Thomsen & Thomsen Take Charge with Win at Turakina

Defending champs Sam Thomsen & Caitlyn Thomsen stick with the lead of the title chase, with their first win of the 2024 Lucas Oils NZ 4×4 Trials season!

The third round of the 2024 Lucas Oil NZ 4×4 Trials Series was held in Turakina by the Wanganui 4WD Club. The day started slippery for some with the long grass providing an extra challenge for teams, before the rain came at midday if that wasn’t enough!

Competitors were warned to bring their “big boy” pants, with plenty of tough courses on offer providing high risk, but high reward. The day provided plenty of drama & breakages which may come into play as we move onto the second half of the season. Jarred Biggs & Fleche Crawford were fortunate to finish the day, having suffered from different faults during the day as they iron out the teething problems in their radical sub 1000kgs D Class truck. Despite this they still sit in the Top 10 in 8th.

Underdogs Dean Wells & Ben Harvey suffered their first DNF of the season, with a broken front diff in the morning taking them out. They still however hold a shot at creeping into the Top 10, with their consistent performances leaving them tied for 12th Overall.

Shaun Nicholson & Mike Fergusson had a spectacular roll in their CowperTruck which broke the rear suspension and steering arms! The damage put an end to their day, but they too stay in the hunt tied for 12th Overall.

With Dave McKie out nursing a back injury, son Reece McKie made his debut behind the wheel! The former Pairs Event winner teamed up with the current NZ2 navigator Richard Verner and scored a respectable 11th overall in the morning. Their day would be cut short after electrical issues in the afternoon.

Further up the field Alastair Bevege & Grant MacDonald scored an almighty 11th placing outright in their Homebuilt D Class truck! Bevege originally navigated for father Kevin back in the mid 2000’s in the same truck before rebuilding it in 2019. Now running a VQ35 V6, the duo scored 7th overall in the afternoon to take their best ever result, up some 13 places!

Back in the Top 10 was Phil Cameron & Todd Charman. With regular navigator Beau Taylor out, former NZ1 navigator Charman found himself in his third different seat of the season. Having originally navigated for Tim Dodge & Ryan Bold at Round 1 & 2 respectfully. The duo also had a big roll during the day, with the 70+ Cameron showing no signs of slowing down yet! Their 10th place making Cameron’s first since 2022 and Charman’s since 2019!

Chris Gifford & Shaun Joblin claimed 9th Overall on the day putting them 6th in the season standings. Brent & Michael Ward took their first Top 10 finish of the season with 8th as did Andy Canning & John Boylett in 7th. Russell Hall & Glen Hall took 6th place putting them into 5th outright so far this season! In 5th place only for the second time was Wayne Buckthought & Paul Green in Hell Boy. Their back-to-back Top 10 appearances putting their name into the mix as they sit 9th outright so far this season.

Round 1 winner Mitch Caldow & Jamie Elms had a more representable day compared to Round 2, by taking 4th overall. This puts them firmly in the hunt for a Top 3 placing, along with 2nd place finishers Ash Tonkin & Dyon Ross tied on 197 points. Tonkin & Ross have been bouncing their way up the field, with a 3rd position at Round 2 and now a 2nd to their names!

Round 2 winners Scott Biggs & Phil Walton finished 3rd, the former NZ1’s bringing the fight to the Thomsen’s with only one point between them into the 2nd half of the season!

*The Zook-Sport CowperTruck after a wee tumble*

One of the biggest developments in the C Class title chases comes from 4-time champs Nathan Fogden & Mike Gibbons now out of the running! After missing out Round 2 the defending champs needed a perfect run for the next four rounds, as they dropped the one round not counted to end of season scores. This was not meant to be as a spectacular rollover on their last course of the morning saw their rear diff bend like a banana! Nevertheless, they tried in vain to straighten the housing for the afternoon stages. But the might of two tractors wasn’t enough to pull it square, putting an end to their day.

402c Shayne Towers & Tony Hadland and last season’s Top 10 finishers retired due to more steering issues that have plagued them since the last round. Although not out the hunt for the C Class title, the consistency of the Top 3 make it an almighty challenge to overcome.

In C Class Rhys O’Brien & Clarrie Vazey claimed their first class win since 2021 and finished 12th overall in their K24 powered buggy! Caleb Adlam & Jarrod Moss were hot in pursuit claiming 2nd & 14th outright just some 30 points behind. John Hawken & Haare O’Brien finished 3rd in class and 21st overall. The top 3 look set to be the contenders for C Class this season, with only 2 points between them. Adlam & Moss currently sit with two wins and 200 points, with O’Brien & Hawken tied on 198.

It marks the best chance for a new C Class champion in over five years, with all three itching to claim the spot! John Hawken is a former champ having won all the way back in 2010 (that’s 14 years!) in the same Homebuilt buggy. Rhys O’Brien challenged Fogden & Gibbons to the final round in 2021 ultimately settling for 2nd. Whilst Caleb Adlam in his 2nd full season has eyes set on becoming the next C Class buggy to crack the Top 10.

In K Class John Sheridan & Willow Eayrs were the sole entrants with regulars Geoff Butcher & Sean Cushing out with COVID. A maiden K Class win for Sheridan was not meant to be, as The Terminator gave up the ghost part way through the speed section during the morning. Ultimately ruling them out of the day. The culprit turned out to be a faulty piece of wiring between the computer and engine, now fixed for another shot this season!

With competitors able to drop their worst score out of the six rounds, the Top 10 starts shaping up as those with DNFs/poor performances average out their points tally as we move on through the season. In an unexpected development for this season, only two of last years Top 10 currently place in this years! Shayne Towers & Tony Hadland are the next closest, down in 30th Overall. With a mix of returning names and new, time will only tell if experience or eagerness will come out on top!