Young Gun Chang Takes Biggest Prize at Offroad Racing Final

Owen Chang at speed in Sunday’s 205 km endurance race and on his way to an historic championship title. The photograph is by Mark Baker/Veritas Communications. More images and information are at www.oranz.co.nz and on Facebook search: Offroad Racing Association of New Zealand

YOUNG GUN CHANG TAKES BIGGEST PRIZE AT OFFROAD RACING FINAL

• Owen Chang becomes youngest ever unlimited-class champion

• Upholds Canterbury racing honour with outright title win

Christchurch unlimited-class offroad racer Owen Chang has become the 2014 national champion and the youngest class eight (unlimited race truck) champion in the history of the sport.

Chang, 27, won his national class title with four class wins and one third placing over two days of racing at West Melton near Christchurch during the weekend. He survived a frightening near-rollover in the GT Radial Ford Falconduring Saturday’s short course heats and completed a full seven laps of the 15 km endurance course on Sunday before the organisers declared the race at that distance on safety grounds.

“Saturday was fantastic, the short course at West Melton is great to race on and the truck really handles the jumps very well. Sunday was quite scary because it was really dusty. You had to go as hard as you could but we really couldn’t see anything except when the wind dragged the dust away from the road. The organisers made the right decision when they pulled the pin,” he said afterward.

The year-long championship campaign has been supported by dad Bryan and a close-knit group of mates who have helped prepare the truck, which was the first to be built to American Prolite design blueprints and remains one of the few to retain a second seat for a navigator.

Competing against the fastest trucks in New Zealand, Chang first won the southern regional title across three rounds in April, June and August, which brought him to the final with a maximum 72 points and 20 bonus points for running in all three rounds.

Then in the short course racing on Saturday, Chang was up against the leading championship contenders from throughout New Zealand including Justin Leonard who won the northern regional title in his V8 Chev Silverado, Michael Cox of Rotorua in his American built ‘Prolite’ Toyota Hilux V8 and Gavin Storer of Christchurch in his 4.0-litre V6 engined four wheel drive Prolite Hilux.

The GT Radial truck consistently beat the more powerful trucks off the start, meaning Chang was able to simply drive away from his rivals over ensuing laps in each heat.

His drop from first to third in one heat was after being tapped twice from behind by Mike Cox and then spinning the Falcon ute across the dividing tyre wall.

“The truck tipped up on two wheels and could have gone over, but I just kept the accelerator on the floor and steered it through then spun her round to go back onto the track,” he said afterward.

Other competitors were not so lucky. The mayhem began with the first heat of the day, where Aucklander Tony Radisich rolled his Polaris on the finish line. It continued with Christchurch’s Vinnie Harvey, Whakatane racer Mal Langley, Christchurch production-class racer Ian Simcox and multiple New Zealand champion Tony McCall all rolling their cars during in-class racing.

Class nine Baja driver Maurice Bain had taken a clean sweep of his heats and would carry a points advantage through into Sunday’sracing, with class seven racer Dyson Delahunty (14) just two points behind and on equal points with Challenger VW racer Campbell Witheford. Christchurch production-class truck racer Steven Boyd was fourth, equal on points with Chang and Ben Thomasen.

Going into Sunday’s 205 km enduro Chang said he was mainly focussed on his in-class standings and aiming to stay ahead of Cox, Leonard and Gavin Storer. He qualified eighth, and fastest unlimited truck by a significant margin, with a 59.5 second lap of the short course track. Mike Cox was second quickest truck on 1.012, Justin Leonard third on 1.022 and Gavin Storer fourth on 1.131.

Tony McCall took outright pole with a 56.2 ahead of Nelson’s Ash Kelly – in McCall’s previous car, a Cougar Evo VW – on 57.1. Nevil Basalaj was third in his massive Jimco Chev on 58.0 and Mal Langley, recovered from his spectacular rollover on the first day, fourth on 58.3.

Chang’s enduro plan played out well in the dusty and windy conditions. High winds had stripped the forest course of any hint of moisture and dried the silty soils to a flour-like consistency.

“The dust we kicked up was thicker than fog, and we had to hold off a bit but when it was blown away we were able to give the pace a push. When we started lapping slower cars it got very difficult. Tricky stuff but it was the most exciting drive of the year for sure.”

With Nevil Basalaj leading the enduro, there was no chance to go for the outright race win but Chang needed to stay well clear of his class rivals and make sure of a good finish. Both Mike Cox and Justin Leonard were watching for any sign of weakness from the GT Radial truck.

“Man it was tough out there. We even came up on Tony McCall in the dust and got past him – he’s one of my racing idols, an offroad racing legend!”

McCall had lost the lead when the BSL car’s engine began stalling, an issue he has grappled with all season.

Basalaj lost the lead on lap six when his Jimco Chev’s water pump failed, putting Nelson’s Ashley Kelly into the lead. Soon afterward though, the thick dust was judged to be an unacceptable safety hazard and the organisers put out a red flag.

With the race stopped at half distance due to the dust hazard, Chang emerged national champion ahead of Polaris racer Ben Thomasen and Nelson unlimited class race car driver Ashley Kelly. Tony McCall was fourth. In the unlimited class trucks, Mike Cox followed Chang home and was sixth in the championship; Justin Leonard was ninth.

Chang’s win marks only the second time a truck-class competitor has been national champion. Andrew Thomasen was the first, taking the title in 2007 in his four wheel drive Toyota Tundra V8.

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