After a successful inaugural event last year, the MLT Barry Robinson Memorial Wyndham Rally will return on Saturday, 10 August.
The Eastern Southland Car Club instigated the rally last year to remember Robinson, a South Island rally legend who passed away in March 2022.
Robinson farmed in the Mokoreta area near Wyndham during the height of his rallying career, which saw him win multiple Wyndham and Otago Rally. He also came close to winning the 1983 New Zealand Rally Championship, but for an engine failure in the final round, which left him runner-up in the championship.
He won the inaugural Catlins Coast Rally in 1991 with his daughter Anna in the co-driver seat.
Rally Secretary Roger Laird said, “We are back for the second Barry Robinson Memorial Wyndham Rally, and delighted to have the support from MLT, Traffic Management Services, Yuasa Batteries plus that of Rayonier Matariki Forests, the Southland District Council, Gore District Council and the landowners on the rally route to put this event together.
“There was really good feedback from our 2023 event with a good amount of interest for this year, and entries are coming in.
“Past competitors from the Wyndham Rally are keen to come back and do it again, and those that missed last year are working hard to be with us this time. Also, it’s good to be back as a round of the Mainland Rally Championship once again.”
This year’s rally will again be centred on the township of Wyndham, 45 kilometres east of Invercargill and 25km south of Gore.
It will start at the MLT Three Rivers Hotel in Redan Street, Wyndham, at 9.00 am on Saturday, 10 August, from where competitors will tackle five Special Stages with only minimal changes to a couple of last year’s routes.
The first stage, Wyndham Valley, is over 17.49 km and is followed by the 17.02 Mt Herbert stage. A Service Park in Wyndham follows prior to the 28.12km third stage in Waikawa Valley, followed by the longest stage of the event, Quarry Hills, over 44.08km. The cars return to Wyndham for another Service Park before the final stage at Tuturau over 21.15km.
The rally then ends back at the MLT Three Rivers Hotel in Wyndham, with the first car due at 3:32 pm after 128km of Special Stage competition linked by 126km of touring stage mileage.
Andrew Graves, with son Hayden co-driving, won last year’s event in his Mitsubishi EVO 3, winning four of the five stages with Wallacetown pairing Carter Strang and Stewart Robbie second in an EVO 10 after a close battle throughout the day, while Caleb MacDonald, with Kerran Graeve alongside in an EVO 6 was third.
The event prizegiving will take place in Gore at the MLT Croydon Lodge, and the winning crew will be awarded the Barry Robinson Memorial Trophy.
The rally is Round 4 of the Mainland Rally Championship and also carries points toward the Eastern Southland Car Club Rally Championship, while the leading Otago Sports Car Club driver in the event receives the Glen Shirlaw Memorial Trophy.
