Gilmour wins Rally 4WD class at Ashley Forest Rallysprint for second consecutive year

Emma Gilmour has had a triumphant return to the Ashley Forest Rallysprint this weekend, winning the Rally 4WD Class for the second consecutive year.

The Dunedin rally driver enjoyed her debut year at this iconic Canterbury-based two-day hillclimb so much that she decided to take her Vantage Windows & Doors Citroen C3 back for the 2025 two-day event.

“We had a great weekend at the Ashley Forest Rallysprint and ran in the top five in every run we did. It was encouraging to always be right up there with the bigger-engined cars in the Unlimited 4WD Class,” Emma says.

Roaring up and down the 1.7km forestry road, she got through to the Top 8 shootout.

“In that run, we recorded a 1.00.01 second time, so we were just .02 of a second from going under the coveted 1 minute barrier! It was so close between us and the fourth-placed car, which clocked a 1.00.00 time. It meant we missed out on our goal of reaching the top four shootout by only .01 of a second.”

Having last competed four months ago, Emma enjoyed being back behind the wheel and used the rallysprint as a shakedown before she contests the Bay of Plenty Rally in three weeks.

“It was fun taking some first timers for a ride and catching up with the sponsors we hosted at the event. Big thanks to Ollie and the Paddon Rallysport team for their great work on the C3 over the weekend. Getting to compete today was a bonus as the forecasted winds did not arrive until the event finished.”

Emma Gilmour thanks the following sponsors for their support: Vantage Windows & Doors, Gilmour Motors Suzuki, Dura-Seal, Dayle ITM, MITO, Suzuki New Zealand, Castrol NZ, Sparco, Allport Motorsports, Custom Signs, NGK, Webdesign, Pure Sports Nutrition and Body Synergy Gym.