bay driver 13 february 2015

Friday 13 February 2015

Polo packs a punchVW Polo See p4

umg.co.nz

The Weekend Sun Bay Driver Friday 13 February 2015

Weekend WheelsBay events: February 14: Baypark Family Speedway ‘Wide Tyre Salute’A night of fast and furious racing is promised with racing by wide-tyred open wheelers, saloons and super saloons, together with racing by some of the country’s best midgets in round three of the Top Half Midget Series. Six Shooters from around the country will also be racing. Gates open for spectators from 5pm with racing from 6.30pm. Details: www.bayparkspeedway.co.nz/events

February 20-21: Baypark Family Speedway: ‘Scrapman Mini Stock Madness’This two-day race meeting for the youth mini stock class promises plenty of chances to see future speedway champions being created. In a class that always races hard and fast there will be plenty to entertain all speedway fans. Gates open 5pm with racing from 6.30pm. Details: www.bayparkspeedway.co.nz/events

February 22: Battle of the Streets – PaeroaThe country’s top motorcyclists will descend on the town to compete in the legendary 1.5km ‘hacksaw’ circuit with races in 11 classes ranging from sidecars and classics to supermoto and the Formula Paeroa event. Details: www.battleofthestreets.co.nz

March 1: All Ford Day - Blake ParkTauranga’s Ford Muscle Club will hold its annual celebration of everything relating to the oval blue badge with a display of Fords at Blake Park. The fundraising event for Child Cancer Foundation’s Tauranga branch runs from 10am-3pm, with prizegiving at 2.30pm. Details: www.fordmusclecars.org.nz

Beyond the Bay:February 14-15: 60th NZ Grand Prix - Manfeild ParkAn action-packed weekend featuring championships for NZV8s, Toyota Finance 86 and NZ Formula First classes, along with racing by NZ F5000s, Enzed Central Muscle Cars and Formula Ford. Details: www.manfeild.co.nz

February 20-21: D1NZ drifting - Hampton Downs Round four of the national drift series will be held in Hampton Downs, where Cole Armstrong and other top Western Bay drivers will try to build on their success at ASB Baypark.

To submit an event for listing, email details to [email protected] at least two weeks prior.

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SPECS

New Polo purrs New Polo purrs

Reading the advertising spiel for the VW Polo, which Sideline Sid took

out for a test drive from Farmer Auto Village on another day in paradise in the Western Bay of

Plenty, the word ‘more’ was continually headlined to describe a number of features

of the 1.2 litre VW Polo. Sideline Sid’s mission was to see if the

vehicle lived up to the PR hype of the brochure.

Picking up a near top of the range VW Polo TSI Highline from the Farmer Auto Village showrooms revealed a fi ve-door hatchback that looked to live up to its tag of ‘more’ style.

The new Polo has grown up and has a sportier new look.

Its fi nish includes body-col-oured door handles, a park pilot both front and rear with acoustic warning, privacy rear window glass and electrically and heated exterior mirrors gives the VW Polo a real

touch of class. More torque and power has

resulted in the VW Polo being fi tted with a completely new engine based upon the 1.4 TSI, used in the VW Golf.

Features like adjustable cam timing, exhaust manifold integrated into the head and electronically controlled turbo give the feel of a pocket-sized sports car. Out on the open road the VW Polo purred along with quiet authority.

Passing a slow coach on the open road is greatly assisted by the seven-speed transmission, where a nudge of the gear stick drops the car into sports mode.

After completing the passing manoeuvre another

returns the car to maximum fuel effi ciency.

Sitting in the hot seat sees a myriad of controls at the driver’s fi ngertips. The intrepid reviewer was really taken by the large speedometer slap

bang in the middle of the dashboard. Such is the easy driving of the

VW Polo, that the highly visible speedo controls makes keeping the vehicle under the speed limit a breeze.

The VW Polo drives with a very light touch of the steering wheel and is a breeze to park in town.

In keeping with the sport mode transmis-sion, the Polo can reach 100km/h in 10.8 seconds and will blow the cobwebs away if you put the pedal to the fl oorboards out on the open road.

The more technology section of the advertising brochure tells us about the infotainment systems, which in real words means an integrated high quality radio with six dynamic loud speakers, bluetooth capabilities and a USB interface for iPod/iPhone.

The control centre is the seven-inch touchscreen, where one can fi nd the radio controls, systems set-up, telephone informa-tion and driver information.

