Intense competition at 4x4 trials

COMPETITION was intense at the final round of the national 4X4 trials on Sunday, as drivers vied for places in the finals in Nelson.
More than 80 offroaders entered the Southey Nissan event, held on some steep country beside State Highway 2 just south of Eketahuna.
They were confronted with 30 obstacles, ranging from difficult to almost impossible. A big and appreciative crowd watched in amazement as drivers from throughout New Zealand threw their vehicles at steep climbs (up and down), mud and water hazards. There were three types of hazard ? graded, non-graded and timed. In the graded hazards, points were awarded for progress, with 0 for completing it. The driver with the lowest score is the winner. In the non-graded hazards, crews accumulated penalty points for hitting marker posts. The timed hazards saw crews gain one penlty point for every second taken.
Wairarapa 4X4 Club secretary John Brock said the public attendance was better than the last national round held at the venue two years ago. Conditions were very dry, and there few not a lot of breakages.G