Motor Sport
There was action aplenty throughout two days of racing in the Speedworks Motorsport NZ Championship meeting at Teretonga Park near Invercargill this weekend.
Clement Novalak, a British domiciled Frenchman, won the Spirit Of A Nation feature race for the Castrol Toyota Racing Series cars in just his sixth ever car race with Marcus Armstrong of Christchurch and Richard Verschoor of the Netherlands second and third respectively.
Earlier in the weekend Verschoor had won the Saturday race from both Ferrari Academy drivers, Russian Robert Schwartzman and Armstrong. Juan Manuel Correa of the United States won on Sunday morning from James Pull of the UK and Armstrong after Novalak was penalised for a start infringement after crossing the line second. Local driver Brendon Leitch had a difficult weekend, his best finish fifth in the feature.
Wellington’s Alex Little won both of Saturday’s NZ Super Truck races from West Australian Rob Waters and his father Malcolm Little. However there was plenty of drama along the way, with Malcolm Little losing his qualifying time after exceeding the speed limit that the trucks are governed to and then reigning NZ Super Truck Champion Troy Wheeler of Papakura losing second place in the opener for the same reason. On SundayWinton driver Garry Price won the first contest from Tony Brand of Rangiora and Ash Hay of Masterton before Alex and Malcolm Little scored a one-two in the finale.
In the BNT V8’s, Australian based kiwi Andre Heimgartner beat team mate Australian Jason Bargwanna in the first race on Saturday while Albany driver Brock Timperley and Chelsea Herbert were first and second in Class 2. Local driver Liam MacDonald was excluded from the results due to a technical infringement when a carburettor insulator plate was found to be .34 of a millimetre oversize.
On Sunday Bargwanna reversed the result over his team mate while MacDonald won Class 2 from Timperley The final race was a reverse grid and Nissan driver Nick Ross of Cambridge won, a great result after a big crash on Saturday, while Timperley led MacDonald home in Class 2.
The Formula 1600 races provided some of the best racing with Aucklanders Callum Hedge and Josh Bethune battling it out in the first race on Saturday, Hedge taking victory before both were penalised for indiscretions leaving Kurt Peterson of Auckland to win from Riverton driver Ethan Anderson and Australian Tommy Smith in just his second ever race meeting. Later in the day Hedge took the win from Bethune and Bailey Paterson of Christchurch after another close run race. On Sunday Hedge and Bethune took a win apiece.
Christchurch driver Paul Kelly crossed the line in the lead of all three Pirelli Porsche races. However he copped a ten second penalty due to a start line infringement in the first dropping him to third behind fellow Cantabrian Hayden Knighton and Auckland’s Brian McGovern. On Sunday morning Kelly bounced back to win from Knighton and McGovern before leading home from McGovern and Knighton in the third.
Jack Milligan of Christchurch took victory in Saturday’s Toyota 86 race from 15-year-old Jaden Ransley also of Christchurch and Michael Scott of Te Puke. Scott won both of Sunday’s races from Jordan Baldwin of Auckland and Milligan after Ransley hit the wall hard on Sunday morning after an incident that saw Aucklander Bramwell King penalised with a pit lane drive through.
Geoff Washbourne of Rolleston in a Aston Martin Vigilante won the OSCA Super Saloon race on Saturday from Michael Gallagher of Ashburton (Mazda RX7) and Lawrence Knowler of Clyde in a Brennan Camaro. Alan Turner of Southbridge won both Sunday races in a Mitsubishi Mirage.
On Saturday the Speed Works Rush Hour race which was won by Paul Kelly and Daniel Gaunt in their Porsche.
The next meeting at Teretonga Park is the Evolution Motorsport Classic SpeedFest over the weekend of 17/18 February.