Sun Gods Smile On Sprint
Wednesday 29 April 2009, 11:43AM
By Little Devil Entertainment
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The Ruakaka Street Sprint held on Sunday was a success, enjoyed by all and missed by forecasted wet weather which threatened but never eventuated despite dark clouds looming near by.
"We had a few small drizzles but although there were dark clouds all around us we more or less had dry weather all day." said event organiser Brendon Oakden.
Incredibly in most other parts of the region including inner Whangarei the rainfall was very heavy.
The annual event, held south of Whangarei near Marsden Point, attracted over 30 entrants from Northland and Auckland, and even as far away as the USA in the form of ex-Kiwi Steve Millen.
Millen, who was the star of the show in his stunning Ford GT40 race car, placed third overall hitting up against staunch competition from Aucklanders Jason Gill and Peter 'PJ' Johnston.
Johnston took second place with a best time of one minute 12.18 seconds in his historical and impressive Ford RS200.
The 1986 four wheel drive rally car boasts 450 horspower and was built in the era of the infamous and since discontinued Group B rally cars.
Taking overall honours for the Ruakaka Street Sprint was Jason Gill in his Mitsubishi Evolution IX with his best time of one minute 24.56 seconds.
Gill recently took overall 'Modern' honours at the two day Targa Bambina held throughout Franklin and Waikato.
The Mitsubishi was equally impressive as the GT40 and RS200 but able to get the better of the two on the day by around a second and a half to second placed Johnston and nearly another second again over Millen.
This year's entrants were allowed up to seven runs on the street course with organiser Brendon Oakden happy with the turn out but looking for a rise in numbers next year.
"I think we got a pretty good turn out this year considering we didn't hold it last year and there wasn't as much publicity about it as there could be." he said.
The highest placed driver from hosting region Northland was Graham Walker in a historical open-wheeled Titan race car achieving a best time of one minute 27.98 seconds.