South Auckland Car Club Rally activity

The  SACC rally ( sprint) that local AREC sections were involved in was on Sunday April 28, 2002. This was an all day session in the Maramarua Forest when 5 operators, Base, Start, Finish and mid-point. 
 

The following is a report from Ross, ZL1VRR 
 

RALLY SPRINT IN SYMES RD MARAMARUA FOREST RUN BY SACC 28/04/02 

The day dawned fine with a number of radio operators from Branches 65 and 10 assisting Richard ZL1BNQ at base with the others at various points round the course Ross ZL1VRR Alpha,  David  ZL1VDF Bravo,  Robert ZL1BNN Charlie,   Mark  ZL1VMF Delta,  Finish Bob ZL1BBZ , who called in the finishing times when the cars got to the finish . Use was made of the
STSP,  Short Term Special Purpose,  Repeater 146.8250.  The repeater was so placed to give good copy for the full course and worked well. 

There were four runs though the course with  a recky run for driver to familiarize the coarse in their minds at slow speed  before they came out in anger. The first run saw fifty seven cars start but only fifty six cars finished with car eleven barrel rolled out on the finish line which then caused the marshal to rush to check the driver. A delay then followed with the car been towed from the bush and off the course where the crew  where checked out by medical staff. Forty three cars finishing the second run.  A quick lunch break followed with a hot sausage and drink offered round at our point much appreciated from the car club. 

Round three saw all mobile cars rejoin the pack but only forty eight cars finish the run with some very loose drivers about. Many going off the track or the pace was too great and they dropped by the wayside with smoky tails.  Something not right  with their cars. A few showers damped the skies with some of the spectators running for cover or putting up there umbrellas or putting on their wet weather gear and us having to wipe the rain drops off the window every now or then. 

Round four saw numbers down to forty cars before the run off for the various classes winners and then their finial run. Some of the car  numbers now hard to read , as being wiped off with the rain or a close encounter with the forest brush or dirt  smudging the numbers but with all the help on course we came up with the right numbers. Some cars had duplicate numbers being entered twice where they had two drivers so you had to listen for the start order numbers to get the correct driver number. I fell for that one once or twice to be corrected. Must have the correct number written down 

Nine cars competed in the last run with the top two cars from each grade running off between each other for top car. Cars 1  and 2 ran off for there positions with car 1 coming out 2 seconds faster, cars 18 and 19 for the next group then 27 and 28 third group with 39 and 35 then 48 finishing the last group as the only car to front up at the start line. All cars made the finish and then it was up to each group to back up and leave our positions to return to our QTH. 

(Where was the trail car did not see him though the stage to give clearance for those on the course ??  We left by a side road) 

 Thanks to Richard ZL1BNQ and David ZL1DK for organizing the event. 
 

 Ross ZL1VRR