Racing: Premier off road action charges on Bay hills

Trevor Cooper racing at the Enzed Offroad Racing Championship finals at Matapiro in 2012 but he'll return to the same venue in Hawke's Bay this weekend. Photo / Mark Baker

New Zealand's fastest offroad racers are heading for the Hawkes Bay hills this weekend.

The final round of the 2015 Enzed offroad racing championship brings the best of north and south together to decide class and outright national titles on a farm course at Matapiro, and the racing is expected to be fast and fierce.

The biggest grids in tomorrow's short-course racing will be class 3 (1.6-litre), class 8 (unlimited trucks) and U-class (UTV/side-by-side race cars).

In each of these classes, 10 or more drivers will do battle to decide class honours - but their sheer numbers may well be their undoing in the race for the overall title.

With just three entries in the unlimited race car class, Tony McCall, of Manukau, is likely to have a clear run through the first day's racing and his Chev powered BSL single-seater is well capable of winning the second day's endurance race.

Likewise in class nine, northern title holder Gregg Carrington-Hogg is unchallenged and can cruise to top points in short course racing before taking on McCall for the enduro.

There's a strong family presence in the event, with Dean Graham in class three and sons Matt and Todd running in class five for cars with engines up to 1.3 litres. Dean and Todd won their respective classes at the recent NZ 1000.

The UTV class sees Ben Thomasen of Tauranga going up against a half dozen top contenders including Mike Small, Roger McKay, Joel Giddy, and drift racer Carl Ruiterman. Thomasen created history in September when he became the first UTV racer to win the flagship NZ 1000 two-day endurance race. Though the class is open to UTVs from event sponsor Polaris, Arctic Cat, Can Am and Yamaha, it is the Polaris RZR 1000 that dominates.

No other brand has yet won a race in New Zealand.

The 10-strong class three for race cars with engines up to 1.6-litres pitches southern class champion Greg Winn (Nelson) up against the new generation race cars of Brendon Midgely and Devlin Hill.

In the unlimited truck class, Christchurch driver and defending national champion Owen Chang meets a tough grid of northern and southern hopefuls and will be hoping that a comprehensive redevelopment of the GT Radial Ford Falcon turbo will fend off challenges from leading rivals Carl Gardner, Jono Climo, Donald Preston, Nick Hall and Raana Horan.

Racing gets under way tomorrow at 1960 Matapiro Road from 9.30am.

The 200km endurance race on Sunday starts at 11am.

The course will be signposted from Fernhill.