By Jonathan Leask  November 4 2011

Fast, loose and dusty.

The Ashburton Car Club's Shingle Sprints on Rutherfords Road is one of their main events on the calendar.
Drivers will push the limits and kick up dust competing on the stony Staveley speedway in the rally version of the club's street sprints.
The annual shingle sprints is a club sport event, meaning entrants require a special license to compete, completely understandable considering the style of racing.
The drivers put the foot down from the start line and fly over the undulating gravel road out to the marker, where they spin around and fly back reaching speeds up to 160kph.
With the event doubling as a Canterbury interclub event the drivers have a tendency to push the limits with the added level of competition.
Last year's event was dominated by Ashburton drivers with four inside the top ten including the winner Donn McLaren in his Mazda Escort setting a scorching time of 1.44.31 on his fourth and final run.

Pictured: Paul Squire leaves a heavy cloud of dust in his wake rounding a bend in the Ashburton Car Club's Rutherfords Road gravel sprints last year.

Photo Kirsty Graham