On the fast track to rally success
PROJECT COMPLETE
Growing up, my brother Euan and I were taught to be passionate about life and to dream big. I was once told by a friend that if you want something badly enough you can make it happen. This advice has stayed with me and has reminded me to continually strive to be the best at everything I put my mind to, whether it’s studying, playing sport or in my work.
Since my brother and I were young we dreamed of racing motorsport together. Over the last two years we have put all our resources into building a classic BMW rally car, to compete in the Targa Rally New Zealand. As you can imagine, motorsport is not a cheap sport. But after getting a taste for it, competing in various smaller events and proving to ourselves and our supporters that we have what it takes to reach the top, we are now preparing for the 2013 Targa event held at the end of October - that's only a few weeks away!
On our way to third place at Targa Rotorua, May 2013
Costs for Targa are high with entry fee alone set at $5,520.00 NZD. There are various other costs associated with the event let alone the cost of the car, these are:
Entry $5520.00 NZD
Tyres: $1600.00 NZD
Fuel: $1100.00 NZD
Accommodation: $ 700.00 NZD
(for the team)
Total costs $8920.00 NZD
In rallying you need a co-driver and I can think of no one I’d rather do it with than my brother. He shares my passions for skiing, the outdoors and motorsport and I’m lucky to have him as a guiding, (and sometimes calming!) influence beside me when we race. Together with our mechanic, Oliver Shepherd of OSMotorsport we make up Howden Brothers Racing, HBR.
Crossing the finish line at Targa Rotorua, May 2013
Although we are just starting out, HBR is a name we hope will soon become well known in the motorsport fraternity.
The Targa events are the pinnacle of Tarmac rallying in Australasia, with events held throughout Australia and New Zealand. Another great aspect of Targa is the Charities they support. This year Targa New Zealand has selected Kids in Cars as their chosen charity, giving around $50,000/yr to the cause. You can find out more about this fantastic organisation here: www.kic.org.nz
This year's Targa rally starts in Auckland on the 30/10/13 making its way down the North Island over the following four days and finishing in Taupo on the 3/11/13. If you don’t feel you are able to donate, come along and say hi if you are along the route, we’d love to meet you! More information about the event can be found at http://www.targa.co.nz
Check out the pledges on the side of this page, these will help us meet our costs for this years event. We really appreciate your help and are super excited that you have chosen to support us.
We're on the road to the top, are you with us?
