Driver and co-driver of a Four-Wheel-Drive vehicle in action. Photo / Kaye Hobart
Driver and co-driver of a Four-Wheel-Drive vehicle in action. Photo / Kaye Hobart
Flooks Farm on the Hauraki Plains tomorrow hosts the National 4x4 Trials as a fundraising event for Hikutaia School.
About 50 contestants from all over the North Island will be getting down and dirty in the mud with four-wheel-drive vehicles developing up to 900 horsepower.
Their challenge is to navigate through a course of 30 hazards trying not to get stuck in the mud and to stay in the course.
President of the Thames Valley 4WD Club, Aaron Beattie, says: "There will be high speed obstacles, and hazards different in height, angle and steepness. It is impossible for people to tackle the obstacles walking."
Mud pools, noisy engines, vehicles flipping over and sliding around are expected.
"There will be action going on all over the place," says Beattie.
Every vehicle is custom-built and driven by a driver and co-driver. The vehicles can cost up to $100,000 and are categorised in seven classes, according to their modifications and engine power.
Main sponsor, school board member and member of the Thames Valley 4WD Club, Richard Cox of Richard Cox Contracting says: "Spectator wise the event is awesome to watch, because there will be lots of action on the track. All the money will go towards the school."
The school's PTA has taken on the event to raise money for student resources.
Cox says: "We have a very proactive PTA. The goal is to raise $20,000."
The money will go towards the renovation of the school pool and upgrading the school's front garden, adding a vegetable area.
Visitors to the event can expect action-packed races, food stalls and a prizegiving ceremony at the end. Beattie says they expect between 1000 and 2000 visitors.
The National 4x4 Trials have been going on for about 40 years, originally with warrantable and road-safe vehicles.
The contestants tackle hazards different in height, angle and steepness. Photo / Kaye Hobart
The 4x4 trial season consists out of six rounds in total, with Hikutaia School hosting the second round of the season which ends around Easter.
The Hikutaia School fundraising round of the National 4x4 Trials will take place tomorrow, January 23 from 8am at Flooks Farm, 8795 Paeroa-Kopu Rd, Puriri / Thames. Tickets are $10 per person or $30 per family.