The driving data has everything from the distance travelled on the current trip to present fuel economy and how

needs to be re-fuelled. One internal feature that appealed to the reviewer was the easy to fi nd and operate manual seat adjusters, which are essential for older drivers.

Another practical approach is the myriad of handy storage inside the car.

A large glovebox that even has a sunglass holder is complemented by plenty of side storage and two handy storage boxes under the two front seats.

It goes without saying that the VW Polo has more safety technology than ever.

The Polo has a fi ve-star EuroNCAP safety rating with Electronic Stability, Antilock Braking and Traction Control. A new addi-tion to the VW Polo is Driver Alert, which keeps an eagle eye on driver fatigue.

However, for the veteran driver of 50 years with a licence, the outstanding feature of the VW Polo is more fuel effi ciency.

The new Polo is the only petrol vehicle on New Zealand roads with a combined fuel economy of 4.7 litres per 100 kilometres. The extreme economy is made possible by the new 1.2 litre TSI engine that delivers power while still being a fuel miser.

The VW Polo is very competitively priced starting at $23,490 for the manual model, with the almost top of the range Highline we took for a test drive sitting at $28,490.

We’ll leave the last word to Blair from Farmer Auto Village, who says that for him the great appeal of the VW Polo is the built quality and the fi t and fi nish, coupled with being the most fuel-effi cient car on the market.

VW Polo

Engine: Petrol

Engine Capacity: 1197 cc

Power: (kW) 66kW

Torque: (Nm) 160Nm from 1400rpm

Cylinders: 4

Drive Train: Front wheel drive

Fuel Injection System: Direct injection

Polo TSI Comfortline Manual: $23,490

Polo TSI Highline DSG: $28,490

Contact: Farmer Auto Village

116 Hewletts Rd, Mount Maunganui,

Ph: 07 578 6017.


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116 Hewletts RoadMount Maunganui, Tauranga City Tel: 07 578 6017www.farmerautovillage.co.nz Follow us on Facebook


116 Hewletts Road, Mount Maunganui. Tel: 07 578 6017 www.farmerautovillage.co.nz

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Surfer, motelier and petrol-head, Mount Maunganui’s Greg Davidson has earned a name for a few things – but these days it’s his growing collection of classic Fords that’s getting a lot of his attention.

“I’m a petrol-head from way back,” says Greg about his love of motoring classics that’s seen him just buy his second Model A, which joins his other pride and joy a 1970 Mustang Fastback.

“I’ve raced speedway at the old Baypark – I raced midgets for eight years – and I’ve always had an interest in cars,” says Greg.

“I was actually at a swap-meet about 10 years ago and I heard this guy say he had an old Model A and my ears pricked up.”

When he got the Model A – one of only a few 1928 models originally brought into the country – it could have been rebuilt as a hot rod or restored as an original.

But while the end vision was exciting the real-ity was Greg was just starting with a bunch of broken old parts.

“Finding the parts was quite a challenge. Some of them I got new – you can actually get

new parts from the United States – and an old guy showed me how to hand panel-beat old panels so I did a lot of that too,” says Greg, who remembers making quite a racket in his shed while rebuilding the car.

It was a long rebuild project, taking more than five years as Greg fastidiously worked on every detail to ensure it meet the original specifica-tions, squeezing in extra work on the car after work and whenever he found a quiet moment running the holiday park.

“It was in a shed just behind the office so I would sometimes pop out and do a little work when I could,” says Greg, who combines busi-ness with pleasure these days when the motel regularly hosts visiting motoring enthusiasts including members of the Auckland-based Model A Club he belongs to.

The club often takes trips to Mount Maun-ganui.

All the work put into rebuilding the Model A has paid off with Greg regularly claiming many show prizes including the supreme award at All Ford Day five years ago.

“I didn’t do it for the awards, I just wanted to

do the most authentic restoration I could, but it’s always great when you do well at a show.”

Three years ago Greg added a Mustang to his classic Ford collection, after falling for the muscle cars in his youth.

“I always loved them”, says Greg, who last year put it through its paces at the Meremere drags.

“But it wasn’t as good I had hoped, I couldn’t get the traction I needed so I’ll have to get some better tyres next time.”

On March 1 Greg will join hundreds of other Ford owners to display his Mustang and 1928 Model A at the annual All Ford Day in what he expects will be another great display of the marque’s top cars.

“It’s always a really good event and hopefully there will be quite a few other Model A’s because

I’ve been encouraging other club members to come.”

But Greg’s latest Model A – a fully restored 1931 model – he only bought earlier this month will have to wait for next year’s All Ford Day, as he won’t be collecting it from its previous Nelson owner until Easter.

