Endurance Races To Open Teretonga Park Season

Endurance racing returns to Teretonga Park in Invercargill this Saturday as Round 1 of the Racer Products South Island Endurance Series takes place.

The event will feature three endurance races – two 1 Hour races plus a 3 Hour race.

The 3 Hour race has a smaller than usual field this year but it will not lack for quality with Invercargill driver Glen Brazier sharing his Lamborghini Huracan GT3 with Auckland driver Andrew Waite. The duo is fresh from a win at the last round of the North Island Series and finished fourth in that championship. Another Southlander, Scott O’Donnell, lines up in an Audi RS3 LMS with Steven Kelly while James Sax drives a Mercedes Benz AMG with Todd Bawden co-driving. Steve Brooks, the runner-up in last year’s 3 Hour Series, will steer an Audi R8 GT3 Evo alongside Bill Riding after finishing fifth at Teretonga Park last year.

In the Class 2&3 1 Hour Race local driver Jordan Michels will be looking to repeat his success of last year in his MARC Ford Mustang. Adam Julian of Christchurch was second to Michels last year and returns in his Audi R8 while the North Island Series Champion, Joel Giddy of Auckland, has entered in his Mercedes Benz AMG. There are plenty of other competitive entries including Steve Brooks and Bill Riding, Paul Kelly, Hugh Gardiner and Angus McFarlane and Michael Bushell driving Porsche’s while last year’s Class 3 Champion Stephen Scoles of Cromwell returns in his Ginetta while Grant Silvester of Christchurch is in a Mustang and David Rogers in a McLaren.

Creating a lot of interest are a pair of Australian built IRC GT cars for South Australian, John Goodacre, and last year’s Class 4&5 class winner Rhys Gould of Christchurch.

The quality of cars and drivers in the line-up will ensure an intriguing race.

While last year’s Class 4&5 winner Rhys Gould has changed classes the drivers who finished second and third behind him at Teretonga Park last season will line up in the Class 4&5 1 Hour race again. Warren Black of Oamaru was second last year and will be back in his Audi RS3 LMS while Pel Arnott of Auckland will pilot his Hyundai i30N. Ranged against them will be a wide variety of machinery including last year’s Class 5 Champion, Christopher Wall in a Honda Civic.

Tickets, which cost just $15 each (plus any applicable charges), are available from E Hayes & Sons, Dee Street, Invercargill. Children 14 & under accompanied by a paying adult on the day are free. Gate sales on the day are $20.

The action on the day starts at 9.00am with three 15-minute qualifying sessions, one each for the two 1 Hour races and one for the 3 Hour race competitors. The Class 4&5 1 Hour race follows at 10.20am with the Class 2&3 1 Hour race next at 11.40am.

The 3 Hour Race starts at 1.30pm in the afternoon.