Wet, wet and more wet saw the 2017 Polaris NZ 1000, New Zealand’s longest off-road race, eventually stopped – but not before Ben Thomasen had taken the race by the scruff of the neck.
It was never certain, but Tauranga driver Ben Thomasen successfully defended his NZ 1000 title in atrocious weather that eventually forced an early halt to racing on the second day.
The race saw four seasons in a half hour, with bright sunshine, drizzle, sleet, rain and finally snow contributing to subzero conditions for drivers.
Qualifying on the Friday was held in relatively mild conditions, though the course was deteriorating progressively and the early runners were able to set the best times.
Ben Thomasen was fastest, ahead of fellow UTV racer pairing Carl Ruiterman and Joel Giddy, with Mike Small/Phil Johnston third. Eight of the top ten were UTVs, mainly the modified S class. First of the more traditional race cars was Scott Buckley, fourth overall in his tiny motorcycle-engined BSL. Among the trucks, Mike and Gary Preston of Taranaki qualified fastest, 30th overall.
Thomasen leapt into the lead from pole and was chased off into the forest on the first day by a massive gaggle of UTVs. Throughout the day his race was a defensive battle as he fought off challenges from multiple ‘1000’ champion Clim Lammers, NZ 1000 debutante Nathan Moore, and the dual driver pairing of Pukekohe racer Carl Ruiterman, and Joel Giddy (Silverdale).
Thomasen and Ruiterman duelled throughout the Saturday, Ruiterman in the no.27 car taking the lead after Thomasen spun on the first lap, then dropping back when he was nudged into a roadside bank while passing lapped traffic. Although he regained the road, the impact had damaged his front suspension, which failed shortly afterward, forcing repairs to the Gull Yamaha.
Ben Thomasen, driving the latest version of the Polaris RZR 1000, resumed the lead and was not challenged again, taking the first day’s chequered flag in a total elapsed time of 5:48.49. Clim Lammers (Hikurangi) was second for the day on 6:11.15, with Nathan Moore third on 6:12.20
The 20-strong ‘unlimited’ race car class (backed by Ryco) was the biggest in the record 100-strong entry, and contained four former NZ 1000 champions, but only Lammers was able to challenge the agile UTV or ‘side by side’ class cars of Thomasen, Ruiterman/Giddy, Mike Small and others. The bigger four-wheel-drives soon fell off the pace of the flying UTVs.
As the following day dawned, the organisers reduced the length of the race lap amid safety concerns; on their course-checking lap they found snow had fallen on the furthest reaches of the course.
As the race began its second leg a brief period of sunshine was soon to descend into a sleet drizzle. The grid for day two was 66-strong, and off the start the battle for the win was between Thomasen and Lammers, with Nathan Moore waiting to pounce if the chance presented itself.
Christchurch’s Jacob Brownlees started fourth and put on a determined drive in his unlimited-class car to hang onto the leaders through the opening laps.
Leader Thomasen could afford to preserve his car: Lammers and any other challenger would have to overtake him and claw back margins of 20 minutes or more to eliminate Thomasen’s day-one margin. This was not unheard-of in the history of the toughest endurance race in the Southern Hemisphere, but it seemed a hopeless task as chill rain once more swept over the course.
Carl Ruiterman was one of the big movers of day two and put on a determined charge to hold the outright lead from lap three to lap eight, but was once more overtaken by Thomasen, who went on to win the second day. He had also set fastest time of the day on lap one, an 18:30.738 for the 30 km.
Even when in front, Ruiterman was unable to shake the tenacious Thomasen or erode the advantage of Nathan Moore. Lammers dropped out of contention on lap three and eventually finished 42nd.
Former NZV8 star Haydn McKenzie, breaking in a new Can Am UTV in S class, was on a consistent charge through the second day and ran as high as third on the second day and finished fourth overall.
Daniel and Tony Connor were the first non-UTV finishers, seventh overall in their class six Toyota; the class backed by Add-Vance Stainless Steel and Pumps.
The course for this year’s Polaris NZ 1000 was all-new, and drivers completed 15 laps of a 30 km course – around 350 km – on Saturday, and a further 10 laps – 300 km – before racing was halted on the Sunday.
Thomasen’s total elapsed time for the shortened event was 9:19.58 – an indication of how treacherous the conditions were throughout the weekend. Second-placed Nathan Moore was 33 minutes adrift; Ruiterman and Giddy in third place were 40 minutes behind Thomasen.
Top 10
1. S1 Ben Thomasen, Polaris RZR 1000
2. S17 Nathan Moore, Polaris RZR 1000
3. S22 Carl Ruiterman / Joel Giddy, Yamaha
4. S98 Haydn McKenzie, Albany, CanAm
5. U66 Roger McKay, Taupo, Yamaha
6. S80 Andrew Williams/Neville Smith, CanAm
7. 627 Daniel Connor/Toni Connor, Waikato, Toyota
8. 397 Rick Sciarone/James Buchanan, Auckland, Cougar Suzuki
9. S51 Grant Dickson/James Dickson, Otago, Polaris
10. S27 Phil Findlay, Manukau, Yamaha
Class winners
Ryco 24/7 class 1
Jacob Brownlees
Add Vance Stainless Steel & Pumps class 2 Scott Frederickson
Class 3
Rick Sciarone/James Buchanan
Add Vance Stainless Steel & Pumps class 4 Gerrad Chitty/Graeme Muir
Central Landscape & Garden Supplies class 5
Todd Graham
Add Vance Stainless Steel & Pumps class 6 Daniel Connor/Toni Connor, Waikato
Challenger VW
Tim Ackers
Camco class 8
Justin Leonard/Scott Nicholls
Class 9
Maurice Bain/Graeme Clunie
Class 10
Scott Buckley
UTV U class
Roger McKay, Taupo
Kiwi VOIP UTV S class
Ben Thomasen, Tauranga
Cougar Race Cars Kiwitrucks
Two 30 minute endurance races were held for the youth category, using tracks in the forest adjacent to the main course.
Cougar Race Cars Kiwitruck J class
1. Matthew McFarlane
2. Cahn Rave
3. Toby McCormick
4. Jack Brownlees
5 James Christensen
Cougar Race Cars Kiwitruck M class
Harry Hodgson
Honour roll: the champions
1992 Les Siviour (AUS)
1994 Doug McMillan. (AUS)
1996 Phil/Mike Cameron
1998 Alan Butler
1999 Tony McCall
2000 Melvin Rouse
2003 Tony McCall
2005 Clim Lammers
2007 Clim Lammers
2009 Clive Thornton
2011 Brad Prout (AUS)
2013 Clim Lammers
2015 Ben Thomasen
2017 Ben Thomasen
