McCall, a flamboyant and determined racer, sped from seventh on the grid in wet conditions that offered little grip, taking the lead halfway around the opening lap. He was never headed, fighting off multiple challenges along the way in what many dubbed a classic Woodhill.
But a rash decision at the chequered flag saw him stripped of points for the win and left only with the historic sixth Woodhill title, equaling the record of Ian ‘Stan Clear’ Foster.
Always a showman, McCall used the intersection after the finish line to flick his car into a series of victory ‘donuts’, which showered the crowd with grit and stones.
Though he apologised when he realised the extent of the rock shower, the clerk of course stripped him of the 72 championship points he would have accrued by winning.
The Woodhill is the oldest event in the sport in this country, the toughest one day enduro and the only major motorsport event still run in Woodhill Forest. This year’s race was the third round of the 2015 ENZED Offroad Racing championship and the course was plotted to include more rough sand tracks and skid roads and less of the high speed logging highways in a bid to reduce road damage and restitution costs.
McCall was challenged repeatedly over the course of the 10 lap event but was never headed, and the race behind him turned into a furious fight for second and third.
Slightly more than half the field, 44 racers, completed enough laps to be classified finishers; six of the top ten were U-class Polaris racers.
2015 ENZED Offroad Racing Championship
Round three: the Stihl Shop/North Harbour Isuzu Woodhill 100
- Tony McCall Chev V8 BSL Terra
- Ben Thomasen 1000 Polaris RZR
- Carl Ruiterman 1000 Polaris RZR
To read the full story in the August 2015 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (on sale July 20) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.
