratio – similar to a Ferrari 360 – give it acceleration of 0 to 100km/h in under four seconds. Team members began working on the project together last March, with Ben taking responsibility for the electrical system while Kevin took charge of dry-sumping the Suzuki GSR 600 engine so it ran more reliably in the car. Ben says the project is a real team effort, including critical help from the University of Waikato as well as sponsors, Stainless Design, Waikato Bearings, OEX and Mainfreight. By Hamish Carter

The Weekend Sun

Bay Driver Friday 17 January 2014

Friday 17 January 2014

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Current Cody’s D1NZ National Drifting Championship leader ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett (Red Bull/ Speedhunters Mazda RX7) leads V8 Supercar ace Shane Van Gisbergen in a battle at the second 2013/14 series round at Whangarei. Photo credit: Photo by Fast Company/Erron Soon

Weekend Sun Friday 17 JanuaryThe 2014

Bay Driver

Motorsports Mount paradise

Motorsport mania is set to grip Mount Maunganui bigger than ever this weekend with an all-star line-up of drifting and extreme sports producing New Zealand’s newest action sports festival. This weekend sees the return of the D1NZ National Drifting Championship to ASB Baypark – but in a highly-anticipated twist a NZ Allstars event comprising of freestyle motocross, BMX, and skate and scooter riders will make its maiden appearance. D1NZ Events Limited chief executive Brendon White says more than 300 competitors will be on hand to thrill the crowd during the two days including 70 drifters,

50 BMX riders from New Zealand and Australia and 15 FMX riders. Brendon says NZ has been without an annual X Games-style extreme action sports event since the demise of Vodafone X-Air – and the unique mix of motorsport action at the combined event will fill the gap. “What the X Games did in the [United] States and Vodafone X-Air did here was provide a focus for athletes from all of the different disciplines,” says Brendon. “That's what we’d like to do with New Zealand Allstars – and that’s why we've had such a positive response from the key people in the various disciplines. The talk down in Tauranga is quite big, but the talk nationally is quite big as well.” With pre-sales on a record high for the

star-studded event, organisers are confident they can accommodate a 12,000-strong crowd – up on last year’s sell out 7500. For the new, combined event, the drift course will remain in the carpark area and there will also be FMX ramps for crowds to watch. Inside, in the 3500-capacity ASB Arena, the country’s largest temporary ramps will be set up for the BMX, skate and scooter competitions. “It is looking like the locals are going to open their arms and come along to the event. Everyone is really keen to pitch in and help because Tauranga doesn’t have a lot of motorsport events of this nature. “Our plan for 2015 is to grow it to have motocross at the speedway and surfing down at the Mount. We want it to be a

multi-sport and multi-venue event.” With such a strong Bay of Plenty drift scene there will also be strong interest in how Tauranga’s Cole Armstrong, Drew Donovan and Jodie Verhulst will go at the event. Tokoroa’s Nick Franklin is the rider to watch out for in the country’s first real Pro-Am FMX showdown, with competition set to come from Australian Truman Carroll and high profile local riders Mitch McHardy and Luke Smith. In keeping with the theme of action sport competition, Red Bull Thre3style champ DJ Scizzorhands will also host the inaugural New Zealand Allstars Iron Finger scratch battle inside the ASB Arena during the By Luke Balvert two days.

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Bay Driver Friday 17 January 2014

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Friday 17 January 2014

By Elaine

Don’t let impatience drive you to take risks

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Not easy to stop – Grant Wharton says trucks, like this one he drives, can’t be stopped quickly.

With the summer season upon us, it’s never more important to take it easy on the region’s roads, says truckie Grant Wharton. Grant, who frequently drives throughout the North Island, including along narrow winding roads, says impatient motorists are the biggest road hazard that truck drivers face. “Every week I have at least one close call, or have to take action to avoid a crash because of some driver who can’t wait until it’s safe to pass.” The Graeme Wright General Carriers, of Puriri near Thames, says the Coromandel’s roads are often the worst – with other tourist-loving regions, such as the Bay of Plenty, also facing lots of traffic during the summer holidays. “People don’t realise we know those roads better than they do, and will pull over to let them pass when it’s safe, but many can’t wait. “They put themselves, the truck drivers and other motorists in danger,” says Grant, who has lost count of the times he’s had to take action to prevent a collision in the last few months, let alone the 25 years that he’s been driving trucks.

Often, it’s the combined evasive actions taken by truckies and on-coming drivers which enables impatient motorists to get past without causing a crash. Grant says it makes him mad others are put in danger and have to pull over, or brake hard, to avoid some idiot who cannot wait. “I don’t know what the answer is, but I think people have no idea how hard it is to stop a 45 tonne fully-laden truck doing 80 km. We might be able to pull up in 100 to 200 metres, but [the truck] can do a lot of damage to anything in the way in that time.” Car drivers also don’t seem to realise how risky it is for big trucks to pull too far off the road either – as getting into loose metal or an uneven surface can cause their drivers to lose control. Motorists can be pretty rude too, says Grant. “Sometimes, when you do finally have somewhere safe to let them pass, they give you the fingers as they go by. They seem to think we deliberately hold them up, but we don’t. There are some places where we can’t pull over to let them pass.” Grant’s advice to drivers is – have consideration and respect for all other road users, “and don’t take stupid risks which put their own and others’ lives in danger”.

tRoëN C3 Auto

The 2014 Weekend Sun Friday 17 January

Human body not designed for high speed crashes Police are appealing to motorists to reduce their speed this summer as “the human body is not designed to handle blunt force trauma”. Bay of Plenty district road policing manager Inspector Kevin Taylor says people need to consider the damage they can do to their bodies and other people if they are involved in a high speed crash. A campaign, which launched in November, focuses on preventing deaths and injuries by reducing speed, alongside greater visibility of Police. In a first, the reduced speed tolerance is being extended beyond an official holiday period. A 4km/h maximum threshold will be enforced on every speed limit nationwide by Police throughout the whole of December and January. “It’s just another step to making roads safer in New Zealand, of which Bay of Plenty is a part,” says Kevin. “The open road speed limit of 100km/h is the maximum – it’s not a target, it’s the maximum safe speed in most circumstances you can travel.” Kevin says police know from their experience with holiday weekends during the last two to three years that when they introduce a lower speed tolerance, by in large, people abide by it and the results speak for themselves. “We have had some outstanding results positively on the road toll when we have introduced that,” says Kevin. “How it will stack up longer term, as the commissioner said, lets trial it and see what happens.” Kevin says two months is a long time when previously the tolerance has only been done for a long weekend, but it’s worth a try. “If you were a family member of someone who was going to be around for the holidays, who could potentially otherwise not be here; then you would be quite thankful for it.” By Letitia Atkinson

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