Trolley races thrill crowds

MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER MARTIN DE RUYTER

Ronan Stilwell, left drives Ronan's Bullet.

Liam King-Turner drives RedRak Racer II.

Ronan Stilwell drives Ronan's Bullet.

Barrelnater driven by Cassandra Cotton crashes.

Cassandra Cotton emerges from the crash site thankfully unscathed.

Morgan Dacombe driving Lighting Racer.

Rowan Turner drives Safari Spitfire.

Tim Bayley drives RedRak Racer III.

Tim Bayley drives RedRak Racer III.

Sam Laidlaw drives Village Screamer in the Rockets class.

Francis Lagrutta pilots converted kayak Novus 1 down Collingwood St.

Dave Lewis has his race face on at the start line.

Dom Bloomfield behind the wheel of the WHK Thomas The Tank Engine.

Theo Janssen races his 1929 Bentley Blower. A replica of a Bentley with a super charger.

Sharon Smith behind the wheel of Bugatti.

Sharon Smith behind the wheel of Bugatti.

Selena Coombes approaches the start line in Phat 2.

Xan Twissell, 7 and Jayden Waharoa, 7 prepare to race Bug Eyed.

Xan Twissell, 7 and Jayden Waharoa, 7 prepare to race Bug Eyed.

Corbin Blackbourn and Anne Devlin prepare the Inferno Dragon Racer for racing.

Jeff Sara gives Samantha Orlowski, 9 some advice before the start of a heat in the Zoomers section.

« Previous« PreviousNext »Next »

Relevant offers

Photos

Nelson flood gallery Kids rock along with the best Boote's shiny secret is out Fashion steps onto dogwalk Tots to toddlers gallery Light show wows crowd Fans create fascinating vibe Club Italia Venitian Carnivale Lunch Italian style Nelson spirit still burns strong at WOW

There were thrills, spills and speed to burn at the ever-popular South Canterbury Finance Nelson Trolley Derby on Saturday.

The hot, still conditions made for near-perfect racing for the throngs who lined the Collingwood St course to watch.

A near-record 79 trolleys and 90 drivers entered the event, to the delight of race co-ordinator Andy Williams.

"Everything is going really well. There is a really good crowd this year, far more entertainment, beautiful weather and a really good atmosphere between the drivers."

There were dozens of spectacular-looking trolleys, but among the most eye-catching were four designed as old racing cars from the 1920s and `30s.

They were designed by Christchurch man Brian Smith, raced by himself (Auto Union Streamliner) and his wife Sharon (Bugatti), and friends Theo (Blower Bentley) and Merilyn Janssen (1936 Auto Union), from Havelock.

Mr Smith said he loved the stories behind the old cars and their drivers, including the 36 Auto Union, which was raced by German Bernd Rosemeyer. He died in 1938 when he crashed while trying to set a new speed record.

Mr Smith had won the Stylemeister award for the previous four years. "I look forward to [the derby] every year, especially when the weather is like this."

Mr Janssen said he loved racing the Bentley, even if it was not the quickest on the track.

"Mine's probably the slowest [of the four] because of the wind factor ... but I get all the attention at the bottom," he chuckled.

The action inspired a new generation of trolley enthusiasts, with six-year-old Kyle Williams saying he wanted to race next year.

Sam Laidlaw regained the Bunnings Monarch of the Hill title after being clocked by Nelson police travelling at 68kmh, just 2kmh short of Tim Bayley's 2007 record.

Port Nelson's Greg Dyer won the new SCF corporate challenge. Nelson Intermediate won the Britten Award for the imaginative design with maximum child input, and five-year-old James Fleet in Batman 09 won the Blueberry IT award for backyard brilliance.

WHK West Yates won the Stylemeister Award for their Thomas the Tank Engine trolley, and the Spirit of the Derby Award went to Francis Lagrutta with his Novus lie-down canoe.

The under-six Nippers race was won by Kobi Furniss. Zoomers (seven to 10 years) honours went to Ronan Stilwell, and the Sprinters (11 to 14 years) crown to Liam King-Turner.

- © Fairfax NZ News