How fast do you go?

02Jun11

The main question I get asked when meeting new people, who aren’t involved in motorsport, is: “How fast do you go?”

If you’re involved in the sport you’ll know that this figure isn’t the be-all end-all. It’s more about high average stage speeds and quick acceleration. However, since this would take a long time to explain and because the cars I used to drive were small-engined front-wheel-drive cars, I usually this one example.

In 2009 I co-drove for an Otorohanga driver, Lindsay Meredith, in a Mitsubishi Evolution VI on the notoriously fast, Taranaki Tarmac rally. There’s one particularly fast stage with a straight of 800m over crests or ‘yumps’ a small corner and then another straight of 500m or so (from memory – co-drivers are welcome to correct me here). In this particular stage, in Lindsay’s 10-year-old Evo, the speedo was right off the clock – faster than 180kph.

During the weekend I found out that I’m not the only one that gets asked these kind of questions. One of the New Zealand Fiesta Sporting Trophy drivers said his answer is very easy – the Ford Fiestas are speed-limited to 166kph.

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