MOTORSPORT NZ CHAMPIONSHIP

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1 OFFICIAL PROGRAMME. $5 MOTORSPORT NZ CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 1 AT BRUCE McLAREN MOTORSPORT PARK ALL PROCEEDS OF THE PROGRAMME GO TO RONALD speedworksevents.co.nz McDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES. TAUPO 2-3 DEC 1 1

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3 SCHEDULE SATURDAY 2 DECEMBER SsangYong Actyon Utes Qualifying ENZED Central Muscle Cars BNT V8s Championship Hi-Q Components Formula First TradeZone GT3/GT4 NEXEN TYRE Mazda Pro 7 TradeZone GT1/GT2 Pirelli Porsche Championship BNT V8s Championship PORTERGROUP V8 Utes Championship Qualifying Practice Qualifying Qualifying Qualifying Qualifying Qualifying Qualifying Qualifying Toyota 86 Championship Qualifying Pt 1 Toyota 86 Championship Qualifying Pt 2 SsangYong Actyon Utes ENZED Central Muscle Cars LUNCH BREAK Race 1-6 laps Race 1-10 laps Meeting Rides V8s Rush Hour On Circuit SpeedWorks Rush Hour Hi-Q Components Formula First TradeZone GT3/GT4 NEXEN TYRE Mazda Pro 7 TradeZone GT1/GT2 Pirelli Porsche Championship BNT V8s Championship PORTERGROUP V8 Utes Championship Toyota 86 Championship SsangYong Actyon Ute Racing ENZED Central Muscle Cars SpeedWorks Rush Hour Qualifying Race 1-8 laps Race 1-10 laps Race 1-8 laps Race 1-10 laps Race 1-8 laps Race 1-12 laps Race 1-8 laps Race 1-8 laps Race 2-6 laps Race 2-8 laps Race SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 08:00 BNT V8s Championship Meeting Rides Hi-Q Components Formula First TradeZone GT3/GT4 NEXEN TYRE Mazda Pro 7 TradeZone GT1/GT2 PORTERGROUP V8 Utes Championship Pirelli Porsche Championship Toyota 86 Championship BNT V8s Championship ENZED Central Muscle Cars SsangYong Actyon Ute Racing LUNCH BREAK Race 2-8 laps Race 2-10 laps Race 2-10 laps Race 2-10 laps Race 2-12 laps Race 2-8 laps Race 2-8 laps Race 2-12 laps Race 3-8 laps Race 3-6 laps 13:02 Hi-Q Components Formula First Race 3-8 laps TradeZone GT3/GT4 NEXEN TYRE Mazda Pro 7 TradeZone GT1/GT2 PORTERGROUP V8 Utes Championship Pirelli Porsche Championship Toyota 86 Championship BNT V8s Championship ENZED Central Muscle Cars SsangYong Acton Ute Racing Race 3-10 laps Race 3-8 laps Race 3-10 laps Race 3-10 laps Race 3-10 laps Race 3-12 laps Race 3-12 laps Race 4-10 laps Race 4-6 laps EVENTS CONTENTS Schedule... 1 Welcome... 2 A Lap of Taupo... 3 Rush Hour... 4 Speed Works Club... 6 BNT V8s... 8 Kiwis Overseas Toyota 86 Championship Pirelli Porsche Championship PORTERGROUP V8 Utes Championship Nexen Pro 7 Mazda Racing Series TRADEZONE GT1/GT TRADEZONE GT3/GT SsangYong Actyon Ute Racing Series...24 ENZED Central Muscle Cars HI-Q Components Formula First Championship New Zealand Grand Prix PROGRAMME EDITOR Richard Gee PROGRAMME CONTRIBUTORS Jordie Peters Mark Baker Freddy Foote Matt Smith Simon Chapman Matthew Hansen Geoff Ridder Euan Cameron PROGRAMME DESIGN Kaz Graphic Dezign Ltd ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Geoff Short 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. TAUPO 2-3 DEC 1 1

