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Wednesday 23 October 2024
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Lawn legends unleashed Wakefield lads Hayden Bashford, left, Kurt Mcdonald and Ben Palmer successfully rode the Molesworth on mowers with pit crew Mark Dephoff, right, fixing the machines along the way. Photo: Sara Hollyman.
SARA HOLLYMAN A quick lap to the end of the driveway and back in a cloud of smoke was all a group of Wakefield lads needed to prepare them for an 86km journey on ride-on mowers last weekend. The group of childhood friends, Ben Palmer, Hayden Bashford, Kurt Mcdonald and Mark Dephoff, set off on Friday, headed
for the start line of the Mowsworth Rampage ready to ride the length of the Molesworth on mowers. The fundraiser for Nelson Tasman Hospice and Cancer Society Nelson Tasman, was originally scheduled to take place in March, but the high fire risk postponed it to 19 October. Ben says this gave them “way too much time” to tinker with the rides. Hayden, a builder by trade,
opting for a fully enclosed cab, with Ben choosing the lighter option of a simple canopy overhead. Kurt’s big enhancement saw the addition of a bright pink coat of paint, a product of leaving the mower in Ben’s garage while they waited for the race to be rescheduled. Not too concerned about the fact that he’d forgotten the spare engine oil, diesel mechanic Mark
Dephoff had been relegated to the task of pit crew and fixer-upper for the journey. He rocked up on Friday ready to go, no pre-ride safety checks needed. Ben says Mark performed like a “slick Formula One pitman”. “We couldn’t have done it without him.” With a top speed of just 7kmh, Ben was expecting to take more
than 13 hours for the journey on his 30-year-old Husqvarna. But at the 20km checkpoint, trailing in almost last place despite hitting the downhill stretches in neutral, Ben made the switch to the faster spare model being carted by Mark, which allowed the team to all make it through in the 12 hour timeframe by 7pm.
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