Ohakune Cubs hurtle downhill

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 542, 28 June 1994, Page 8

Ohakune Cubs hurtle downhill

An invitation from the Mangaweka Cub Pack to attend an old fashioned trolley derby sent several very large and very old "Cubs" scurrying to reclaim and recycle old wheels, wood and dreams of their youth. The result was five trolleys ranging from two traditional racing carts, two with the most sophisticated system of welded gears and linkages imaginable, to another that resembled Fred Flintstone's prehistoric car carved with a chainsaw from a solid tree trunk. An old section of SH1 above Mangaweka, where the road used to go under the old railway viaduct and downhill to the township, was the venue. It was just as well the race rules required a braking system to be fitted to all vehicles as some of the entrants were extremely quick and with the track being downhill all the way, several of the Cubs returned home with eyes the size of dinner plates and a look of abject terror still very evident. The race organisers were a little overwhelmed by the response. Up to 35 trolleys and some 60 budding racers were entered from all over the Waimarino and Rangitikei districts. Some races were held up while certain trolleys were retrieved from the bottom of the course to be used over and over again in subsequent heats. The overall winner' s trophy was sharedby the Ohakune, Mangaweka and Bulls Cub Packs with Ohakune totally dominating the 9-year old class with John "Speedy" Seifert first, Gavin "Downhill" Lang second, and Raymond "Flash" Godfrey third. Although giving it their best shot, Ben "Crash" McMaster and Jeffrey "Thrillseeker" Stout were kept out of the placings. Brian Hays gained a bronze medal in the Open Class. The race of the day however, had to go to the Ohakune fathers and engineers of arguably the three fastest machines on show. Gary Godfrey showed how much of a contortionist he was by squirming inside one trolley, Robert Stout swapped his front and rear wheels in an attempt to gain that little bit of extra speed, and Fred Lang (the intrepid Cub Leader) strapped himself complete with WW 1 British Army helmet to the Flintstone Log (the only trolley without brakes) and all prepared for the ride of their lives. The outcome of this race is still in dispute due to several acts unbecoming of fair playing adults and leaders. The day proved to be an unqualified success with all attending agreeing that it should become an annual event. The parents have immediately gone back to the drawing board with visions of even faster, sleeker models.