MOTORSPORT: Sky's the limit again in NZ

Something special is back this weekend – New Zealand’s Race to the Sky.

Now that America’s famed Pikes Peak is entirely sealed, this hill climb across the Tasman is the world’s longest on gravel.

It’s had an eight-year hiatus but has been revived by Tony Quinn, the Scottish-born businessman who splits his time between the Gold Coast and NZ.

Quinn races a lot, owns the Australian GT and Aussie Racing Car championships as well as NZ’s Highlands circuit (and has been eyeing Hampton Downs and Taupo) and the VIP Petfoods and Darrell Lea chocolate businesses.

The Race to the Sky is on a 14.5km course with 135 corners, rising 1050 metres (from 450 to 1500m) at a 1:11 gradient in the Pisa mountain range of Central Otago’s Cardrona Valley.

It’s 'king' is Japan’s Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima, the eight-time winner who returns with a 670hp Toyota 86 in search not only of victory this year but ultimately 10 titles.

“Of all gravel hill climbs, this is number one,” Tajima says.

But Quinn commissioned Paul Ceprnich – of Pace Innovations, which built V8 Supercars' ‘Car of the Future’, NZ’s V8 SuperTourer and some specials for Ryan McLeod’s MARC Cars in the Bathurst 12-Hour and other international enduros – to create an 850hp 'Monster Tamer' for him.

Ceprnich has mounted a VR38 twin-turbo Nissan engine in the middle of a spaceframe chassis under a Ford Focus bodyshape. The beast weighs 950kg and has massive wings designed to produce 1000kg of downforce at 200km/h and GP2 carbon-fibre brakes.

Quinn wants his machine rather than Tajima’s ‘Super 86’ to be the first to break the eight-minute barrier up the Race to the Sky course.

Tajima holds the record at 8:01.17 from 2006.

Quinn is entered to drive but may hand yet over those to duties to someone else. He had wanted Hayden Paddon to pilot his car, but the Kiwi rally ace is otherwise occupied on World Rally Championship duties in Argentina.

“I’m pretty sure I’m not quick enough to do it. If it was tarmac I would be a whole lot more confident,” Quinn says.

One certain contender will be an ex-Possum Bourne Subaru WRX STI in the hands of another Australian-based Scotsman, Alister McRae – brother of late world rally champion Colin, a former WRC driver himself, as well as a British and Asia-Pacific champion.

It’s the two-door Suby in which Bourne won the 2001 Race to the Sky, still fettled by its faithful Paul Hayton and cranked up to 750hp for this weekend.

Apart from the Sky King title this weekend, a Possum Bourne Memorial Trophy will be presented – by the late Kiwi legend’s now-teenage son, Spencer – to the top New Zealander.

Bourne died 12 days after a crash on reconnaissance for the 2003 Race to the Sky.

His former co-driver Craig Vincent has said Bourne “would be very proud of the effort and passion his team still put into this car, which is now 17 years old and very special to all of us”.

Quinn says it has been “exciting to see how much people are looking forward to the Race to the Sky coming back”.

“I’m cautious not to build it up too much,” he says.

‘The important thing is to make sure we run it as well as it should be and let’s see how we go from there.

“But we need to set the record (below eight minutes) before Sebastian Loeb (France’s nine-time world rally champion) decides to add it to his outstanding results at Pikes Peak.

“If he decides he’s set on world domination of hill climb events I’m sure he’ll come here soon – I really hope he does – but let’s also hope we can hold the record for a year or two first.

“So the first challenge is to beat the eight-minute mark, and that’s the challenge I set Paul Ceprnich. He has all the credentials.”

There are more than 100 entries – cars (including eight in the unlimited class), buggies and bikes – for the reborn event. Recce is Friday, with competition Saturday and Sunday.

Australia will have a formidable presence, with three Victorians entering a purpose-built open-wheel hill climb special, a Holden four-wheel-drive ute and a 4WD Nissan buggy in the event.

It will be the sixth Race to the Sky for Aussie Brett Hayward, who already holds the open-wheeler record (8:41 – 40 seconds slower than outright) and is a multiple hill climb champion on this side of the Tasman.

His latest creation, weighing well under 500kg, has a supercharged Suzuki engine running on E85 fuel and developing more than 400hp.

“I used my knowledge from the previous five attempts, and during the eight-year break since the last event I’ve designed and tested new components and technology on several other self-built race cars in which I’ve contested numerous hill climb events in Australia,” Hayward says.

“This car took an intense six-month build. It’s longer in the wheelbase and wider in the track to improve stability for the higher anticipated speeds. It has better front to rear weight balance and is lighter overall than my previous vehicles.

“Other major changes include auto torque bias front and rear differentials and a complete aerodynamic package developed and tested to maximise ground effects and downforce.”

Dairy farmer Steve Riley’s Holden ute has a 7.0-litre engine and Harrop supercharger producing close to 1000hp.

Riley has three Australian rally championships and a national off-road motorcycle championship to his credit, as well as having finished the Dakar Rally twice, and ran the ute in last year’s final Australasian Safari.

Anthony Kovco had his buggy specially-built for him by former Race to the Sky competitor Greg Ackland.

It runs a turbocharged Nissan SR20 through a Falcon T5 gearbox and custom transfer case to drive front and rear diffs.