LOCAL HERO WINS DRAMATIC WOODHILL 100

Muriwai local Mike Fraser is that latest to put his name on New Zealand offroad racing’s oldest trophy.

Held on its traditional Queen's Birthday Weekend date, the Woodhill 100 drew the biggest entry in the 2016 Polaris New Zealand Offroad Racing Championship and the strongest field of unlimited class racers this century: 97 cars were entered in the event, with 17 unlimited class race cars.

The 4WD classes were down on numbers compared to recent years but were led by the hard charging Raana Horan in his Nissan Titan V8.

Also in contention were the new modified-class UTV race cars, with Polaris team driver and defending national champion Ben Thomasen of Tauranga taking pole position for the race in his RZR Turbo.

Horan, McCall and Thomasen led the start, Thomasen swinging wide at the first corner to let McCall and Horan do battle on the long, fast straights of Coast Road.

In his Lexus V8 engined race car, Fraser started the ten lap race from tenth place. At the start he carved through the field, overtaking seasoned Polaris driver Mike Small on the dusty run down to the first corner, then a lap later Yamaha UTV racer Carl Ruiterman, while Nelson’s Nevil Basalaj joined the fray, also on a charge to the front.

“That first lap or two it was all a bit mad, fighting among the UTVs and the unlimited class cars, so I was just going all out and trying to stay on the pace. I was over-revving her a bit, especially under the trees, then I saw the temperatures coming up and realised I could change up a gear and go easier on the engine. I saw Nevil go past and then drop out and things started to come together,” he said afterward.

Basalaj’s car had broken an axle, while pole man Ben Thomasen damaged his rear suspension in the first lap and then blew his car’s transmission.

With the massive Raana Horan taking over the lead from Tony McCall on the second lap, Fraser set about chasing down the top four. He was fourth after three laps, then third as McCall went out with a broken clutch. Between him and Horan was the flying unlimited class Achilles Tatum Evo of James Buchanan, but the race was about to take a dramatic turn.

Buchanan crashed in a narrow section of track, sliding wide into clumps of toitoi that tipped his car over, and suddenly Fraser had the big dual exhaust pipes of Horan’s race truck in his sights. At the end of that lap Horan picked up a flat tyre and pitted to change it and Fraser swept through to lead. Horan resumed in second place, three minutes down, and with three laps to run the battle was intensifying.

Just a few minutes later, though, the red flags came out: the stricken car of James Buchanan had caught fire and the race was stopped. Quick action from race marshals, the Muriwai volunteer fire brigade and other racers got the fire under control and Buchanan was unhurt. His car was severely damaged.

The field toured around to the start area while the fire crew made sure the flames and hot spots were extinguished, then the race restarted.

“At the restart we were in track order, Mike Hay off the front in his Can Am. I could see Raana five vehicles behind us so I was going for it and with two laps to go it was all on.”

Behind the lead bunch, Cameron Taylor, Kyle van Harlingen and Ken Rowe tangled in the dust, blocking the track. Race organisers decided to end the race at this point with eight out of ten laps completed on safety grounds.

An elated Fraser took the win. Horan was second, left to reflect on what might have been his third Woodhill win; John Morgan brought his Chev V8 engined unlimited class car home third overall. Only Fraser and Horan completed the eight laps of the shortened race; Morgan in third place completed seven. The first UTV home was S-class driver Joel Giddy in seventh place.