4 WELCOME STARS IN THEIR EYES THIS WEEKEND WAYNE CHRISTIE President, MotorSport New Zealand It s hard to pinpoint where to begin as we look forward to the start of the Speed Works Motorsport NZ Championship at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, Taupo this weekend. Quite simply, our international drivers have enjoyed almost unprecedented success over this past 2017 season with new world and series champions across a variety of racing disciplines and for the first time in more than three decades, a Kiwi in Formula One. All of these drivers (many of which are Elite Motorsport Academy graduates) - Brendon Hartley, Earl Bamber, Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin, Shane van Gisbergen, Fabian Coulthard, Nick Cassidy and Marcus Armstrong - cut their teeth racing in the domestic championships which you are about to enjoy this weekend in Taupo, whether it was Formula First or the BNT V8s. Once the young guns are launched into circuit racing from karting, these are the championships in which they learn and hone their considerable skills. This weekend we will see more young drivers striving to get their name in the New Zealand motorsport history books which our international drivers have added to considerably this past year. They will be packing the front of the fields in both the Toyota 86 championship and in Formula First and you will see some of the more established racers in the BNT V8s looking to springboard their careers to the next level and secure a hard fought national title on the way. We can take great heart from the successes we have seen this year and in the quality of the young guns competing this weekend at the first Speed Works round. But let s also not forget the great support classes on offer and the work that is always going on behind the scenes to make them work and continue to provide racing entertainment. And that s what this weekend is all about. Yes there are points at stake in valuable NZ championships, but for many it will be all about the joy of racing and competing against themselves and their fellow racers. Let s also take this opportunity of the first big domestic weekend of racing of our championships to sing the praises of the volunteers who come along to the events and marshal or help out in other ways. They are, indirectly, a huge part of the success of our drivers and the arena they help operate is where the Hartleys, Bambers and Dixons of tomorrow will enjoy today. Thank you to everyone involved in making this motorsport weekend a reality and all we can say is watch out for the next big thing! 2 TAUPO 2-3 DEC speedworksevents.co.nz

5 A FLAT OUT LAP OF THE BRUCE McLAREN MOTORSPORT PARK, TAUPO WITH BNT V8 DRIVER ANDRE HÉIMGARTNER TURN 1: You can go a lot deeper than you think here as you are braking and turning into the apex. It is important to not go in too deep that you miss the apex and go too wide, as that will compromise the exit and it is important to keep it tight and not be too wide into the next complex. TURN 2: You need to make sure you are as far left as possible here. If you go in too narrow the front will wash out and you will be too wide on the left for the next left hander. It all sort of links up, so how you take the first one effects the rest of it, especially as you go up over the top there. TURN 3 AND 4: Out of those esses you need to make sure you don t go too hot or you ll end up too far to the right for the next right-hander and in a lot of trouble and off the road. It is important to approach the right-hander after those esses as far to the left as possible. There is a bit of a crest so you can take some of the kerb, it is just a matter of balancing the car up over there. TURN 5: Into the hairpin is a bit of a tricky tone, you have to brake a lot earlier than you think you might, but like turn one you are braking and turning into the apex, using a lot of kerb in the middle of the corner and the exit. This one is a good passing opportunity, it is a good place to stick the car up the inside of someone who is not expecting it, but also gives a decent run to the next corner so you want to get a good exit and not compromise that by going too deep. TURN 6 AND 7: Next you have a slight right and then a sharp left you want to be as far right as possible, almost on the kerb on the right. It is a strange one, as you are braking a bit to the right and then braking left. There are a few different ways to do it but my best way is to bomb it in with as much speed as you can and then almost stop in the middle of the corner, rotate the car in the middle, and drive off. The exit here is fairly important as it leads onto a straight and you don t want to go too deep and miss the apex. TURN 8 AND 9: This left-hander is simple but critical you don t want to go around too fast as you have to be on the left for the fast right hander. For that it is another balancing act, just trying to get the car in there, smash some of the kerb. It is pretty simple sort of corner. TURN 10 AND 11: Then it s off into the bowl for the big sweeper. There are a few different lines - I tend to go the double apex, braking a lot deeper than you think you would and getting in nice and deep before rotating mid-corner. The exit is really important going onto the long straight, so making sure you get optimum exit is the most important thing, you can use a bit of the kerb on exit. TURN 12,13 AND 14: This is the chicane and it is a really tricky one, but you can carry a lot more speed than you would think. Fast on entry and get as close as you can. I find I stop the car a lot initially then bleed of the brake, get it in there and then pull it up again before the little right hander. It is also important not to go too fast and be too much to the left onto the straight again as that is a long straight. It is important to use lots of kerb in this section, but also be careful about the exit as you don t want to get too loose coming onto the straight. Overall this is a good fun track, with lots of passing opportunities and it is nice and technical. When you have a well set-up car, it is very rewarding. T8 T6 T7 T3 T1 T2 START/FINISH T9 T5 T13 T11 T10 T4 T14 T12 speedworksevents.co.nz TAUPO 2-3 DEC 3 3

6 A NEW WAY OF RACING Speed Works Events will introduce something new to the New Zealand motorsport spectrum this weekend, and it should be well worth watching live rather than waiting for the television coverage!

