Former Australian off-road racing champion Paul Zacka died on January 1 after a long battle with cancer.

“Zoomer”, as he was affectionately known, was a stalwart of the Australian off-road racing scene throughout the late 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, where he was known as a hard-driving competitor who tirelessly championed the virtues of Holden, and in particular the various Rodeo utes he campaigned.

Before taking to the dirt, Zacka was a successful circuit racer, memorably putting his HT 350 Monaro on pole ahead of the likes of Colin Bond and other factory drivers in the Rothmans 12-Hour, at Surfers Paradise in 1970.

Zacka was laid to rest in his hometown of Goondiwindi, where his family owned the McIntyre Motors Holden dealership for many years.