Gore teenager Hayden Graves is hoping to help his father, Andrew, defend his Catlins Coast Rally title today.
The 16-year-old co-driver is becoming a regular fixture in his dad’s Mitsubishi Evo 3 and has been on board for several victories, including at the Eastern Southland Car Club’s (ESCC) Dusky Forest Rally when he was 13 and also for the club’s Rankleburn Rally in 2018.
‘‘He’s really looking forward to it and he’s no stranger to co-driving,’’ Graves said of his son.
After winning five consecutive club sport events last season, Graves was considering his future in the sport after Jared Leebody, his co-driver of 18 years, decided to retire.
‘‘I was going to take a step back and concentrate on other things, but my son was pretty keen to do this rally. The car was good to go, so I thought I might as well enter and get it done,’’ Graves said.
The Catlins Rally has been a happy hunting ground for him, with wins in 2010, 2013, 2017 and last year. He has twice been runner-up — in 2012 and 2016 — and was third in 2011.
The longevity of Graves’ achievements is remarkable considering the car he is driving is 24 years old.
Graves insisted that ‘‘nothing too dramatic’’ has changed for its 15th competitive season, with a bit of preventive maintenance, including installing a new clutch, a new gear kit for the gearbox and new wheel bearings.
Helping to keep it running today will be a service crew made up of Graves’ dad, Bazzo, and his mates, Craig Beattie and Paul Clarkson.
Graves admitted he would love to win this year, especially with Hayden alongside him.
‘‘I need to keep my nose clean though. Last year, we nearly threw it all away,’’ he said, recalling a couple of incidents during the day.
He hoped the roads would not be covered in slush or snow because, as the top-seeded team, he and Hayden are the first on the road — sweeping the stages clean for the rest of the 87-car field.
The ESCC’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/groups/ EasternSouthlandCarClub/, has a stage map with spectator spots located on it.
- Catherine Pattison
Photo: Terry Marshall/Euan Cameron Photography
