Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

Great End To Driving Career

Top New Zealand rally driver Ross Meekings has ended a career in his famous Toyota Corolla by notching up another win to become the country's most successful 1 300cc rally driver. Meekings has dominated his class over the past four years and earnt himself a 'Giant Killing' reputation for be^ting opponents in more powerful cars. In winning his final outing in the Hills Industries sponsored car he has notched up a total of eleven national class wins. In fact, is was a 1-2 finish for the Hills rally team. New team mate Marty Rostenburg came home second in the 0-1300cc class of the Hella Lights Rally in a Toyota Starlet. The event was the final round of this years national championship. Since first appearing in the car in 1984, Meekings has almost made a clean sweep of national competitions. A puncture in the first year, his only rollover last year and the first engine failure while competing in the South Island this year stopped him scoring a per-

fect record of National Class Championship titles. He was 1300cc National Champion in 1985 and has twice been runner-up. "We've done all our own engine development taking the performance of the car to the limit and it's a credit to the dedicated team who've prepared the car and made it so reliable," said Meekings. The Hamilton driver took the 'Giant Killing' Corolla to the International Rally of Tahiti in 1985 and finished

an impressive fourth overall. That result and finishing second to Neil Allport in a Mazda RX7 on the Cibie Lights Rally the same year are particular highlights for Meekings. In this year's Rally of New Zealand, a servicing infringement for a broken axle only three stages from the end cost him a sixth placing, the highest ever achieved by a 1300cc driver in a World Championship event, and a World Drivers B priority status.

Ross Meekings has been partnered by long time team manager Steve March this year and although he hasn't confirmed his plans for 1 98^ rally fans have seen the last of him behind the wheel of this car. "It's sad to be selling a car we've had so much fun campaigning, but I feel it's time to move out of the 1300cc class and let some of the very talented young drivers now competing come through and show their colours," said Meekings. With it up for sale, maybe the impressive string of records attributed to this car are not yet finally written.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAIBUL19871208.2.60.8

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 28, 8 December 1987, Page 3 (Supplement)

Word count
Tapeke kupu
421

Great End To Driving Career Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 28, 8 December 1987, Page 3 (Supplement)

Great End To Driving Career Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 28, 8 December 1987, Page 3 (Supplement)

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert