Speeding Through

Speeding through the night, entrants in the 1972 Heatway Rally arrived in Gisborne on April 27, at 7 a.m. At 5 p.m. they were waved away again, by Mayor Harry Barker, to the north, this part of the trial taking in Tolaga Bay, the Mata Road loop, up the Tauwhareparae Road, across country to Waimata, then down the valley and back to Gisborne. Here they refuelled again, then took off on their tortuous way to Napier.

Leading Scottish driver Andrew Cowan held his advantage all the way back to Wellington to win the event, with navigator Jim Scott, in their Mini Clubman GT.

Smiling his anticipatory victory smile, Andrew Cowan prepares to leave on the Gisborne-Napier section.

Cowan checks over at Alex Motors, Tolaga Bay

Second place in the rally went to Colin Taylor, in a Toyota Corolla SL. His navigator was "K" Foulkes

Bob Holden, with John Dawson-Damer, in an Alto Escort, gained third place

Ian Pinkerton and co-driver Steve Lachman were the only casualties in the race. Lachman was injured when the Toyota crashed on the Mata Road

The mass of cars entered in the rally were given the once over by hordes of people as the vehicles rested on their stopover at the Sandown Park Hotel. In the foreground are the Angus Hyslop/Mike Langley (80) and Cowan/Scott (77) cars, both Mini Clubman GT's.

Mayor Harry Barker waves Cowan away before the large crowd.

Arriving back in Gisborne from 11 p.m. onwards, the cars refuelled at the Kaiti Service Station. Here, Tim Bailey's Porsche receives attention from Gordon Fraser.

Pinkerton's crash-bound Toyota pictured at the Sandown Hotel.

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The Gisborne Photo News

No 215 : May 17, 1972

Speeding Through