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.
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Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 28, 8 December 1987, Page 3 (Supplement)
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421Great End To Driving Career Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 28, 8 December 1987, Page 3 (Supplement)
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