Mixed weather conditions made for some exciting racing at the SpeedWorks Events Motorsport New Zealand Championship meeting at Teretonga Park near Invercargill this weekend.

However one of the talking points of the event was the decision by Toyota Racing New Zealand in consultation with the Castrol Toyota Racing Series team owners and drivers not to take to the track on Sunday due to forecast high winds.

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While the circuit had been buffeted by gale force winds overnight the forecast winds on Sunday did not eventuate, however the decision had been made. The decision related only to the series and neither event promoters SpeedWorks Events nor circuit operators the Southland Sports Car Club were involved in the decision and all other racing continued accordingly. All parties praised the support they receive from Southland motorsport fans.

The Castrol Toyota Racing Series did take to the track on Saturday and the race was a classic, won by Ferrari Academy Driver Marcus Armstrong of Christchurch.

Armstrong had qualified second fastest behind series leader Liam Lawson of Pukekohe but got the better start on a damp track and led all the way to win from Lawson who had to recover to climb back to second.

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A late safety car allowed Lawson to close in and pressure Armstrong over the closing laps but a couple of slides as Lawson attacked ensured Armstrong victory by .436 of a second with Russian driver Artem Petrov, who made a demon start from eighth on the grid, third. There was plenty of action further back in the field while Invercargill driver Brendon Leitch qualified seventh and finished eighth.

Jack Smith of Australia in his Holden Commodore leads a BNT V8’s race. Photo: Richard Dimmock

Australian Jack Smith extended his winning streak in the BNT V8’s in his Holden Commodore to five in a row winning both Saturday and Sunday morning’s race from countryman Brenton Grove in a Toyota Camry with Cambridge driver Nick Ross third in his Nissan Altima each time.

Ross won the final race from Grove and Chelsea Herbert while Smith’s winning run came to an end as he retired from the race. Matt Podjursky of Inglewood took the Class B honours in all three races in his Ford Falcon.

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Jordan Michels leads the Formula 1600 Championship field on Sunday. Photo: Richard Dimmock

The Formula 1600 Championship competitors had four races during the weekend. The first on a wet track on Saturday afternoon was an incident packed affair won by Josh Bethune of Auckland from local driver Jordan Michels. Michels reversed the result later in the day before Bethune won both Sunday races, taking the lead from Michels in both at the final corner of each race.

Riverton driver Noel Atley had a great day on Saturday in his 1984 Class 3 Crossle, qualifying eighth and then securing a tenth and eighth place in the two races.

Jordan Baldwin of Auckland won the round for the Toyota 86 Series after winning the first two races of the weekend before finishing second behind Jaden Ransley in the third. Ransley, of Christchurch, had crossed the line in the lead of the second race but received a penalty for a startline infringement.

Jordan Baldwin of Auckland, the round winner in the Toyota 86 Series. Photo: Richard Dimmock

NZ1, Sam Wallace of Christchurch, took a clean sweep in the South Island Mazda Pro 7 races while Marco Schelp won the first two South Island Porsche races in his 997 Cup S before finishing second behind Hayden Knighton of Christchurch in the finale. Knighton also won the SpeedWorks Rush Hour one hour race on Saturday evening in his Porsche 991 GT3.

The next meeting at Teretonga Park is the Evolution Motorsport Classic SpeedFest over the weekend of 16/17 February.

Teretonga Park Programme Curtailed Due To Weather Forecast

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