MOTORSPORT NZ CHAMPIONSHIP - Speedworks...

1speedworksevents.co.nz | INVERCARGILL 20-21 JAN 1

MOTORSPORT NZCHAMPIONSHIP

OFFICIAL PROGRAMME . $5

ALL PROCEEDS OF THE PROGRAMME GO TO RONALD McDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES.

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THERE’S GERMAN ENGINEERING.THEN THERE’S JAPANESE PRECISION.THE FIRST EVER LC 500

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11INVERCARGILL 20-21 JAN

SCHEDULESATURDAY 20 JANUARY09.00 Giti NZ SuperTrucks Championship Qualifying

NZ Formula 1600 Championship Qualifying

BNT V8s Championship Practice

Toyota 86 Championship Qualifying Part 1

Toyota 86 Championship Qualifying Part 2

Castrol Toyota Racing Series Qualifying Part 1

Castrol Toyota Racing Series Qualifying Part 2

OSCA Qualifying

BNT V8s Championship Qualifying

Pirelli Porsche Championship Qualifying

NZ Formula 1600 Championship Race 1

Giti NZ SuperTrucks Championship Race 1

LUNCH BREAK 60 minutes

14:25 Speed Works Rush Hour Qualifying

OSCA Race 1

Castrol Toyota Racing Series Race 1

Pirelli Porsche Championship Race 1

Toyota 86 Championship 8 Laps

BNT V8s Championship Race 1



Speed Works Rush Hour Race

SUNDAY 21 JANUARY9:00 Giti NZ SuperTrucks Championship Scrub Session

BNT V8s Championship Meeting Rides

Pirelli Porsche Championship Race 2

Toyota 86 Championship Race 2

OSCA Race 2

Castrol Toyota Racing Series Race 2




LUNCH BREAK 45 minutes

13:45 Pirelli Porsche Championship Race 3

Toyota 86 Championship Race 3

OSCA Race 3

Spirit of a Nation Cup Castrol Toyota Racing Series

Race 3



NZ SuperTrucks Championship Race 4

EVENTS

CONTENTSSchedule ................................................. 1

Welcome ................................................ 2

A Lap of Teretonga Park ........................ 3

Speed Works Club ................................. 4

Castrol Toyota Racing Series ................ 6

BNT V8s .................................................. 8

Toyota 86 Championship ....................12

Pirelli Porsche Championship .............15

OSCA ....................................................17

Kiwis Overseas .....................................20

NZ Formula 1600 Championship .......22

Rush Hour ...................................................24

Giti NZ SuperTrucks .............................26

Coming Up Next ..................................27

New Zealand Grand Prix .....................28

All contents of this publication are copyright and cannot be reproduced in any format without express permission from Speed Works Events. The opinions expressed in this publication may not necessarily reflect those of the officials of MotorSport New Zealand, Speed Works Events, the race circuit venue or their agencies and representatives.

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PROGRAMME CONTRIBUTORS

Simon Chapman Bruce Jenkins Mark Baker Geoff Ridder Euan Cameron Matthew Hansen Freddy Foote Benjamin Carroll

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22 INVERCARGILL 20-21 JAN | speedworksevents.co.nz

This weekend will mark the second round of the 2018 Castrol Toyota Racing Series, and by the time you read this, we’ll already have a fair idea from the first round in Christchurch last weekend who the

top contenders are for this year’s series, for the New Zealand Grand Prix at Manfeild and indeed for this weekend’s highly sought after Spirit of a Nation Cup. Whilst it’s fabulous to have another great selection of international drivers competing here in New Zealand, we must of course wish our Kiwi contingent - Marcus Armstrong, Taylor Cockerton, Reid Harker, Ryan Yardley and local boy Brendon Leitch all the very best for success this weekend and over the series.

As part of our on-going efforts to help young Kiwi racing drivers, we are also delighted to announce that we have awarded a Presidential Scholarship Grant to the five drivers competing in the Castrol Toyota Racing Series which will assist them with their off-track performance, specifically in the areas of physical and mental preparation and performance.

There’s a packed line up of racing this weekend in Invercargill, with the Castrol Toyota Racing Series, BNT V8, Toyota 86, Pirelli Porsche, F1600 and Giti NZ SuperTruck Championships all on the card as well as the ever-popular OSCA series. In addition, promoter Speed Works is also running a Rush Hour race here on Saturday evening, a new one hour concept which will feature some of the fastest cars ever seen on our circuits.

There’s always a great atmosphere down here and for that we have to thank you, the fans, the Southland Sports Car Club organising group and all the volunteers who are so important in the running of this event and the many other motorsport meetings and events around the country. Without volunteers we don’t have motorsport events at which competitors can compete. From myself and everyone at Motorsport New Zealand a big thank you for what you contribute to make it all happen. We also wish to thank the competitors for their support of motorsport in New Zealand and wish them a successful weekend.

