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A day of fast-paced fun at the Metalman Targa Rally Sprint

14 February, 2015

The Targa NZ series is the country’s most well-known road rally series, attracting a vast and varied line-up of cars and competitors — from granny wagons hotted up in the backyard, to cutting-edge racing weapons. There is now a Targa event to appeal to new competitors — the 2015 Metalman Targa Rally Sprint.

The one-day event, to be held on Sunday, March 8 at Ardmore Airport, does not form part of the Sanction Series, making it appealing to a wider audience. To race in the event, you will need a minimum of an M-grade licence, but co-drivers do not need to be licence holders — great for taking sponsors, service crews, friends, and family for a flat-out blast through the countryside!

Multiple stages will be run amidst the picturesque Papakura and Clevedon areas in South Auckland, allowing for alterations to the set-up and testing of competitor cars.

The course follows Monument Road from Clevedon to Hunua, and Ardmore Quarry Road from Hunua to Ardmore. These stretches of road will be repeated four times, with approximately 80km of Special Stage in total. The roads are typical of Targa event stages, making them a great introduction for the Targa Bambina and Targa NZ events held later in the year. The Targa Rally Sprint also gives the opportunity to get acquainted with standard rally safety notes, route books, time cards, and general rally protocol — a great introduction to the Targa experience.

The event has been designed to be family friendly, promising a day of entertainment, and a BBQ in the afternoon. Entry is limited, so you’ll need to head over to Targa NZ’s site to register now.

Photo captured by Owen de Mooy.

 

Coaching from the bench: Casting plastic knobs and rubber parts

16 July, 2026

Casting rubber items is simple if you have a good original to work with. The item doesn’t have to be perfect. You can use plasticine to smooth out cracks, and you can even make whole prototypes out of low-fire modelling clay available from craft stores if you need to. Prototypes can also be made of wood or metal.
You will need mould dams to contain the liquid urethane moulding solution until it cures. You can build boxes out of strips of wood, but I have found that small plastic boxes and bowls such as those you would use for leftovers in your fridge work well if you spray them with a mould release agent.
Temperature is important to the chemical processes involved, so work in an area that can be maintained at around 20 degrees. You will also need adequate ventilation because the fumes can be dangerous to breathe. And you will want to wear latex gloves to protect your hands.

Fraser Cars – low flying into the fourth decade

10 July, 2026

With almost three and a half decades under its belt, Fraser Cars is one of New Zealand’s longest-surviving car manufacturers. The company first opened its doors for business in 1988, during the boom time for kit manufacturers. During the ’80s, around 40 different companies were building kits and turnkey cars for this niche market. Of those, only Fraser and Almac Cars (established 1981) are still in business today.
Most of the new kit car companies were killed off in the cradle by the threat of new legislation that never eventuated and definitively by the sudden availability of high-performance Japanese cars when the floodgates to second-hand imports were opened. The now long-retired founder of the company, Neil Fraser, first came across Lotus Seven replicas while racing Lotus Cortinas in the early ’80s. He regularly found himself racing against a little Caterham, a Lotus Seven–styled car built in England. He was very impressed by its simplicity and handling. In 1986 Fraser built his own Lotus Seven–type car, using the knowledge he had gained from several close looks at the Caterham.