All Ford owners can show off their pride and joy at the annual Blake Park show, which also raises funds for the Child Cancer Foundation’s Tauranga branch.

The show runs 10am-3pm on March 1, with prizegiving at 2.30pm. Gates open for show cars from 8am, with entry $5 per car.

Admission is $5 and under-14s enter for free. See www.fordmusclecars.org.nz

By Hamish Carter

Best known for running the Mount’s iconic Cosy Corner Holiday Park, Greg Davidson, pictured with his 1970 Mustang and 1928 Model A.

Fuelling a passion for Fords


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116 Hewletts RoadMount Maunganui, Tauranga City Tel: 07 578 6017www.farmerautovillage.co.nz Follow us on Facebook


Between fi xing motorbikes for a job and racing them for a passion, Rhys Holmes’ focus is all about balance, performance and speed.

It’s an approach that’s been paying off this summer racing season for Rhys, who developed his love for racing on two wheels growing up in Katikati.

These days he’s based in Tauranga working as a mechanic for Mount Motorcycles, which is one of his main sponsors.

But he’s planning another big shift soon in the quest to test himself on the European circuit. “I’ve been happy with how I’ve gone this season, it’s been going pretty well,” says Rhys.

“I’ve been consistent, always making the top fi ve in tight races where it often comes down to race-craft.”

The summer season has included his maiden outright class victory in the 600cc Supersport class at the second round of the New Zealand Superbike Championship in Timaru last month.

The success in the two-race round included

placing second in his fi rst race then a win in the fi nal race, where luck helped him claim glory when the two riders ahead of him col-lided on the fi nal lap.

This has seen him jump in the standings from seventh overall to second equal.

In December he claimed third place in the Suzuki Tri Series, where riders had competed on the Manfeild and Hampton Downs cir-cuits, before the fi nal showdown on Boxing Day in Wanganui’s ‘Cemetery Circuit’ street race.

While some riders are a lot stronger in track or street contests, Rhys feels equally at ease racing both formats saying it doesn’t really matter to him.

Last year at Paeroa he won the Bear Race and fi nished fourth in the fi rst of three races in the Formula Paeroa competition before the streets races were called off due to an oil leak.

“I didn’t make a very good start in the race and that’s really important in street racing, particularly in Paeroa

where you don’t have a lot of chances to pass. “I was hoping to do a lot better in the next

races but I didn’t have the chance.”On February 22 he’s returning to the event

and is determined to do even better.“I’m defi nitely aiming to make the

podium,” says Rhys, who admits there’s always a little more pressure on at the home event.

“There are always a lot of people I know who come up to watch, so you’re always wanting to do your best in front of them.”

Beyond Paeroa his attention will return to the national superbike series, which resumes in Hampton Downs on March 16 before concluding in Taupo the following weekend.

“But at the end of the day it really doesn’t matter how you go here, the top inter-national superbike competitions aren’t following what’s happening in New Zealand – you need to race there and show them what you can do,” says Rhys, who plans to do just that and head to the European circuit at the end of the season.

Organisers of Paeroa’s Battle of the Streets are expecting another great event next weekend, with strong

rider entry numbers and the town’s accommodation already booked up.

Paeroa Promotions Trust president Jonathan Smith says 105 riders, the same as last year, have registered.

Plus, Jonathan says they’ve taken steps to avoid a repeat of the large oil spill that occurred last year, which forced organisers to end the event early for safety.

“We’ve got a particular product that can deal with that large amount of oil, so we’re prepared if it happens again.”

The street races, on the legendary ‘hacksaw’ circuit, will be held for the 24th time next Sunday, February 22, with races in 11 classes ranging from sidecars and classics to super-moto and the Formula Paeroa event.

Racing begins 11.30am, with practice runs from 8.15am to about 11.45am.

“Next year, as the 25th year, we will building on what we do this year with some behind the scene opportunities such as a dinner with the riders.”

Jonathan is encouraging spectators from the Western Bay to arrive early to get a good spot. Free parking will be available at the Domain off King St, the soccer fi elds on Rotokohu Rd and West Rugby Clubrooms.

Motorbike parking is available on the stop bank or at the Railway Reserve. See www.battleofthestreets.co.nz

The race is about to begin

Racing into street battle

Tauranga road racer Rhys Holmes is aiming for a top result at next Sunday’s Paeroa’s Battle of

the streets in his BMW S1000RR.

By Hamish Carter

bay driver 13 february 2015

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