This year’s Stadium Cars Otago Classic Rally, to be held on May 10 and 11, will allow a wider range of vehicles to enter, with the year of manufacture being extended from 1983 to 1987.

Cars built before 1987 have been allowed to enter in recent times, under
the stricter requirements of MotorSport New Zealand’s Schedule RH.

“After
careful consideration, we are going to free up the regulations so that
cars built before 1987 can contest the Otago Classic Rally under the
more open rules that we have for pre-1983 vehicles,” Otago Rally
spokesman, Roger Oakley said.

“We don’t believe that this will
allow a new breed of car that will render any of the previous
front-runners to be any less competitive.”

To be eligible, cars
will still be required to be two-wheel drive, and turbocharged engines
cannot be transplanted into different makes or models of cars.

“As
a precaution against this new freedom allowing a car to compete that is
against the spirit of the event, a new rule has been included” Oakley
added.  

“This is that vehicles which do not use the original
engine, and where the vehicle and or engine was first available between
January 1, 1983 and January 1, 1987 will be accepted subject to approval
by the organising committee.

“This will be routinely granted where there is no problem with the car’s eligibility.”

The
change in regulations means that cars such as the Toyota Celica
Twin-Cam Turbo, and the Opel Manta 400 would become eligible to compete.
Also, for example, a carburettered Toyota 4AGE motor can now be used in
cars that it wasn’t originally fitted in.

The Stadium Cars Otago
Classic Rally intention to enter form is now available, with
supplementary regulations and the official entry form available soon.

This year’s event will feature 14 special stages and a competitive distance of around 280 kilometres.