A very warm welcome to all as we head this weekend to the mighty Teretonga, our most southerly circuit, and one we know the drivers and spectators love to come to every year.

WAYNE CHRISTIEPresident, MotorSport New Zealand

SOUTHERN STARS


FROM THE DRIVER’S SEATJoin Brendon Leitch for a fast lap of Teretonga Park.

Teretonga is my home track, and it’s fantastic. No other circuit I have raced comes close for challenge or thrill. It’s a short lap but you’re constantly busy keeping the car on the fastest line so a race can be quite exhausting if you’re not fit. Being the southernmost permanent race circuit in the world there’s not much but sea between us and the South Pole – so a hot sunny day can turn cold and sleety in a matter of minutes. Be ready for anything.

The circuit surface is grippy but abrasive, meaning you have to look after your tyres and pay attention to what they communicate through the chassis.

The one warning I’d have for the overseas guys is: there is only one fast way around here, and watch out if you get off line because it will bite back!

So here we go: the massive run down to Turn One is one of the highest-speed straights in the championship, especially if the southerly is blowing because it gets right in under the car’s rear wing. That can make slowing and turning into Turn One a real trick.

And this is one of the most exciting high speed entry corners ever in my opinion! Hold on as you dive into the never ending left hand sweeper. For the brave, this corner rewards you with massive exit speed.

On the very narrow exit at 180+kph you are already setting up to dive into Castrol which is critical and will set you up for a whole sequence of corners down to the hairpin. Get one corner wrong, though, and people just drive away from you!

A quick hard brake as the car settles and fires you into the apex of the banking. Very easy to get oversteer on the exit but power down is important to get the car launched away from the corner and into another run down at high speed into the GWD elbow.

Brake hard, put some big rotation on the car and power down hard as you fire the ITM FT50 out onto the main straight! Repeat enough times and you’ve completed a TRS race.

Castrol Toyota Racing Series, gear changes numbers in green

T6

T5

T4

T3

T2 T1

T7

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The 17 year old capped a stellar weekend with a lights-to-flag dominant performance in the feature race. He got the better of pole man

Robert Shwartzman going into the first turn and was never headed.

Schwartzman battled with Richard Verschoor and the pair tried to close on the flying Kiwi but were never close. Verschoor dropped out of contention at middle distance with a puncture and his place was taken by James Pull who held third to the flag. So Armstrong arrives at Teretonga, Invercargill for the second round of the series with a 16 point lead over Shwartzman, with Verschoor further back in third place.

“Teretonga is a short lap and you’re always busy. I’m keen to see how Richard and Robert go there, because it’s another narrow circuit and very unlike the European circuits we raced on in 2017,” commented Marcus Armstrong.

It’s also Brendon Leitch’s home track, and he will be keen to get more points on the board after a disappointing opening round last weekend. “A couple of disappointing races and a reasonable run in the Lady Wigram means I have to turn that around this weekend. This is my home turf so I’m fired up,” he said.

ARMSTRONG ON THE ATTACKHe could hardly ask for a better start: Christchurch racer Marcus Armstrong scribes his

name on one of the oldest and most prestigious trophies in New Zealand motor racing,

the Lady Wigram Trophy.

Kiwi Marcus Armstrong took out the Lady

Wigram Trophy and leads the championship as it

arrives in Invercargill.


POINTS AFTER ROUND 1POS. NO. DRIVER POINTS

1 9 Marcus Armstrong (NZ) 210

2 35 Robert Schwartzman (RU) 194

3 7 Richard Verschoor (NL) 194

4 15 James Pull (GB) 139

5 17 Clement Novalak (FR) 132

6 52 Charles Milesi (FR) 127

7 11 Taylor Cockerton (NZ) 125

8 44 Calvin Ming (GY) 119

9 68 Juan Manuel Correa (US) 112

10 4 Reid Harker (NZ) 108

11 5 Ryan Yardley (NZ) 98

12 86 Brendon Leitch (NZ) 82

13 28 Cameron Das (US) 72

Fast but still learning the intricacies of the FT50 single-seater is Clement Novalak, who put in a series of notable performances last weekend but must refine his dry-weather starting techniques.

Pukekohe’s Taylor Cockerton also impressed on the fast and flowing Ruapuna circuit. The 2017 Formula Masters Asia champion will be worth watching this weekend.

The feature race this weekend is for the second premier trophy of the Championship, the Spirit of a Nation Cup.

Christchurch driver Marcus Armstrong became the first Kiwi since dual 24 Hours of Le Mans champ Earl Bamber to win the Lady Wigram

Trophy after it was adopted by the Castrol Toyota Racing Series.

