High praise indeed, so what is it that has brought the Callinan’s back for every single Silver Fern Rally since it’s inception in 2006. “There is no part of the event that isn’t great. The roads, the people, our service crew who are all kiwis, even our token Aussie who was born in New Zealand. They do a sensational job.”
The Callinan’s have competed in all parts of the world. “We have done the La Carrera Panamericana and the NORRA Mexican 1000 on the Baja Peninsula,” says Keith. They have also tackled the Sweden to Jordan Marathon, the Midnight to Red Sea and many, many more. “We have done all these things at the expense of other events but the point is we have always got to get back to the Silver Fern.”
Callinan hasn’t always had the best of luck on the epay Silver Fern Rally. “The last one, I didn’t get the car off the line and two years before that I tore it off at the firewall. I’ve finished a couple but not as many as I’ve started.” However his enthusiasm and passion for the event is evident – “if you are an Australian and you haven’t done the epay Silver Fern Rally you need your arse kicked!”
Australians Keith and Mary Anne Callinan in action in their Ford Escort amidst the amazing countryside encountered during the 2010 epay Silver Fern Rally – Photograph Geoff Ridder
The Event
The epay Silver Fern Rally 2014 will start from Picton on Saturday 8 November 2014. That night competitors will stay in Blenheim before crossing the island the following day to overnight in Westport on Sunday night. Competitors will then head back across the island on Monday to spend the following evening in Christchurch. Timaru, Dunedin and Invercargill are the destinations for the next three nights before the rally travels into the magnificent southern lakes area with a Friday night stopover in Wanaka. The rally ends on Saturday 15 November in Queenstown.
The epay Silver Fern Rally 2014 consists of the New Zealand Silver Fern Historic Trophy for 2-wheel-drive cars that comply with various historic criteria as listed in the event regulations and the New Zealand Silver Fern Challenge which caters for 2-wheel-drive cars that comply with the Motorsport New Zealand Schedule A safety requirements. Within each of those sections there are various classes.
The rally will cover 1150 kilometres of competitive Special Stages over eight days and organisers are promising some new stages and new locations along with some roads that have been used previously but in differing configurations. The epay Silver Fern Rally provides competitors with a fantastic rally experience amidst some awe inspiring scenery.
For more information on the pay Silver Fern Rally event visit www.silverfernrally.co.nz.
Article via press release.
