Top three of 2020

This site’s three writers were asked a simple question … of all the vehicles driven in 2020, which one resonated the most?

ANNOUNCEMENT tomorrow night of New Zealand Car of the Year seemed a good opportunity to put a simple question to the three contributing writers to MotoringNZ.com.

Which was? “Select, from all the New Zealand-new vehicles they tried in 2020, the one you’d most wish could take permanent residence in your garage and explain why, in no more than 50 words”.

Let’s lift the garage door and see what’s behind.

Rob Maetzig – Toyota Yaris Cross hybrid

Why did this car impress? Three reasons. First, it is a compact sports utility, which means it competes in the hottest market segment. Second, it is electrified which is extremely important in these carbon footprint-centric times. And thirdly, it’s a little beauty to drive. 

Colin Smith – Ford Focus ST

 Because? It continues the ST hot-hatch bloodline and edges a step closer to the car you can’t buy any more – the Focus RS. The Toyota GR Yaris is a touch more exciting but the space and practicality of the Focus ST makes it a performance car all-rounder.

Richard Bosselman – Land Rover Defender

 … or the Toyota Yaris GR. They’re both astounding, engaging. Yet, it has to be the Land Rover. No disrespecting the hot Yaris, but Defender is more serious; it’s a tool, it’s a family, with a range of styles and engines, including a plug-in hybrid. Reaching a broad audience, it is also more vital and more from the maker’s heart. One other plus. It makes every rival feel even more ancient than some already are. My pick for NZCOTY.

Paddon’s electric rally car push times with EVs in motorsport review

Battery-compelled vehicles are moving into motor racing and the sport’s national governing body is now working out how to accommodate them.

haydon paddon’s groundbreaking electric rally car, pictured during construction, will be fully revealed tomorrow. It is based on the Hyundai Kona electric car, pictured below.

THE public unveiling of Hayden Paddon’s highly-anticipated Hyundai Kona electric rally car tomorrow is being accompanied by a review of MotorSport NZ regulations to encourage electric vehicles in competition.

Motorsport’s national body says it is supportive of including EVs in competition and 18 months ago it established a Working Group to produce guidelines for their inclusion. The regulations are now at a final draft stage.

 ``The draft guidelines were to be released a couple of months ago but the United Kingdom recently published their regulations and guidelines so we are reviewing some of the differences,’’ said Terry Carkeek, Motorsport NZ technical manager.

``We hope to have something published by the end of November.’’

EVs can already be accommodated in some events but Carkeek says car clubs wishing to invite any battery-compelled cars to an event should contact Motorsport NZ in the first instance.

``We will then provide them with requirements based on the event and the type of vehicle being used. To date, I think we have had three requests all of which we have been able to provide guidelines for,’’ Carkeek said.

``We currently don’t see any need to limit what competition EVs may run in. There is likely to be a requirement for the venue owner to approve the use of EVs to compete on their property and we would also require the approval of the local fire and emergency agency.’’

He said EVs could compete in a separate category but there is also potential to create an equivalency formula to allow competition against conventional powertrains.

``We currently believe that standard, largely unmodified series production EVs, will be relatively easy to include in a number of motorsport disciplines,’’ said Carkeek.

``We also believe that professionally designed and constructed EVs, like Hayden’s Hyundai, should also be relatively easy to include in some events.

``For EVs that have had the high voltage system modified, we will be looking to establish a certification process for those modifications. We have had initial discussions with LVVTA with a view to using their existing standards to accept those vehicles.’’

TOM SHORT has been a pioneer of electric drive within the sport of drag racing, fronting with modified classic cars including this LH Torana.

Kiwi drag racing has been an early EV adopter with a Tesla Model S and Nissan Leaf appearing at recent Meremere Dragway street car events. 

And Taupo engineer Tom Short has built four electric drag racing cars and received a mixed reception in the straight-line sport.

Short has modified classic cars – a Datsun 1200 Coupe, an LH Torana, HT Holden Ute and most recently a 1970 LC Torana GT-R – by installing battery packs and an electric motor.

He achieved early success winning the NZ Drag Racing Association (NZDRA) Super Street national points title in the 2014-15 season with the Datsun. Other than the fact they are near-silent there is little about the performance - or appearance - of Short’s cars that identifies the pioneering role they have played in Kiwi motorsport.

Short said EVs were banned after this title win, re-admitted and then banned again by the NZDRA. At present his car is welcome at events run under International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) rules.

``They [NZDRA] said the ban was for Health and Safety reasons. Some people don’t like change,’’ said Short. 

Another area of New Zealand EV competition has been in moto trials.

A small number of Electric Motion electric trials bikes were introduced several years ago. They’ve been used in competition but are now mainly used by riders for training. 

At present the big area of EV interest is in mini trials and trail riding with the Oset brand of electric off-road bikes becoming a popular choice for 3-12-year-old riders. 

Editor’s note: The end result of a project announced two years ago, Paddon’s car is based on the Hyundai Kona, a compact fully-electric crossover that has been in the market for three years. The rally edition is a world-first for the type and delivers with four-wheel-drive, raised suspension and all the other addenda required for rallying.

It has been developed by the driver and a handful of employees, all hand-picked Kiwi engineers, working from a lock-up at Highlands Motorsport Park at Cromwell. Hyundai New Zealand, the University of Canterbury, Yes Power have supported. STARD, an Austrian racing team that specialises in electric rallycross cars, supplied the battery, inverter and motors. 

 The car is being unveiled tomorrow night in Auckland at Hyundai NZ’s headquarters.

McLaren victory in enduro

The Hampton Downs Three-Hour provided plenty of excitement.

GEOFF Ridder was on duty for MotoringNZ.com when national level motor racing resumed in the North Island yesterday.

The opening round of the Golden Homes North Island Endurance Series brought a Hampton Downs Three-Hour victory for Taranaki’s Glenn Smith teamed with Kiwi international racer Chris van der Drift in the SBT Motorsport McLaren 650S GT3.

The McLaren qualified on pole position and although dropping to third position in the opening hour, the team ran an untroubled race to build a two-lap advantage during the second half of the enduro to complete 162 laps.

Andrew Fawcett and Sam Fillmore finished two laps back in their Audi R8 LMS after completing a late race pass on the Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Brazilian Alex Riberas and Kiwi drift star Darren Kelly. The Aston spent two stints leading in the opening 90 minutes of the race.

Behind the trio of GT3 cars the V8-engined Audi A5 of Matt Dovey and Jono Lester finished fourth. The 3-hour race had 18 starters with nine teams classified as finishers.

There was double Hampton Downs endurance success for McLarens with John de Veth driving Glenn Smith’s other 650S to victory in the 1-Hour race with Porsche GT3 racers Matt Whittaker and Callum Hedge completing the podium.

Now reduced to two rounds in 2020 due the Covid-enforced calendar changes, the North Island Series concludes at Pukekohe on Saturday October 24.

In between the endurance races there was also non-championship Best Bars Toyota 86 action and the completion of the 2019=20 Ryco 24.7 V8 Utes Series.

Series champion Peter Vodanovich was unbeaten in the Toyota 86 action with three narrow wins ahead of Connor Adam while Matt Spratt (two wins and one second) and Andrew Porter (one win, two seconds) shared the V8 Ute honours.