Motor Sport
Southern Thunder comes to Teretonga Park in Invercargill this weekend (15/16
March) with the NAPA Auto Parts NZ Super Trucks Championship supported by
Kings House Removals and UDC V8 Utes headlining the action.
All the big names of the NZ Super Truck Championship will be on the grid and
action is guaranteed. Shane Gray of Wellington in his Kenworth leads the points
as competitors head to this, the third round of their championship. However, he
has only a seven point margin over Brent ‘Bones’ Collins of Pareora in his
Freightliner Century. Reigning New Zealand Champion Alex Little of Lower Hutt
sits third in his similar Freightliner Century and is definitely one to watch. He has
won the New Zealand Championship the last three years in a row and has won
the Mobil Delvac 1 Trophy at Teretonga five times, Troy Wheeler of Gisborne in
another Freightliner, a six-time NZ Super Truck Champion, is next in the points
with Dave West of Pukekohe, the winner here last year, next up in his
Freightliner Argosy.
One of the interesting facets of the Super Trucks is the Flying Farewell races
where often other drivers take the wheel of trucks for that one race.Garry Price of
Cromwell steps into Ron Slater’s Scania this weekend while Alex Little’s sister
Rachael will pilot his truck.
The UDC V8 Utes pay their first visit to Teretonga Park for many years and it will
be a good old-fashioned Ford versus Holden V8 battle with an even mix of
Holden’s and Ford’s. Leading the way is two-time champion Brad Kroef of
Hamilton in a Falcon. While Kroef carries the number one as defending
champion it is another Falcon driver, Glen Collinson of Ohaupo in Waikato, who
leads the series as it comes south after winning all three races and setting a new
lap record at Timaru last time out. Others to the fore thus far have been Blair
Gribble-Bowring of Auckland in a Falcon, Phill Ross of Cambridge (Commodore)
Simon Ussher of Pukekohe and Kroef’s father Greg, of Auckland, both in
Falcon’s. The only familiar name remaining from the last time the Utes visited
Teretonga is Geoff Spencer of Palmerston North in a Commodore.
The Allied 24/7 Fuel Mainland Muscle Cars have failed to assemble a full grid for
this meeting but several competitors that are travelling south will be on track in
races combined with the NZ6 Saloons. That includes Holden Commodore drivers
Pete Templeton of Cromwell, Ross Wylde of Westport and Invercargill’s Tony
Forde and Dunedin driver Paul Clarke (Mustang) and Gary Shaw (Falcon).
Clarke and Shaw will also back up in the Pre 65 Saloon races.
The Noel McIntyre Drainage Club Saloons Class features some awesome
machinery such as Bradley Rule’s VE Commodore SuperTourer and Kyle
Dawson’s Jaguar XKR while the Pre 65 Saloon class contains last year’s round
winner John Smolenski of Invercargill in his Falcon. Other frontrunners will be
Corey Ross of Rolleston (Mustang), Invercargill drivers Wayne Tuffley (Mustang)
and Dave Robertson (Falcon) while Garry Price is on the grid in his Chevrolet
Nova. Peter Fitzgibbon of Richmond will line up in an Austin A40.
The annual One Hour race will be contested on Sunday’s programme.
Presale tickets are available now from E Hayes & Sons, Dee Street, Invercargill
and Harrisons Supplies, Mersey Street in Gore.
Presale tickets are just $40 plus any applicable charges while a weekend pass at
the gate over the weekend of the event is $50. A single day pass for either
Saturday or Sunday is $30 per day while children 14 & under are free throughout
the event as long as they are accompanied by an adult.
Saturday’s action commences with testing and qualifying from 10am with racing
from mid-afternoon while the on-track action on Sunday starts at 9.30am.