7 RUSH HOUR The one hour race will take place early on Saturday evening after the day s racing and will pit cars from the BNT V8s, GTRNZ and Pirelli Porsche together for a one hour race, along with a handful of wild card entries that will hopefully enhance a high quality field even further. It s not compulsory for the categories, but the aim has always been to add more bang for bucks for both competitors at the event and the fans who come along to enjoy the racing. And of course, the aim will be to bring new fans along to enjoy the spectacle. There will be a compulsory pit stop for all cars between 20 minutes and 40 minutes into the race. And this is where the clever part of the Rush Hour concept will come to life - with all cars being stationary for different lengths of times during their pit stops according to a qualifying or nominated lap time. The idea? To keep the cars close, to give everyone a chance of winning and for every car and driver combination to have to work throughout the race for the best result. Quite simply, if you don t quite have the outright pace on the track, then you will get a shorter stop. If you are blitzing mega laps on track, then you will have a longer stop. And there will be no margin for sandbagging either, as cars that exceed their qualifying or nominated lap times during the race will have time added to their results. And it will be done using simple formula that everyone can understand...if they go one second quicker than their qualifying or nominated lap time on a lap during the race, then two seconds will be added to that lap time. Two seconds quicker means four seconds added to that lap time for the race, and so on. It s a heavy penalty to pay for sandbagging and will keep everything honest. Two drivers are permitted per car, so potentially you could see a driver change during any pit stop, but again it s a maximum of two drivers so there would be no problem in one driver completing the whole event, so you will probably see a combination of both. From a car point of view, what will be interesting is that the event provides an opportunity for the sprint race type cars of the summer series to go head to head against cars that would generally race over longer races like three, six or 12 hour events and that means it s an opportunity for the growing number of Kiwi FIA GT spec cars to run in summer events and secure some quality terrestrial TV coverage on TV3 s popular CRC motorsport programme on Sunday afternoons. That will be welcome news to them and their sponsors and expect to see GT spec cars from Audi, Ferrari, Chevrolet and Mercedes complementing the high quality field of machinery during the season. There will be one qualifying session for all cars on the Saturday and then the race will begin at 6.00pm. It s a new idea and a new era. Enjoy the cars, the simple format and the racing which will get closer and closer in the second half of the hour. It should be mega. speedworksevents.co.nz TAUPO 2-3 DEC 5 5

8 JOIN THE SPEED WORKS CLUB CLUB MEMBER BENEFITS INCLUDE: Significantly discounted ticket prices Be the first to be offered pre-sale tickets Gain access to exclusive competitions and give-aways Unlock club only privileged content DOWNLOAD THE FREE SPEED WORKS APP NOW LIVE COMMENTARY LIVE RACE TIMING LATEST MOTORSPORT NEWS LATEST EVENT UPDATES TRACK MAPS BUY TICKETS RACE SCHEDULE 6 TAUPO 2-3 DEC speedworksevents.co.nz

