Looking under the hood of the Otago Rally

18 year old Dawson Porthouse is passionate about motorsport, and relished the opportunity to rub shoulders with drivers and crews involved in the 50th anniversary Otago Rally.

The Automotive Engineering student was among a group of ākonga from Otago Polytechnic’s programme who got the chance to observe and learn from Otago Rally scrutineers last Friday, prior to the opening round of the New Zealand Rally Championship.

Dawson is currently studying towards his New Zealand Certificate in Automotive Engineering (Level 3), but says his goal is to one day become a professional racing driver, ideally competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

“My dream race would be either 24 hours of Le Mans or Rolex Daytona 24,” he admits.

“I'd love to join the list of NZ motorsport greats like Hayden Paddon, Scott McLaughlin, Sir Scott Dixon, and Liam Lawson."

“I’d love to just prove to anyone that if they have a goal in mind and just keep working hard for it the world is their oyster,” he says.

Dawson's love of motorsport started as early as 4 years old, when he used to watch the animated movie Cars all day on repeat.

As a youngster, his Dad would take him to weekend speedway events where he’d sometimes offer to help with less-than-glamorous jobs like scraping mud off the cars.

“My interest has grown so much over the years,” he says.

“I'm now watching whatever I can... F1, Supercars, IMSA (International Motor Sports Association).”

Dawson says he’s loved being a spectator at previous Otago Rally events and getting to check out the large lineup of vehicles and international and local drivers, as they race around the district.

“It’s like a scene out of Fast & Furious,” Dawson says.

“You can get so close to the cars racing through the stages.”

His favourite memory is from last year’s rally, when Hayden Paddon raced his 2016 Hyundai i20 WRC car on the Kuri Bush stage, breaking the record in the process. 

Dawson is hoping to soak as much knowledge as he can this year while studying at Otago Polytechnic.

“When I started this course I was a bit of a newbie, I’d never had been under a hoist,” he admits.

“Now after just six weeks I understand how an Engine Control Unit gathers data from the sensors and tells actuators when to do something, and it gives codes when your engine light comes on.” 

The Otago Rally has a long partnership with Otago Polytechnic, carrying out the scrutineering work at our Heavy Vehicle Workshop in Kenmure.

The in-depth inspections involve rigorous safety checks of competition vehicles including roll cages, harnesses, seats, and race suits before the cars hit the roads around Dunedin.