Last weekend’s big win was Armstrong’s second of the Christchurch weekend and helped affirm his lead of the championship standings. It rounded out a weekend of contrasts when compared to Armstrong’s debut in the series 12 months ago.

“We’ve already learned from one mistake from last year, the next is to just be consistent,” said Armstrong.

The teenager got off to the best start during last year’s Christchurch-based series opener, only to crash out during the Lady Wigram Trophy feature race. But after a year racing in Europe’s Formula 4 scene, this time Armstrong was untouchable.

“In terms of driving, (I haven’t changed) that much I don’t think because I was quick last year. Just in terms of putting everything together is what we’ve improved on. We don’t have to win every race. We can take the seconds, thirds, and fourths if we want to and keep the eyes on the championship and not just individual races. It’s the first of five rounds, so we can’t linger on the thought of winning dominantly here because we have to immediately go to the next race.”

Armstrong joined some of the sport’s most notable names on the silverware, including the likes of Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Jack Brabham, and a host of New Zealanders. Amongst them was 2006 winner and coach Matt Hamilton. “Winning the trophy is cool, but more because my coach Matt Hamilton won this race a few years ago. Now, I get to win the trophy as well.”

Armstrong could be tough to beat this weekend around the sweeping challenges of Teretonga.

LEARNING FROM MISTAKES

Local boy Brendon Leitch will be aiming to go well at home.

Marcus Armstrong was the class of the field last weekend in Christchurch, winning the historic Lady Wigram Trophy. Pic Matt Hansen.


BNT V8S

NEW CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER IN BNT V8S

Trailing Jason Bargwanna by 24 points before the weekend at Ruapuna, Heimgartner now holds a 44-point lead over his Toyota teammate with

Nick Ross also closing the gap and holding third a further 14 points behind.

Heimgartner appeared to be the fastest man on track throughout the weekend, scooping pole position and throughout the weekends three races claiming two wins and a third placing.

He had originally been classified as the race winner in Saturday’s opening race, before a post race penalty was applied in the form of a 10-second penalty for jumping the start, relegating him to third position.

The Heimgartner penalty handed the victory to his teammate Jason Bargwanna, and saw Nick Ross placing second.

Heimgartner went on to win the second race over the weekend after Bargwanna, who had lead for much of the encounter had an on track tangle with fellow Australian Jack Smith.

Smith got a run on his countryman out of turn eight, with Bargwanna covering the move. Bargwanna moved across Smith’s nose and the pair made contact. Bargwanna’s race ending in the sand trap, Heimgartner capitalising and taking the win, with Nick Ross claiming another second place and Smith finishing third.

Heimgartner went on to also win the final race of the weekend.

“Overall a good weekend. Coming to Ruapuna I was looking forward to applying some things I have learnt in the break. My driving feels as strong as I’ve been preparing for the upcoming Supercars season in Australia.”

Heimgartner has adapted quickly to his Richards Team Motorsport Toyota Camry, claiming three pole positions in as many rounds and multiple race wins.

“I’m very comfortable in the car, but at the end of the day it still has a steering wheel and pedals and the tyre is the same as we have in Australia. I’ve just been able to adapt to the car quite quickly and turn it into results,” said Heimgartner.

The BNT V8s saw a change in the championship lead at Ruapuna last weekend as

André Heimgartner took control at the top of the points table and took the round win.

Heimgartner and Bargwanna dual will continue this

weekend.


CLASS 2POS. NO. DRIVER CAR POINTS

1 69 Liam MacDonald Ford TL 563

2 62 Chelsea Herbert Ford TL 519

3 11 Justin Ashwell Ford TL 475

4 59 Brock Timperley Ford TL 396

5 63 Nick Farrier Ford TL 327

6 77 Robert Wallace Ford TL 242

7 777 Matt Podjursky Ford TL 205

8 40 Bronson Porter Holden TL 192

9 9 Alan McCarrison Ford TL 39

CLASS 1POS. NO. DRIVER CAR POINTS

1 71 André Heimgartner Toyota 605

2 97 Jason Bargwanna Toyota 561

3 7 Nick Ross Nissan 547

4 85 Jack Smith Holden 440

5 84 Lance Hughes Holden 436

6 42 Matthew Tubbs Holden 274

7 73 Brad Lathrope Ford 184

BNT V8S CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

“The whole crew is looking forward to getting stuck into Teretonga this weekend and continuing the momentum.”

“Teretonga is challenging. It’s a circuit where you have to look after your tyres as the corners apply a lot of load to the tyres. If it’s wet it’s very tricky and slippery and there are lots of opportunities to make a mistake, so no doubt it’s going to be action-packed.

