Eastern Southland Car Club Annual Prizegiving

MEDIA RELEASE
18 JUNE 2007

Eastern Southland Car Club Annual Prizegiving

Kevin Laird won the Eastern Southland Car Club's Club Championship for a record fourth time in a row while the club also recognised the efforts of two of their star performers, Derek Ayson and Andrew Graves, at their 51st Annual Dinner and Prizegiving at the Scenic Circle Croydon Hotel in Gore on Saturday night.

Laird won the Overall Club Championship after winning the club's Motorkhana Trophy, the Gravel Events Trophy and the Clubsport Championship Trophy. He also shared the Sealed Events Trophy with Duncan McCrostie of Kaitangata and Graves while to set the seal on another successful season he also won the award for the Most Consistent Competitor.

Ayson and Graves received their Special Awards after an amazing run of success throughout 2006. The awards were a certificate of achievement from their club for those efforts. In Ayson's case that included being the winning driver in the 2006 New Zealand Rally Xtreme 4-wheel-drive Championship, the Mainland Rally Series, the Laird Motorsport Southern Rally Series, the ESCC 50th Anniversary Gore Rally and the Eastern Southland Car Club's Rally Championship. Grave's award listed the winning of the 4-wheel-drive co-drivers title in the 2006 New Zealand Rally Xtreme Championship, finishing second overall as a driver in the Laird Motorsport Southern Rally Series plus numerous other top placings throughout the season as both a driver and co-driver.

Ayson and Graves were also prominent in the club's other awards, Ayson winning the Mullins Road Gravel Sprint and the Rally Challenge Trophy while Graves won the Slopedown Gravel Sprint, the Standing 1/4 at Teretonga, the Autocross Trophy and placed second in the Clubsport Championship and the overall Club Championship. Graves also took a one-third share of the Sealed Events Trophy.

Errol Hewlett finished third equal in the overall Club Championship along with Chris Hey of Mosgiel while Hewlett also finished third in the Clubsport Championship. Glenn Howden was fifth overall in the Club Championship with Karen Laird sixth earning her the Ladies Trophy. Phil Terry finished seventh in the Club Championship and took the award for the best new competitor while Craig Hewlett won the Junior Title in the Club Championship.

As well as sharing the Sealed Events Trophy with Ayson and Graves, McCrostie also took the Teretonga Sprint Trophy and the Sealed Hillclimb Trophy. Other winners were Gary Jenkins who won the Flying Lap at Teretonga Park and Ismay Wilson who won the Ladies Section of the Autocross events.

Carl Morris won the Club's Hard Luck Trophy after an altercation with a bank in his Datsun 1200, just two events after the car had been rebuilt.

Gavin Read was awarded the Member Of The Year Trophy.

The Eastern Southland Car Club now turn their focus to their major event of the year, the Catlins Coast Rally on Saturday 4 August.

ENDS

EASTERN SOUTHLAND CAR CLUB AWARDS

Motorkhana Trophy - Kevin Laird

Gravel Sprint Trophy
Slopedown - Andrew Graves
Mullins Road - Derek Ayson

Teretonga
Standing 1/4 - Andrew Graves
Sprint - Duncan McCrostie
Flying Lap - Gary Jenkins

Sealed Hillclimb Trophy - Duncan McCrostie

Autocross Trophy - Andrew Graves
Ladies Section Autocross Trophy - Ismay Wilson

Gravel Events Trophy - Kevin Laird

Sealed Events Trophy - 1st= - Duncan McCrostie / Kevin Laird / Andrew Graves

Rally Challenge Trophy - Derek Ayson

Hard Luck Trophy - Karl Morris

Most Consistent Competitor - Kevin Laird

Clubsport Championship
3rd - Errol Hewlett
2nd - Andrew Graves
1st - Kevin Laird

Club Championship
Junior - Craig Hewlett
New Competitor - Phil Terry
Ladies - Karen Laird
5th - Glenn Howden
3rd= - Chris Hey
3rd= - Errol Hewlett
2nd - Andrew Graves
1st - Kevin Laird

Member Of The Year
Gavin Read

Special Awards

Derek Ayson
A Certificate Of Achievement from the Eastern Southland Car Club for winning the drivers title in the 2006 N.Z. Rally Xtreme 4-wheel-drive Championship, the Mainland Rally Series, Laird Motorsport Southern Rally Series, ESCC 50th Anniversary Rally and the Eastern Southland Car Club Rally Championship

Andrew Graves
A Certificate Of Achievement from the Eastern Southland Car Club for winning the co-drivers title in the 2006 N.Z. Rally Xtreme 4-wheel-drive Championship, finishing second overall in the Laird Motorsport Southern Rally Series Drivers Championship and numerous other top placings as a driver and co-driver throughout the season.

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