COAST MOTOR RALLY

Press, Volume C, Issue 29514, 16 May 1961, Page 17

COAST MOTOR RALLY

Car Trial Won By A. Boustridge

On a route which lay south to the Hokitika Gorge and north almost to Westport, entrants in the Westland Motor Club’s gold star rally last week-end found plenty of interest. Competitors came from as far away as Oamaru and Christchurch. The first section of the rally led from Greymouth to Hokitika, where the cars spent a short time dodging in and out of the main streets. From there the route incorporated a ford at Kowhiterangi and a rough section of unformed road through a farm. The cars returned to Greymouth, and then set out on the final stage. After a meal break at Reefton, a most interesting route took the rally high up on a hillside above the town and down a steep zig-zag track The route then lay to Inangahua Junction, the Buller Gorge, and down the coast road to Greymouth. A. Boustridge. of Greymouth, was yesterday announced the winner of the event. He had a loss of 1266 points on the H-hour run.

Within half an hour of the finish, a protest was lodged with the officials by G. Finney, a Christchurch driver, on the grounds that Kumara Junction had not been marked as such on the chart. The result of the protest is not yet known, but a club official stated that even if it was upheld it would not alter the placings. The other placings in the event were as follows: B. Hepburn (Christchurch) 1446 points lost. 2; A. McPhie (Dobson) 1504 points lost, 3; T. D. Craig (Christchurch) 1627 points lost, 4; H. G Petrie (Greymouth) 1667 points lost, 5. Fourteen of the fifteen entrants successfully negotiated the course, and for that reason Finney's protest may not be upheld. Good weather prevailed, and that made the going easier over the rougher sections. No accidents occurred during the running.