This year’s Stadium Cars Otago Classic Rally, to be held on May 10 and 11, will allow a wider range of vehicles to enter, with the year of manufacture being extended from 1983 to 1987.
Cars built before 1987 have been allowed to enter in recent times, under the stricter requirements of MotorSport New Zealand’s Schedule RH.
“After careful consideration, we are going to free up the regulations so that cars built before 1987 can contest the Otago Classic Rally under the more open rules that we have for pre-1983 vehicles,” Otago Rally spokesman, Roger Oakley said.
“We don’t believe that this will allow a new breed of car that will render any of the previous front-runners to be any less competitive.”
To be eligible, cars will still be required to be two-wheel drive, and turbocharged engines cannot be transplanted into different makes or models of cars.
“As a precaution against this new freedom allowing a car to compete that is against the spirit of the event, a new rule has been included” Oakley added.
“This is that vehicles which do not use the original engine, and where the vehicle and or engine was first available between January 1, 1983 and January 1, 1987 will be accepted subject to approval by the organising committee.
“This will be routinely granted where there is no problem with the car’s eligibility.”
The change in regulations means that cars such as the Toyota Celica Twin-Cam Turbo, and the Opel Manta 400 would become eligible to compete. Also, for example, a carburettered Toyota 4AGE motor can now be used in cars that it wasn’t originally fitted in.
The Stadium Cars Otago Classic Rally intention to enter form is now available, with supplementary regulations and the official entry form available soon.
This year’s event will feature 14 special stages and a competitive distance of around 280 kilometres. For more information on the rally, visit www.otagorally.net
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