The Class 2 round at Ruapuna was won by Chelsea Herbert, who claimed two wins and a second place while reigning champion and points leader Liam MacDonald of Invercargill had a tough end to his weekend with a win, a second place and a DNF - a fuel issue preventing him from crossing the finish line, stopping just before the final corner in the final race. The DNF coming while he was leading the race and thus handing victory to Herbert, who herself was later relegated to second.

“The car has been running really well. We didn’t quite master the set-up last weekend, but it was good enough to get us some good results,” said Herbert.

“It was a tough round in terms of heat for sure, but also more so in being in the car and trying to get the set-up right. A real measurement for our team and our championship is how close we are to the others, and following this weekend it’s proved that we are right there.”

The BNT V8s will have three races over the weekend at Teretonga.

Chelsea Herbert is shining in Class 2.

Local boy Liam McDonald continues to lead the

Class 2 title chase.

Spin. Spin. Spin. Bargwanna and Smith clash last weekend.

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After winning her first race at Taupo before Christmas, Chelsea went a stage further in Christchurch, winning another race from the

front and grabbing a second and a third place in the other two races to take the Class 2 round win and become the first female driver to have won a round in a V8 championship class in New Zealand. It wasn’t all plain sailing however, as she explains.

“Saturday was a drive away race so I didn’t have to defend at all for the win apart from the very first lap. In the second race I got a second and race three I won from the rear of the grid, but unfortunately got relegated to second. It was enough though, and it’s just great to be competitive and winning. Hopefully we’ll be just as competitive this weekend, that’s the plan.”

Heading to Invercargill this weekend she has now established herself as a major Class 2 championship contender and will be looking for further wins.

FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTHBNT V8S

Chelsea Herbert continues to go from strength to strength in the BNT V8 Championship

Class 2 battle in the yellow MTF Finance Ford Falcon, with another stellar performance in

Christchurch last weekend at the Mike Pero Motorsport Park.

Chelsea on her way to the round win in Christchurch.


TOYOTA 86 CHAMPIONSHIP

Three different race winners, yet International Motorsport’s Connor Adam retains the

championship lead. The Auckland driver chased the front-runners home all weekend at

Ruapuna, but will be looking to extend his lead here at Teretonga.

CONNOR ADAM HANGS ON TO TOYOTA 86 CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD

His team-mate, Michael Scott, is looming as a constant threat as the Championship progresses. The stars of the Ruapuna race

weekend, though, were two other drivers, Jaden Ransley and Jordan Baldwin. Ransley, 15, won the third race at Ruapuna. He has been coached by Andy Neale, one of the best driver mentors in New Zealand and as a consequence has made major advances in his competitive speed.

Halfway through the Toyota 86 Championship, the title could go to any one of a half dozen drivers. While Jack Milligan, Tom Alexander, Connor Adam

and Michael Scott are all in contention for the title, Ransley impressed the crowd with a series of drives that culminated with victory in the third race. Christchurch driver Jack Milligan sprinted into the championship lead with victory in the first race at Ruapuna. Connor Adam remains the leader by ten points from Alexander, Jack Milligan third and a single point further back in the hard fought series, which is shaping up into a classic battle between the best of the country’s young racers.

Can Connor protect and extend his lead, or will a new racer step up this weekend?

The racing is close and the championship is shaping

up to be a classic.


Young Christchurch racer Jaden Ransley has big plans for his return to the Toyota 86 Championship.

Jaden was just 14 years old when he contested last year’s Championship, making him one of the youngest ever. Before making his debut in the Toyota 86 Championship, he had never driven a manual-shift car and as he goes into this year’s six-round series he is 15, still too young to hold a road licence.

He is no recent arrival in motorsport though: Jaden has raced karts for six years, winning two national KartSport titles and another pair in the South Island.

Jaden has received support and advice from Christchurch-based race engineer Andy Neale, who has worked in Formula One and took Singaporean Andrew Tang to the Toyota Racing Series title in 2014.

Now 15, and with the opening round of the 2017-2018 Toyota 86 Championship a few weeks away, Jaden is boldly taking aim at the title. Totally sold on single-make racing, Jaden says he wants to contest the Australian Toyota 86 Racing Series in 2018 and then move to the Porsche Carrera Cup.

CONNOR ADAM HANGS ON TO TOYOTA 86 CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD

MEET:JADEN RANSLEYTOYOTA 86 CHAMPIONSHIP

13speedworksevents.co.nz | INVERCARGILL 20-21 JAN

CAR NO# 53

LOCATION. Christchurch

DOB. 16.01.2002

AGE AT START OF 2017/18 CHAMPIONSHIP. 15

POINTS AFTER ROUND THREE OF SIXPOS NO. DRIVER POINTS

1 9 Connor Adam 515

2 11 Tom Alexander 505

3 17 Jack Milligan 504

4 53 Jaden Ransley 494

5 3 Michael Scott 487

6 23 Jordan Baldwin 450

7 18 Bramwell King 374

8 35 Ben MacDonald 278

9 7 Sam Wright 264

10 (4) Reid Harker 161

11 4 Peter Vodanovich 130

12 91 Callum Quin 123

13 88 Sam Wallace 111

14 (5) Martin Short 108

15 98 Dylan Gulson 97

16 55 Nathan Pilcher 96

17 (5) Cameron Hill 93Numbers in brackets appeared in previous rounds

CareVets racers are in the thick of the championship battle.

