Liam MacDonald takes seventh club championship

Liam MacDonald of Invercargill won the Southland Sports Car Club Champions Trophy for the seventh time at the club’s 2019/2020 prizegiving at Teretonga Park on Monday night.

The trophy is awarded to the overall Club Champion and is decided from points awarded across ClubSport and Race Championship events each season. In taking this season’s honours MacDonald won the Keith McFadzien Trophy for the Motorkhana Championship for the third year in a row and finished third in the Sprint Championship. Those results secured him the Warren Robbie Memorial Trophy for the Clubsport Championship ahead of Craig Allan and Josh Cooper.

MacDonald was the club’s youngest ever Club Champion in the 2012/13 season and has been Club Champion every subsequent year apart from the 2016/17 season when he was runner-up to Cameron Morison.

Andrew Lawrie was the runner-up in the Club Championship after a strong season. Lawrie had previously been runner-up in 2017/2018 and shared runner-up spot with Cameron Morison two years prior to that. Lawrie won the SSCC Speed Trophy for the Sprint Championship for the third year in a row and took the Stresscrete 1601cc & over Speed Trophy for the third successive year while he finished second in the 1601-2500cc race class and third in the Flying Farewell Race Championship. Sam Hole won the Discount Tyres 0-1600cc Speed Trophy while another ClubSport competitor, Kent Lines, took the Ladies Committee Trophy for Junior Driver Of The Year.

Brent Cross of Winton becomes a new name on the Noel McIntyre Trophy for the Race Championship, winning it from Dion Dawson and Leon Hallett of Mosgiel. Hallett was a first-time winner of the Auto Centre Trophy for the 2501cc & over class and the Erskine Flying Farewell Trophy while Bradley Dawson took the Nebulite Windows & Doors Trophy for the 1301-1600cc class. Dawson first won the class in the 2003/2004 season and has now won it five times.

Outgoing Club President Rachael Beck and her family had a very successful season. Beck won the SSCC Club Championship Ladies Trophy for the seventh time while she also won the Maxis Projects Trophy for the 1601-2500cc Race Class for the third year in a row. She was also awarded the RB Munro Trophy for the club’s Worker Of The Year for her efforts in organising volunteers and supplies for the Teretonga Tasties canteen at the circuit as well as carrying out the role of President and various other tasks while she and her family also compete at each meeting.

Meanwhile Beck’s partner, Jason Crosbie, won two awards taking the Harold Williams Memorial Trophy for the Sports & Racing Car Championship and the Evolution Motorsport Trophy for the Sports & Racing Cars Flying Farewell Championship. The couple’s son, Alex Crosbie won the Maxis Projects Ltd Trophy for the Novice Driver of The Year.

Brendon Leitch received an Outstanding Achievement Award for his efforts internationally competing with distinction in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Series and Formula 3 Asian Championship plus he was signed to the Lamborghini Junior Development programme and competed in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final in Spain.

Ian Rosel received the Mack’s Panel & Paint Trophy for Marshall Of The Year for many years of volunteer service at the Teretonga Park track crossing gate where he presents a friendly face to competitors and spectators alike while the club’s Circuit Manager, Norma Burns received the Keith Douglas Memorial Trophy Distinguished Service Award.