Andreassend leads into national finals at Christchurch

• North vs South in spectacular Championship battle
• Powell on fightback after damaging engine

There are scores to settle as the 2009 Asset Finance Offroad Racing National Championship heads for Christchurch at Labour Weekend.

Overall championship leader Dennis Andreassend of Nelson faces the most competitive class one field of the year, with defending national champion Daniel Powell of Christchurch and top North Island racers preparing to challenge him at the Hauraki Offroad Raceway out at West Melton.

Andreassend is racing the Cougar Evo single-seater class one race car campaigned in recent years by multiple national champion Tony McCall.

Defending national champion Daniel Powell is on a fightback after damaging his car’s turbocharged Nissan V6 engine while leading the Taupo 1000 last month.

Confirmed from the North Island are the new champion of the Asset Finance Taupo 1000, Clive Thornton; and new North Island regional champion Mal Langley. Hawkes Bay class one racer and outright Gwavas enduro winner Shayne Huxtable is also confirmed to head south for the final.

Entries for the event have already exceeded 45 and are likely to go beyond 50 cars. Going into this weekend’s racing, Andreassend has a narrow 12 point lead over fast Challenger-class racer Troy Tufnell, with Malcolm Langley third in his Super 1600-class car, just two points behind Tufnell. Fourth equal on points are Thornton and Huxtable; sixth is part-time Cantabrian Ryan Densem. Seventh equal on points are Geoff Matich, Daniel Powell and Mark French, with Simon Smith rounding out the top ten in his Sport Truck Toyota Hilux.

The race weekend features both crowd-pleasing short course stadium-style racing on the Saturday of Labour Weekend and a punishing 166 km endurance race in the forest adjacent to the track and near the banks of the Waimakariri River.

Short course sprint races start at 11.00 am on Saturday at the Radio Hauraki raceway, Weedons Ross Road, West Melton. The sprint races on the Saturday will feature three in-class heats and a handicapped all-in race.

A year on year programme of improvement to the track has seen thousands of tonnes of clay trucked in to the track, spectator stands built and modified shipping containers placed at the start line for lap scorers. The venue is now the best-developed and most spectacular offroad race track in the country.

The Pub Charity Endurance Race will be held on Sunday at the same venue and run on a 15 km lap in the forest.

The following day’s endurance race will also start on the short course track, offering ample spectator viewing. The enduro course is based in production pine forests but the course composition is unlike any raced elsewhere in the championship. Under light, loose silt soils the course base is pure loose river rock, meaning drivers have to plan overtaking attempts carefully to avoid being peppered with fist-sized rocks by the car in front.

Organisers of the national final are playing to the strengths of the venue and have also scheduled ATV (quad) races as part of the Saturday race programme.