INVERCARGILL 20-21 JAN | speedworksevents.co.nz

TOY5244 TRNZ FP 210x297_v2_OL.indd 1 28/11/2016 10:40 am


MIGHTY PORSCHE FIELD SET TO THRILL

The Pirelli Porsche Championship is back at Teretonga Park as part of the Speed Works Motorsport Championship for the second year

in a row and once again will give fans of the marque the best possible opportunity to see cars from the North and South Island do battle in a packed field of iconic racers.

It’s a second weekend in a row for this amazing pack of racing cars as they were also gathered together for the racing weekend last weekend at Christchurch. With a huge field coming down from the North Island complemented by the fastest Porsches on the South Island, there will be something for all race and Porsche fans. From the very latest 991 specification Cup cars to classics like the 944S2, all of the recent and not so recent racing Porsche legends are covered. There are classes for 997 and 996 Cup cars too.

Watch out for the mighty 991s of Paul Kelly and Tim James, and for the slightly older 997 Cup car of long time Porsche racer Brian McGovern, who was potent last time out in the championships first round at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, Taupo, winning Class B for the weekend and taking victory in the one hour ‘Rush Hour’ endurance race.

PIRELLI PORSCHE CHAMPIONSHIPNO. NAME CAR

OPEN CLASS

78 Sean Kirkpatrick Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 4.3

CLASS A

90 Paul Kelly Porsche 991 GT3 Cup

333 Tim James Porsche 991 GT3 Cup

CLASS B

11 Brian McGovern Porsche 997 GT3 Cup

63 Kevin Etches Porsche 997 GT3 Cup

9 David Mackrell Porsche 997 GT3 Cup

86 Keith Miller Porsche 997 GT3 Cup

CLASS C

888 Robert Dong Porsche 996 GT3 Cup

72 Brent Greer Porsche 964

999 Phil Jones Porsche 996 GT3 Cup

CLASS D

48 Dave Allison Porsche 968 SC

434 Jim McKernan Porsche 944 SC

CLASS E

356 Tony Houston Porsche 944S2

8 Neil Dewar Porsche 944S2

42 Steff Chambers Porsche 944S2

34 Adrian Redding Porsche 944S2

Danny Whiting’s distinctive 99.

Paul Kelly is chased by Brian McGover. PIRELLI PORSCHE

CHAMPIONSHIP

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ANYTHING GOES AND GOES FAST IN OSCA

The Lucas Oil NZ and Koba Batteries backed series has three main classes - GT2, GT3 and GT4 plus an overall championship which has

been won over the years by some of the country’s finest drivers. The classes are based on cc capacity so GT4 is from 0-3500c, GT3 is 3501-4500 and GT2 is 4501-6000. The GT1 class is what’s known, rather coolly, as the ‘Outlaw’ class and is there purely for cars that don’t fit into the rules, such as having too large an engine, but run in other series like endurance. They can race but don’t get overall championship points.

The GT2 class has rules to help contain costs and speed so the gap between the haves and have nots is not too big and its worked a treat as the front of the field has not progressed dramatically in speed terms in around 25 seasons of racing.

So take a deep breath, sit back and enjoy some of the finest domestic racing and domestic racing cars not only New Zealand, but also the world.

OSCA - It’s fast, it’s furious and it’s simply packed with awesome cars. You could, in fact,

see up to 30 cars racing around Teretonga this weekend and whatever your petrolhead

fix is, you are in for a rare treat when the OSCA field heads out for qualifying ahead of its

second race weekend of 2018.

OSCA

Geoff Washbourne in his spectacular Aston

Martin Vigilante.

Michael Gallagher heads a hard charging pack in his RX7. There’ll be

more of this fierce action this weekend.


