CSB - Peter Martin - Silver Fern Rally

The Silver Fern Rally typically runs over seven days in November every second year and has more than 1050 kilometers (or 650 miles) of closed road gravel stages, plus about 1800 kilometers of touring.

There are two competition structures, each subdivide into four categories. The Historic Trophy is for ‘Puka’ (or C.O.D) 2WD pre 1985 Cars, and the Challenge Trophy is for all other 2WD Cars that don’t qualify for the Historic Trophy.

The 2024 NZ Silver Fern Rally will be in the South Island of New Zealand, and is a bi-ennual event held in November of the even years. The course changes each event and fluctuates between the North and South Islands. This is an iconic seven day Marathon Rally with it’s origins dating back to the 1970’s. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ota Sport on the Country Sport Breakfast powered by CRC
five five six made right here in New Zealand. We're
talking rallying on the show now. The Silver Fern Rally
of New Zealand. Now this is like the old rallies
of days gone by where they last for seven days.
This is seven days. This is a bi annual event

(00:22):
and it's attracted sixty classic rally cars and crews from
not just New Zealand but from around the world. One
thousand kilometers, fifty five special stages. Organizer of the event,
it must be a hell of an event to organize.
Peter Martin joins this morning. Peter, you very well, thank you.
This is huge and as I said, it must be

(00:42):
one hell of an event for you to organize.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah. Look, it's been a torrid year for us, sort
of recovering from the last three years of the COVID
experience with both our target and our Silver Van products.
But you know, we've done the hard yards. We've spent
a lot of time internationally marketing New Zealand and not
just the event, but you know, the beautiful country that

(01:07):
we live in and the wonderful roads that we've got
are just you know, to die for really and we've
we've made a lot of changes to the events to
ensure that the internationals can feel competitive here and that's
certainly been proven by the last four events being won
by UK residents, so to that that speaks for itself.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
What are the big changes you've made for this year.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
Well, look, we've changed the route obviously we do that
every time, but we've incorporated going over to the coast,
to the west coast, and we've incorporated another sort of
three or four aspects to the event which allows for
the domestic market to join in and part of the celebrations.
So we have a one day rally, a half day

(01:52):
clubman's rally, a two day rally and a three day
rally with all in the seven days. So and those
those small all the products are certainly helping to give
back to the communities, allowing those local car club members
to come and play at an affordable price. And we
share the roads of course, so then we're not impacting

(02:14):
so much to the rural community, only closing the road
once annually so they get to play as well. So
the other thing's really been excuse me, the detail that
we've put into our roadbook. The introduction of stage notes
has been one of the things that have helped a
lot of internationals back. We use a company called Corner

(02:36):
to Crest. They drive the stages, they create the stage notes,
they video the stages. All of that is in documented
and senda to the people well in advance, so they
can sit in Australia, Africa, America, England's UK, Europe, New
Zealand being in the cargo or katie and watch the
information all at the same time. So obviously we don't

(02:59):
allow pre event driving through the stages to minimize the
impact of the communities. So this really levels the playing
field and feedback has been wonderful.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
And it's mainly open to classic cars, isn't it. So
it isn't your modern rally cars but classic vehicles.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah. So the origins of Silver Fern date back to
the nineteen seventy three Heatwave Rally and the emphasis is
certainly on two will drive pre eighty five poker cars
or cod cars as New Zealand may understand, which is
vehicles with history that are period perfect, obviously with some
added modern combonatory or revised, but fundamentally the cars are

(03:37):
classic too. Will drives. We've got a variety. The Mark
to Escort BDG is probably the car of choice, but
it's rapidly being hunted down by Porsche nine to elevens.
And this year, of course, we've got the Lancer Stratos,
which was flown in the other day. So there's some
beautiful cars being prepared by Tuttle Porte out of europ

(04:00):
and they're here on the ground. And and Delantia Strados
we were, you know, it's it's a million dollar car,
so certainly worth coming down a look at a casual
street and looking at.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
The lineup for New Zealand competitors. I see where Chris Padden,
who's Hayden Padden's father, is competing in a nineteen seventy
four Toyota with Hayden being his basically his team mechanic.

Speaker 2 (04:24):
And yeah, awesome, isn't it so that the worm has
turned completely? But there's a sister story to that because
Austin Jones and Kingsley Jones have also entered in there.
Kingsley's nephew, Zeal Jones obviously Austin's son, and Kingsley's wife
they're they're they're servicing for Austin and Kingsley, so Zeal's

(04:51):
at eighteen, you know, on on his way up and
he's getting to run the hard yards doing the servicing
for an uncle who are you know. This is the
big supporters and funding of his career. So it's such
a great story and it really should hopefully see his
development grow because the importance of team and any rally

(05:12):
is critical.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
And I've noticed too in the entry list a team
manager team director Phil Mills is there now. He was
the former co driver for Peter Solberg, so he's out
here at running a team.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yeah. Absolutely. In fact, that's an interesting story because Flyn
and I have been talking for a long time and
we almost had the Solbergs coming. Unfortunately they couldn't quite
get their deal put together for Oliver for next years
WRC and anticipation of them being able to come down here.
But they are very very keen to come and we're

(05:47):
working hard on having them down in twenty twenty six,
along with some other very big names which I'm not
at liberty to disclose at the moment, but we almost
again had another current competitor and a very recent supercar driver.
So watch let's space and years to come and we'll

(06:08):
hopefully get them to twenty twenty six, which will be
in the North Island.

Speaker 1 (06:11):
Fantastic, fifty five special stages, a thousand kilometers of stages,
all in the South Island, finishing in Wonica, starting in
christ Church this Friday, isn't it Peter.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
That's great. Yep. So we're actually on route down to
christ Church as we speak. We've got a guest day
on Wednesday, We've got a form we'll get together on Thursday,
nights documentation Friday, then the cars will go into Casual
Street and Oxford Terrace for display in the afternoon on
Friday evening, and then race proper starts on Saturday and

(06:42):
off we go.

Speaker 1 (06:42):
Fantastic. We'll keep a close eye on it over the
coming week. Peter, thank you for joining us, mate, well done.

Speaker 2 (06:48):
No worries. Thanks Brian, Peter Martin.

Speaker 1 (06:50):
Joining us here on Goldsport. Love those in Duro raceis sotle,
start at Rickitton Raceway in christ Church and finish seven
days later in Wonica, which will be absolutely amazing. Longer
stages Rocklands Road fifty four kilometers. Oh, that'll test Summon,
that's for sure. And as Peter said, there's some beautiful

(07:11):
cars in there, the Lancer Stratos and the Lancer Integrelle
my favorite two, my favorite rally cars, and some big
names as well.