2020 JG CIVIL NZ OFFROAD RACING CHAMPIONSHIP KICKS OFF
Thursday 5 March 2020, 7:44AM
By Mark Baker
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Offroad racing championship steps up a gear
- New cars, new events, new sponsors
New Zealand’s premier offroad racing championship has secured a new naming-rights sponsor for 2020 and launches into the year with new events on the calendar and the debut of several new or upgraded cars.
The JG Civil New Zealand Offroad Racing Championship kicks off this year with the Daltons Castle Craig 250, an endurance race on an 800 hectare farm at Marokopa in the Waikato on Saturday.
The farm course is new to the championship, and organisers Simeon Gilbert and Maurice Bain have plotted a fast, challenging 22 km lap.
Offroad Racing Association President Martin van der Wal says a 250 km farm enduro is the ideal way to start the championship year.
“Waikato are very lucky to have access to such a track, and the course they have plotted is going to test every driver’s skills and speed.”
New championship sponsor Joel Giddy of Silverdale is a headline entry in the UTV modified class, this year sponsored by Concrete Treatments Limited. Last year he won the class at regional level for both North and South islands. The UTV early entries also include Dion Edgecombe, Carl Ruiterman and category national sponsor Leigh Bishop.
In the unlimited class one, Aucklander Chris Whyte brings out his stunning New Zealand-built race car, with a handful of races under its wheels.
In class three Brendon Old of Taranaki heads the entry in his bright green single-seater.
In 4WD Bits class 8 Shane Huxtable will give his new V8 truck its first run at championship level, joined by hard-charging Ricky May from Nelson. A late withdrawal is defending champion Nick Hall, who rolled his Toyota Hilux ProLite V8 in a non-championship race a week ago and injured his knee.
Event co-organisers Maurise Bain brings his US-built Crumco VW Baja out in class nine while there are two entries in class ten for motorcycle-engined cars – Neil Hook and Mark Seymour.
There will be two 20 minute enduro races for the Kiwitruck youth category, one prior to the main enduro and one afterward.
The main enduro is set to start at 11:00 am.