NO. DRIVER CAR/CLASS

6 Bo Houston Nissan Skyline GTR

7 Michael Gallagher Mazda RX7

11 Geoff Washbourne Aston Martin Vigilante

16 Johnny Waldron Nissan Skyline GT-R

21 Laurie Knowler Brennan Camaro

23 Craig James Nissan Silvia S13

25 Neville Stowell Seat Leon Supa Copa

26 Gary Duncan Mazda RX7 Batman

30 Garreth Mackenzie Toyota Corolla

31 Kyle Dawson Nissan Skyline

35 Bruce Davidson Corvette C6R

46 Alan Turner Mitsubishi Mirage

48 Michael Yorwarth Mazda RX3 Coupe

NO. DRIVER CAR/CLASS

51 James Storey Mitsubishi Evo 1

53 Brian Scott Chevrolet Corvette C3

58 Pierre Neame Ford Mustang

69 Dion Prentice Chevrolet Corvette

88 Lyndon Ball Mitsubishi EVO

94 Gareth Evans Nissan R32

96 Terence Phillips Honda Integra

97 Geoff Gray Mitsubishi Evo 5

99 Noel Parish Nissan 300 ZX

117 Daniel Currie Subaru WRX

126 Mitchel van der Weert Honda Integra

187 Matt Edgar Mazda RX7

OSCA

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A MASSIVE YEAR

And if you’d then said that with the exception of Jamie Whincup, the Supercar

series across the ditch would largely be dominated by three Kiwis, it wouldn’t have helped your cause.

Yet that’s exactly what 2017 has brought us and in many ways it’s put New Zealand firmly back on the map as a country still fully capable of producing amazing young driving talent. But it didn’t stop there. Marcus Armstrong took on the best in the Italian Formula 4 Championship and won it, and Nick Cassidy continued to blaze his successful trail by becoming the youngest ever winner of the Japanese Super GT series. Others

to excel included Jaxon Evans and Will Bamber and after the dust settled, we could reflect on some genuine and timely successes.

MotorSport New Zealand President Wayne Christie has rightly highlighted that all of these young stars came in one form or another from the New Zealand summer series. We wonder who amongst the drivers racing this weekend will eventually make the big time. 2017 proves that it can still be done.

Brendon Hartley, Earl Bamber, Scott Dixon, Nick Cassidy, Scott McLaughlin, Marcus Armstrong, Shane van Gisbergen and Fabian Coulthard – we salute you.

Who’d have thought? At the start of the year if anyone in motorsport (well, maybe apart

from one or two seriously ‘in the know’) had said that by the end of the year Scott Dixon

would have wrapped up another top three finish in the Indycar Championship, two Kiwis

would have shared a car that won a dramatic Le Mans 24 hour race before going on to

win the World Endurance Crown and one of them would have become the first

New Zealander in 33 years to start a Formula One Grand Prix, the chances are they’d

have been laughed out of the room.

Marcus Armstrong

Scott Dixon

Scott McLaughlin

KIWIS OVERSEAS

Brendon Hartley rekindled the country’s interest in motorsport with a seat in Formula One for the final four Grand Prix of the 2017 World Championship.

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Don’t have a Toyota? There’s plenty more to see and do, including competitions, amazing driving, vehicles on display, and cool giveaways on the day.

HEAPS OF FUN AND GIVEAWAYS!

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NZ F1600 CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BATTLE IS HEATING UP

The New Zealand Formula 1600 Championship is proving to be one of the best for some time with a fierce battle

taking place between a number of drivers for the overall title. Auckland’s Callum Hedge (#17 Mygale) currently leads the championship from Cantabrian Bailey Paterson (#86 Van Diemen Stealth) with Southland’s Ethan Anderson (#70 Van Diemen Stealth) in third place.

Thirteen-year-old Hedge has won four of the six races so far this season, however this is a championship where finishing is vital for gaining points for the overall title. Any of the top six are capable of winning on the day and this weekend home advantage is with both Anderson and Jordan Michels (#23 Mygale). Also, watch out for Auckland drivers Josh Bethune (#32 Mygale) and Kurt Peterson (#36 Van Diemen Stealth).

This weekend’s round also doubles as the fifth and penultimate round of the South Island Formula 1600 Championship in which Paterson leads from Michels and fellow Southlander Ethan Anderson (#70 Van Diemen Stealth). Most of the drivers competing today are familiar with the Teretonga circuit as the third round of the South Island Championship was held here in early December. It is a favourite round for the drivers who expect fast action, lots of draughting and overtaking right to the checkered flag.

POINTS AFTER TWO OUT OF FIVE ROUNDSPOS. NO. NAME POINTS

1 17 Callum Hedge Mygale SJ08 199

2 86 Bailey Paterson Van Diemen 178

3 70 Ethan Anderson Van Diemen 174

4 32 Josh Bethune Mygale SJ07 158

5 23 Jordan Michels Mygale SJ13 156

6 36 Kurt Peterson Van Diemen 128

7 22 Robert Toshach Spectrum 08 116

8 91 Ben Stiles Van Diemen 116

9 47 Matthew Butchart Van Diemen 96

10 8 Stephen Heffernan Van Diemen 88

F1600 lead pack slugging it out last weekend in Christchurch.NZ FORMULA 1600

CHAMPIONSHIP

Jordan Michels – one of the up and coming stars of F1600.


