Since the Ashley Forest Rally Sprint began back in 1979, there's been one constant - veteran driver Trevor Crowe.
The iconic event hasn't run the last two years due to COVID-19 but returned on Saturday, along with the 77-year-old who's become synonymous with the rally.
Still behind the wheel 43 years after competing in the inaugural event, retirement is still far from Crowe's mind.
"I forgot to grow up or something," Crowe told Newshub. "I don't know what it is, but I never get tired of this. I love it.
"I used to compete with the sons of the guys I started with, now it's the sons of the guys I started with, which is pretty good."
But competition is just part of the passion. For Crowe, it all begins in his workshop at Christchurch.
"Over the years I've probably built around 20 race cars and it's usually from bits and pieces we've had lying around," he noted.
The first Crowe build was in the early 1960s, but arguably his most famous was the V8-powered Toyota Starlet he won his only Ashley Forest title with in 1985.
This year's weapon is a Subaru Justy, in which Crowe has crammed a much larger engine, allowing it to produce 400 horsepower at the rear wheels.
"The last one I crashed it badly on the Summit Rd in an event," he laughed. "It wasn't good."
Now Crowe's getting accustomed to wrestling the wheel of the Justy 2.0 and the gremlins that come with a new build, like blowing off a boost hose.
"We were expecting little things like that, but it's easily fixed and we'll be away again," he insisted.
Don't expect him to slow down anytime soon. As long as he's capable, Crowe will continue to take on this famous stretch of road.
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