Running as a single-round shootout this year, the Motorsport NZ Hillclimb Championships near Lawrence has attracted a star-studded roster.
Organisers said entries had been rolling in from all levels of motorsport, perhaps due to its condensed format, and proximity to the Otago Rally at the end of the month.
This year’s list includes six-time New Zealand Rally Champion (NZRC) Hayden Paddon, and McLaren’s Extreme E driver, Emma Gilmour, both returning from recent successes abroad for the grassroots event.
Paddon was winning the first round of the European Rally Championship in Portugal but has made a long and quick return to New Zealand to compete in Cromwell.
Organised by South Otago Car Club (SOCC), they and a further 30-plus drivers will compete for the Goldstar title over two days of fast-paced hill climbing in the Lawrence back blocks.
Tomorrow is tarmac on Tuapeka West Rd, before the field hits the gravel of Reserve Rd on day two.
Paddon, who wowed the crowds with his high-performance Hyundai Kona electric rally car at the last local event in 2021, said he loved getting back to basics at ClubSport level.
"The South Otago hill climbs are a great asset to New Zealand motorsport. Competitors get access to some fantastic roads, like the ones used this weekend in the Tuapeka district.
"After competing in 2021 with our Hyundai Kona EV Rallycar, we’re looking forward to competing in our hill climb specification Hyundai i20 AP4, alongside some great club competitors this weekend."
Alongside Paddon and Gilmour will be a range of national rally champions, including two-time NZRC Junior Champion Ari Pettigrew, previous NZ hill climb champion Jack Hawkeswood, defending NZRC category 5 champion Jeff Ward and 2003 NZRC Group N champion Deborah Kibble.
SOCC spokeswoman Jane Blair said the club was delighted to be hosting such top talent in the South.
"These are two great courses requiring a combination of speed, power and skill to perform at your best. We’ve got some lovely flowing roads for rally driving here in South Otago, and these are no exception."
Spectators should be in place before racing begins at 10.30am, she said.
Drivers would get three runs each day, the best two of which would gain championship points.
No dogs or alcohol allowed.