RUSH HOUR

Well, at the most basic level it’s a one hour race, pure and simple. But it’s more than that. It’s specifically tailored for the fastest

cars at one of the Speed Works Events race meetings and a few more cars besides.

It’s live streamed and televised of course, so there is an added incentive for competitors. The first Rush Hour blazed its trail at Taupo in December and the next event will be at Teretonga this weekend when there should be Porsches, GTs, hopefully a few from the BNT V8s and OSCA cars on show when the Saturday feature race blasts off at around 6.30pm. Fortune won’t favour the brave, or the smartest - it will favour the fastest.

That’s because each car HAS to make a pit stop and that pit stop time is determined by the car’s qualifying lap or the time nominated by the team. So being consistently very close to that time throughout the race is what is going to keep you at the front of the field. Predicting a low lap time and sticking to that isn’t really going to work, because you punish your ability to attack faster cars. How? Well because every second you go under your ‘breakout’ time, you will be penalised two seconds and every two seconds you go under your predicted time, you lose four…

It was Porsche driver Brian McGovern who got it right in the first ever Rush Hour. He nailed a great qualifying lap and then drove hard throughout the race, pitting late, resting his tyres and lapping consistently close to that qualifying time. He emerged from the pit stop window with a narrow lead that he maintained through to the end. With the first six cars within half a lap of each other at the end, it was clear the Rush Hour formula was just about right.

McGovern himself is back for the second Rush Hour, but reckons it will be tough challenge to replicate his win on a South Island circuit.

“South Island Rush Hour is going to be difficult to achieve a good result at with a good number of local drivers familiar with the track competing in the race,’ he explained. “I am hoping to keep up the consistent lap times we were able to achieve at Taupo. The Taupo strategy was changed to run deep into the Compulsory Pit Stop window due to the race being run in the middle of a very hot day. This was to give the tyres a chance to cool down as late as possible in the race and ready for a last spurt. Fortunately this worked out well for us.”

RUSH HOUR – FORTUNE FAVOURS THE FASTRush Hour – it’s something new, and it’s got everyone talking about it. Why?

Brian McGovern kept the lap times coming to win the first Rush Hour race in his Porsche 997.


The Moore family from Cromwell called Ronald McDonald House South Island home for 133 nights while Grace received treatment at Christchurch Hospital. The House was a space of solace for this incredible family.

Paula, House mum, Cromwell

Ronald McDonald House South Island was established in 2003 based on

the simple idea that when a child is sick, nothing else should matter. Ronald McDonald House South Island operates three facilities, Ronald McDonald House South Island in Christchurch, the Ronald McDonald Family Room in Christchurch Hospital and the Ronald McDonald Family Room, Southland Hospital.

Ronald McDonald House South Island is located just a few minutes from Christchurch Hospital and provides free accommodation and support to families who must travel to Christchurch for their children’s medical care.

The Ronald McDonald Family Room, Southland Hospital, is linked to the Children’s and Neo Natal wards and acts as a day room for the families of admitted children. It also has four overnight bedrooms that are occupied by families on a greatest need basis.

Ronald McDonald House South Island supports families of children up to and including the age of 21. They are never charged for their stay, regardless of whether it is for one night, or many months.

Ronald McDonald House South Island receives no direct Government funding so the facilities are reliant on public donations, grants and generous corporate sponsorship to support families now and into the future.

I am forever grateful for Ronald McDonald House South Island and for supporters like you.

The Moore Family from Cromwell

rmhsi.org.nz/donate


Super Truck racing has been a regular on the Kiwi motorsport calendar since the late 80s and has drawn crowds around the country who have all

flocked to see these massive machines battle it out in a series that has seen them compete at Christchurch, then Invercargill this weekend before re-convening in March for their annual crowd puller at the Levels track in Timaru. From there they head to the North Island for weekends at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, Taupo and their season finale at Pukekohe Park.

First thing to note when watching the racing is that these mountains of horsepower will use the short circuit this weekend and this will provide even closer racing. Although they are obviously the heaviest racing machines in the circuit racing world, their sheer horsepower, torque and braking power give them speeds and lap times that rival many regular racing categories.

As a result of that, they are awesome to watch and the spectacle is second to none. Watch out for Troy Wheeler and Malcolm Little in their fantastic machines. Pace setters last year and for recent season, they will be scrapping it out in spectacular style around the fast sweeps of the track this weekend.

We’ve seen some spectacular action from the Giti NZ SuperTrucks over the years,

and it’s a great pleasure to have them back at the fabulous Teretonga circuit for

their second round of the 2017-2018 New Zealand Championship after their first

round at the Mike Pero Motorsport Park, Christchurch last weekend.

