Bluff Results Reports

Bluff Results Report

MEDIA RELEASE

27 JANUARY 2008

McCROSTIE TAKES RECORD AND EVENT AND SERIES

Kaitangata driver Duncan McCrostie won the 2008 Bay View Hotel/Pub Charity Bluff Sealed Hillclimb yesterday (Saturday 26 January) after setting a new record for the 1.6 kilometre climb. McCrostie scorched to the top of Bluff Hill in his Mitsubishi EVO in a time of 59.188 seconds. The effort eclipsed last year's winning time of 59.895 seconds set by this year's runner-up, Glenn Frew of Outram in another Mitsubishi EVO.

For the second year in a row the event was run in extremely hot conditions with the final run being abandoned to avoid damage to the road which became very slippery due to the heat.

However, despite the fact that the conditions made the road very slippery, McCrostie set his fastest time on the final run of the day. Defending champion Frew had been quickest in the first two timed runs, setting his quickest time of 1 minute 00.190 seconds on his second attempt. He set the time despite losing fourth gear midway through the effort. He couldn't better that mark on his third and final run and then McCrostie rocketed up the hill in the quickest time of the day to take the title. In doing so McCrostie also became the inaugural Southern Twin Peaks Challenge Champion. That title was based on the times from both the earlier Kaitangata Promotions/Bob Scott Memorial Hillclimb and the Bay View Hotel/Pub Charity Bluff event. McCrostie's second place at Kaitangata in a time of 55.802 seconds last October and yesterday's result gave him the fastest elapsed time over the two events.

While many competitors set slower times as the day got hotter McCrostie left the best until last. Later he said, "I got a good start. I tried not to spin it up so I was gentle off the line. Every other run I had trouble with third gear but this one was good. I braked late for the first corner and it felt good! I was drifting through the last right hander at the top of the hill." Winning both this event and the Southern Twin Peaks Challenge was "special" said McCrostie. "The car was built to do this and it's doing it," he said of the ex-Emma Gilmour hillclimb special.

In addition to winning the event and the Southern Twin Peaks Challenge McCrostie took the hillclimb record off Frew and the duo are now the only two drivers to set sub-minute times on the hill.

After setting the fastest time in the second run without the use of fourth gear for part of his run and also having the problem on his final pass, Frew said, "that's motorsport."

Third place today went to Gordon Beeby of Timaru in his supercharged Subaru Impreza WRX. Beeby set a best time of 1 minute 05.752 seconds. Returning to the sport after a five year break, Beeby had only done four laps at Timaru International Motor Raceway in the Subaru prior to his first competitive outing in the car. Beeby's best run also came in his final attempt after he had changed tyres. "It was much better after that. I had struggled at the chicanes." Beeby enjoyed his first Bluff Hillclimb and said he would definitely be back.

Fourth today was Invercargill Formula Ford driver Steve Heffernan who set a time of 1 minute 05.810 seconds in his Van Diemen RF92.

Dave Robertson of Invercargill won Class A (2wd cars 0-1300cc) reaching the summit in an impressive time of 1 minute 13.086 seconds in his Suzuki powered Hillman Imp. Second was Gary Cook of Ashburton and third Roger Laird of Gore. Bradley Dawson of Invercargill recorded a 1 minute 10.698 second time to take Class B (2wd cars 1301-1600cc) in his Toyota Trueno ahead of Darryl Scott of Invercargill and Gore's Errol Hewlett. Class C (2wd cars 1601cc and over) was won by Chris Hey of Mosgiel in a Toyota MR2 Turbo in a time of 1 minute 07.633 seconds from Craig Jessop of Stirling and Warner Reid of Balclutha. Class D was awarded to Dunedin's Brian Scott with Darryl Batt of Winton second and Neville Krammer of Invercargill third. Heffernan won Class E for single seater race cars from Snow Chisholm.

McCrostie became the third different winner of the event in three years, joining 2006 winner Ross MacKay of Ashburton and Frew as those who have won the event.

The third Bay View Hotel/Pub Charity Bluff "where the journey begins" Sealed Hillclimb attracted a field of forty-one cars to the port town, the best entry in the event's short

history. Entries came from Ashburton, Timaru and throughout Otago and Southland.

The hillclimb utilises the road to the summit of Bluff Hill (Motu Pohue), a road that climbs to a height of 264 metres above sea level. The cars climb through a steep twisty section

before a long uphill straight interrupted by two tight chicanes. That section is followed by another steep, twisty section of road that takes the cars to the finish line.

The event is a joint project between Bluff Promotions assisted by the Eastern Southland Car Club and the Southland Sports Car Club. It forms a part of both the Southland Sport Car Club's Speed Championship and the Eastern Southland Car Club's Club Championship.

Lindsay Beer

Bluff Publicity/Promotions Officer

021 351 499