Countdown to start of toughest offroad race

• 125 confirmed for 2013 ENZED Taupo 1000
• Three international crews go up against fastest locals
• Race covered for NZ and Australian TV

It’s a record – the 2013 ENZED Taupo 1000 international offroad race will be the biggest in the 21 year history of the event, with 125 entries confirmed.
Organisers say another 10-15 late entries are expected to add to the biggest-ever entry list for the longest, toughest, fastest offroad race in the southern hemisphere.
Taupo 1000 spokesperson Tony Saelman says the race has been a ‘massive’ challenge to organise, with an all-new course to plot, safety planning to complete and a complete pit ‘village’ covering more than one square kilometre of forest-edge farmland to map out.
“We have the best quality entry ever, an all-new course that will challenge drivers with terrain that runs from narrow forest tracks to logging highways, and the pit village is now almost complete.
It has been an epic build-up to an epic race, and I can’t wait for race day,” he said.
The Taupo 1000 runs every two years, and tests drivers and pit teams with a punishing task: completing the distance of Australia’s legendary Bathurst 1000 without ever once driving on tarmac.
“This race is the equivalent of the Bathurst 1000, or three Rally New Zealand, all wrapped into two days of offroad competition. It’s the toughest test for driver and vehicle, and simply getting to the finish on the second day is a major achievement,” Mr Saelman said.
Picking a likely winner, he says “is just too hard right now”.
The top classes are usually the ones that set the race pace, he says, and with 24 entries in the unlimited race car class the pace is likely to be torrid. In that class there are five former champions aiming to add to their Taupo trophy tally: Alan Butler (Auckland), Clim Lammers (Hikurangi), Tony McCall (Auckland), Melvin Rouse (Whangarei) and Clive Thornton (Whakatane). Lotto millionaire Trevor Cooper is also entered in a brand-new Jimco Chev.
A further 20 entries in class three for cars with engines up to 1.6 litres will be at or close to the pace of the big unlimited-class cars. That class includes two-times Woodhill 100 winner James Buchanan, who ran in the top five in the 2011 Taupo race in his Cougar Suzuki Evo.
Several of the 14-strong unlimited truck class have the potential to run in the top five each day and among them Raana Horan, fresh from a year in the Australian Offroad Racing Championship, is a prime contender for the title. Horan drives a 6.0-litre four wheel drive Nissan Titan and was third overall in the 2011 Taupo race. Nick Leahy and Nick Hall are strong contenders for the class win as well, in the ELF Oils Toyota Chev, along with father and son team Martin and William van der Wal, each driving V8 powered unlimited-class trucks.
“Then we do have the new UTV class on board for the second race running, and some of those guys have shown the potential of this new class to win endurance races. If they can minimise the effect of their limited range then Tauranga’s Ben Thomasen, Mike Small of Paeroa or Reece Trotter from Christchurch could be well placed to take the win.”
Also racing in the UTV class is “Rocket” Ron Kirkman, at 77 years of age likely to be the oldest racer at the event, but by no means the slowest: he won the UTV class at the 2011 Taupo race.
The weekend also sees three races for the sport’s youth category, Kiwitrucks. There are at least six of these tiny trucks lined up to contest their own Taupo endurance challenge.
The event has been plotted over a new course based around a 50 km lap on new roads never used for the race in its 20 year history, with a new pit and prologue area on rolling farmland just 12 kilometres from Taupo.
“We always run to a 50 km lap, it’s part of the challenge of the event. The race distance is completed  over two days for safety, and to ensure people get a good run at the whole event. We are very excited to see the response this year from racers,” said Mr Saelman.
With race teams planning their Taupo 1000 assault up to two years before the event, the race always draws record numbers of media and is covered for television in New Zealand and Australia.
The Taupo 1000’s official coverage will screen in New Zealand on TV3. In Australia, the race will be shown on Simon Christie’s popular 4WD TV programme. Christie and his crew have covered the Taupo 1000 since 2007. Each year the online profile of the race grows, with its Facebook page attracting tens of thousands of views per day and a race-weekend daily ‘reach’ approaching 400,000. Racers post on-board and other footage on Youtube and link the coverage back to their own team’s social media channels and to the event page.
No less than four helicopters will be active in the skies over the race, moving media and race supporters around the forest, and spectator shuttle buses will take race-goers to vantage points around the 50.2 km lap.
“Every time this race happens it takes huge steps beyond what has gone before. One of the great things this year is the new track. We have been able to bring the race much closer to Taupo, and the new start-finish and pit area is on wide, open rolling farmland which means spectators get to see plenty of race action from the one location,” said Mr Saelman.
The 2013 ENZED Taupo 1000 begins with practice and qualifying on Friday September 13; qualifying starts at noon and is wrapped up at 4.30 pm by a Bathurst-style top ten shootout sponsored by performance component company FPP. Race days are September 14 and 15, with racing to start at 8 am sharp each day. A whole-weekend spectator pass is $20; children under 15 are free. Event information is available online at the race website www.taupo1000.co.nz and on its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/EnzedTaupo1000