Gold Card Championship – mid-season update
The Gold Card class, which caters for drivers over 65 years of age, has been a popular addition to the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship since its inception in 2021 and in 2024 has seen eight drivers take up the challenge.
Seven of those drivers, namely Stewart Reid, Paul Fraser, Pat Norris, Mike Cameron, Brian Green, Dave Strong and Dave Ollis lined up to battle for the title at the opening round, Rally Otago. Contested over the opening day, Reid would set the pace in his AP4 Mitsubishi, ahead of Green (ironically Reid’s car was originally built for Green) and Strong. Green however would leave the road in SS3 and Strong suffered engine failure in SS6, leaving Ollis to claim second despite battling a broken steering rack mount all day in his Subaru. Paul Fraser would take third in his Ford Escort, ahead of Norris’ Toyota Vitz and Cameron in his classic Mitsubishi Lancer.
Round two, the South Canterbury Rally, would see Reid again clear out in front, continuing to adjust to his new car. Behind him, a solid battle between Green and Strong saw the latter into an early lead, but Green pounced in the slippery forestry of SS3. Back out on the more open stages, Strong would finally overcome his rival in SS6 to claim second for the day while Green was happy to be putting points on the board with third. Fraser secured fourth, again leading home Norris and Cameron.
The third round, Southern Lights Rally, saw a return to Invercargill and the return of night stages a lot of our Gold Card drivers would have cut their teeth on. Again, Reid would be quickest across the day, giving him a perfect three from three to start the season. The Strong/Green battle was again the closest fought, this time the championship sponsor held the upper hand through the day to record second, while Strong would come home third despite a failing engine. Again, Fraser, Norris and Cameron held their respective order, with Murray Percival seventh in his first appearance of the season.
With a perfect start to the season, Stewart Reid leads on 75 points ahead of Paul Fraser on 58, then Pat Norris on 55 and Mike Cameron on 52. Brian Green and Dave Strong share fifth on 42 points, while the table is rounded out by Dave Ollis (22) and Murray Percival (16).
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