It was a wet drive from Napier to Taupo early Friday morning, but the weather seemed to be clearing as we approached Taupo.  After a fuel/food stop we made our way to the track, arriving just before the Hamilton and Rotorua folks.  By the time of the briefing there was one Corolla, one Porsche, one lotus race car, three AW11’s and nine SW20’s mainly 92 onwards. (Apologies if I missed anyone)

We had an intro and briefing, then did some training laps of a slightly damp track.  It seemed to clear up briefly giving a few laps on an almost dry surface for the  three cars on the track in a staggered start format.  It soon started to go downhill though with the rain setting in for the afternoon.  After a brief lunch break (with some sight-seeing drives around the track) we continued the three car format with five timed laps for each driver.

It soon became apparent that the track was a bit slippery with times in the 1 minute+ range and most cars sliding around the corners.  Like most other drivers, after getting a bit loose on the first corner I was pretty tentative through the rest.  The only car that didn’t seem to notice the rain was the little corolla that was putting even the Porsche to shame.  On most corners the corolla looked like it was either going to roll or fall off the track.  But it managed to stay mostly on the track and put in some times that would be impressive in the dry!

Due to the awesome turnout, the cost for the day (including training) was only $40, and despite the weather it was well worth attending.  Many thanks to James from South Pacific Tyres who sponsored prizes for those that managed to accidentally fall off the track (more in the next issue) and also many thanks to Ryan from Rotorua who organised the day.  Ryan will hopefully be organising other events on behalf of the RD in the near future!!

By Ben Luders