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Laird retained the Overall
Club Championship after recording a string of impressive
results throughout the club's many events. He recorded 7
wins over the course of the 2007/2008 season backed up with
4 second placings plus a third and a fourth. In doing so
he again captured the club's Clubsport Championship,
also for the fifth year in succession. The Clubsport Championship
was extremely close, Laird winning by just 3 points from
Errol Hewlett with Glenn Howden just 1 point further
back. Laird also won the award for the Club's most
consistent competitor for the year. Changing cars mid-season
did not hamper the Gore driver as he maintained his success
right throughout the season.
The Laird family name was very
prominent during the prizegiving as Kevin's father Roger won
the Motorkhana Trophy and his mother Karen, the Ladies Club
Championship.
Several other club members
were recognised at the conclusion of another hugely
successful year. Kaitangata driver Duncan McCrostie took
home plenty of silverware, winning the Mt Misery Gravel
Sprint title, the Teretonga Sprint and the Teretonga Flying
Lap plus both the Sealed Hillclimb and Sealed Events Trophy.
Meanwhile Gore driver Andrew Graves secured the Tokanui
Sprint, the Wairuna Sprint and the Gravel Events Trophy,
taking thirty-five of a possible thirty-six points in that
championship.
Another Gore driver, Paul
Cross, won the Rally Challenge Trophy while Glenn Howden won
the Autocross Trophy and Glenn Frew of Outram the Teretonga
Standing 1/4.
After all events were taken
into consideration Kevin Laird won the Overall Club
Championship from Errol Hewlett and Craig Jessop with Phil
Terry fourth. Jessop had actually loaned his car to Hewlett
to complete the final event of the championship after
Hewlett had mechanical troubles with his own. That gesture
allowed Hewlett stay ahead of Jessop in the championship.
Jessop also won the McLaren Cup, a newly instigated award
for the South Otago member with the highest points in the
club championship.
Craig Hewlett won the Junior
Trophy, contested by competitors under 18 years of age at
the beginnning of the season. The highlight for the Gore
youngster during the past twelve months was a sixth place at
the New Zealand Junior Clubsport Championships.
Warner Reid of Clydevale won
the Trophy for the Best New Competitor but also won the Hard
Luck Trophy ahead of several other worthy candidates. After
purchasing a car off Trade Me to contest the Kaitangata
Hillclimb Reid went on to have three major off-road
excursions at other events - Mt Misery, Bluff and Tokanui to
earn the award.
Peter McFadzien was awarded
the Member Of The Year Trophy and Life Member Roger Laird
made Special Presentations to Beth Hewlett and Colleen Terry
for their time and commitment to club activities while also
praising the behind the scenes involvement of many of the
ladies who support the male members of the club.
Laird Motorsport also made
awards to acknowledge Ismay Wilson for her efforts in
Autocross events and young drivers Ben Cannon and Tyler
Titchmarsh for their commendable performances in the club's
Autocross car.
Later in the evening guest
speaker Haydon Paddon, the current leader of the New Zealand
Rally Championship, gave the audience an insight into
the effort required to reach his current position in the
sport.
The next major event for the
Eastern Southland Car Club is the Gore Rally which will take
place on Saturday 2 August. The audience was given a preview
of the event on Saturday night. Similar to the route
used for the 2006 Gore Rally there will be some minor
changes this year including the Beaumont Stage, last used
fourteen year's ago. Support for the rally again comes from
the Scenic Circle Croydon Hotel, SouthRoads, MWH and Ernslaw
1 Limited.
Lindsay Beer
021 351 499
EASTERN SOUTHLAND CAR CLUB AWARDS
- Motorkhana Trophy -
Roger Laird
Teretonga
Kaitangata Hillclimb
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Class A - David Scoles
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Class B - Dean Bond
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Class C - Chris Hey
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3rd - Glenn Frew
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2nd - Duncan McCrostie
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1st - Andrew Graves
Bluff Hillclimb
Clubsport Championship
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3rd - Glenn Howden
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2nd - Errol Hewlett
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1st - Kevin Laird
Club Championship
Member Of The Year
Special Awards
-
Beth Hewlett
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Colleen Terry
Laird Motorsport
Awards
-
Ismay Wilson
-
Ben Cannon
-
Tyler Titchmarsh
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