BIG RIGS RIDE AGAIN

GITI NZ SUPERTRUCKS

Troy Wheeler is the current NZ SuperTruck champ and favourite for Round 1.

GITI NZ SUPERTRUCKS POINTS

NO. DRIVER CAR/CLASS POINTS

28 Troy Wheeler Freightliner 62

66 Alex Little Freightliner 46

26 Dave West Freightliner 44

47 Garry Price International 41

8 Tony Brand Bedford 37

77 Rob Waters Kenworth 32

14 Malcolm Little Freightliner 27


COMING UP NEXT IN THE

MOTORSPORT NZCHAMPIONSHIP

From the South Island we move North for Round 3 of the Castrol Toyota Racing Series and Hampton Downs Motorsport Park will be

the venue where the 2018 New Zealand Motor Cup is won. And what a trophy it is, with some of the most iconic names in global and domestic motorsport adorning its flanks.

If that wasn't enough, this meeting will also be the only opportunity to see the TRS cars at Hampton Downs, the only opportunity to see the F5000 cars at Hampton Downs this season and of course, the only opportunity to see these giants of the past and technological marvels of the present day together at one race meeting. And for those reasons alone, it's worth a trip we reckon!

Will the Kiwis racing in TRS have an advantage? Will Richard Verschoor use his knowledge from last season to stamp his mark on the meeting or will someone new emerge and shock the pits and the paddock to take out NZ's most famous motorsport trophy? And will 'King'

Kenny Smith continue to dominate at a track he has gone so well at in previous F5000 encounters?

All the answers to these questions and more besides will be answered next week. As well as the Toyota Racing Series and the Formula 5000 field, there is a Libre field boasting a healthy dose of Formula Pacific machinery, there's the two grids of the fabulous TRADEZONE GTRNZ series, the NEXEN Tyre Pro7 Mazda Racing Series, the Motul Honda Cup and giving the meeting a truly single seater flavour, historic Formula Ford.

Tickets are available from our web site at www.speedworksevents.co.nz or you can buy at the gate. Qualifying and racing takes place on Saturday, with racing on Sunday. Both the TRS and the F5000 cars make race appearances on both days so the meeting is definitely going to be back-to-back action for two whole days. Kids 14 and under go free of course, making for a fantastic and affordable family day out.


WIN THE ULTIMATE NZ GRAND PRIX

VIP PACKAGE FOR 2 WORTH $5000

GRAND PRIX BACK IN TOP GEAR

Ticketing promotions have proved phenomenally successful with more already confirmed one month ahead of the GP than attended last year’s event, so it does look like it’s going to be an absolute

blockbuster. With local boy Brendon Hartley’s phenomenal success this past racing season propelling him to Formula One, single seater racing is right back in the public eye.

The Castrol Toyota Racing Series has been the single seater series to be in at this time of year for several seasons now. It falls nicely in the Northern hemisphere winter when the up and coming F1 stars of the future are eager to get track time in wings and slicks single seaters head of the European or North American series and being a compact five weekend championship with state of the art racing machinery, it ticks all of the boxes.

Add in some fantastic support categories and back to back racing action for two days at the Circuit Chris Amon Manfeild and the build up to the Grand Prix itself, the last race of the weekend, will also be packed with excitement and action. And the quality of the racing card will only be surpassed by the quality of the drivers competing for our historic GP trophy.

In recent years it’s had driver representation from Ferrari, Force India, Red Bull and McLaren and this year the race - which is of course one of only two events outside of the world of Formula One which can call itself a Grand Prix - looks more than likely to have a crowd and an atmosphere to match the quality of the drivers and the racing.

There are some great ticket packages available on Speed Works web site at www.speedworksevents.co.nz - check it out and join the crowd for the action. Bring it on!

New Zealand’s Grand Prix comes around just once a

year and the 2018 event looks all set to be the first sell

out for our premier single seater event in many a year.

NEW ZEALAND GRAND PRIX

It’s nose to tail action with the Toyota single

seaters and the Grand Prix provides

intense action.

Battles to win New Zealand’s most

coveted trophy will be close throughout.

Last year’s Grand Prix winner, Sahara Force

India’s Jehan Daruvala.


RETURN FLIGHTS FOR TWO

ACCOMMODATION PACKAGE INCLUDING MEALS

AIRPORT & MANFEILD TRANSFERS

2X VIP WEEKEND PASSES

2X V8 HOT LAPS

COMING UP NEXT...

WIN THE ULTIMATE NZ GRAND PRIX

VIP PACKAGE FOR 2 WORTH $5000

FOR MORE DETAILS SEE

INVERCARGILL 20-21 JAN | speedworksevents.co.nz

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