9 2017/18 SUMMER EVENTS to get you in that holiday vibe 3 Nov Starlight Cinema Fireworks & Laser Extravaganza FIREWORKS 4 Nov The Taniwha MULTISPORT 4-11 Nov Pre-Loved Art Sale ARTS 10 Nov Lake Taupō District Sports Awards COMMUNITY 1-12 Nov Opti North Island Yachting Championship SAILING 24 Nov Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge Street Criterion CYCLING 25 Nov Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge CYCLING 2 Dec Taupō Christmas Parade CULTURAL 1-3 Dec Speedworks Motorsport MOTORSPORT 8 Dec Christmas in the Park COMMUNITY 9 Dec IRONMAN 70.3 Taupō TRIATHLON Dec Christmas Classic EQUESTRIAN Dec Future Championz Triathlon MULTISPORT 16 Dec Turangi Christmas in the Park CONCERT 16 Dec - 12 Feb Beautiful Marks Taupō Art Connection ARTS 26 Dec - 7 Jan Mahon s Amusements COMMUNITY 29 Dec Taupō Rodeo EQUESTRIAN 29 Dec Floating Outdoor Movie Night ARTS 30 Dec Interislander Race Series EQUESTRIAN 31 Dec Taupō New Years Eve Celebrations FIREWORKS 6-7 Jan Tūwharetoa Marae Sports Challenge SPORTS 7-12 Jan NZ Maori Golf Association National Tournament GOLF Jan Epic Swim OPEN WATER SWIM 27 Jan Taupō Summer Concert CONCERT Jan Thunder on the Great Lake POWERBOAT RACING 3 Feb Salmonella Dub feat. Tiki Taane & Guests CONCERT 4 Feb Stand-up Paddleboard Series WATERSPORTS 6 Feb Waitangi Day Celebrations CULTURAL 11 Feb Kinloch Triathlon Kinloch TRIATHLON 17 Feb Great Lake Relay RUN/WALK RELAY 24 Feb Across The Lake Swim OPEN WATER SWIM Feb 2018 North Island Wakeboarding Championships SPORT 25 Feb Ironkidz Triathlon MULTISPORT 3 Mar Kellogg s Nutri-Grain IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 MULTISPORT 8-11 Mar Wanderlust Great Lake Taupō YOGA/WELLNESS/MUSIC Mar Central North Island 420 Yachting Regatta SAILING 24 Mar 24 Mar 30 Mar-2 Apr 6-8 Apr 21 Apr 100k Flyer Taupō to Rotorua CYCLING IronMaori Triathlon MULTISPORT Easterfest CULTURAL Taupō Home and Garden Show CULTURAL Certified Builders Apprenticeship Challenge INDUSTRY CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINTING For heaps more summer events... Taupo Event Turangi Event Mangakino Event 7

10 BNT V8S BNT V8S CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE RESUMES AT TAUPO The championship battle in the BNT V8s gets underway at Taupo again and following the opening round at Pukekohe, Australian driver Jason Bargwanna leads the points table having taken the Round 1 win. The 2000 Bathurst 1000 winner was buoyed by the performance of his Richards Team Motorsport Toyota Camry and is quietly confident as the championship moves to Taupo. After last season, we had a few dramas early on which hurt us, but we finished strong, said Bargwanna. Championships are about dealing with all kinds of conditions, weather, mechanical, whatever gets thrown at you, and we demonstrated that at Pukekohe. Bargwanna said that the addition of his new teammate Andre Héimgartner has immediately made the Richards team stronger. From the first session, you could see Andre s experience starting to show. He has a done a lot of racing now and can provide a lot of feedback on car set up and direction for the weekend and I think that will help us as the season progresses. The cars are good, and I think as a team we can have a strong season. Chasing the two rapid Toyota Camrys will be Cambridge driver Nick Ross in his Nissan Altima, who sits in third place after a solid performance at Pukekohe. Last season Ross had a great weekend at Taupo where he finished second overall and says that as he heads to one of his favourite circuits he ll be looking to finish one place higher up on the podium. I am really looking forward to Taupo, if the car is doing what it s supposed to be doing, it s a great circuit as it s fast and flowing. If the car isn t right, it can be hard work. We finished second there last year, and had a good weekend, so I will look to repeat that and go one better. Chasing the three at the top of the points table will be Lance Hughes and Brad Lathrope in their newly repaired cars which were damaged in a start line accident and Pukekohe. Also watch for recently crowned Australian Kumho V8 Touring Car Champion, Jack Smith, who comes to Taupo with a bit of experience at the circuit having tested here in November. Also watch for Class 1 debutant Matt Tubbs who will run his Holden Commodore for the first time. The Class 2 field will again be chasing reigning champion Liam MacDonald. MacDonald was once again the dominant force at Pukekohe taking a clean sweep in all three races. I m really pleased, it s the perfect start to our season, said MacDonald. We managed to keep it clean at Pukekohe, finish all the races and more importantly win them all. Sitting second in points is Rob Wallace, followed by Chelsea Herbert who is in her second full season of the championship. Herbert will be looking to put on a strong performance this weekend, having claimed her first pole position at the Taupo last year. Also looking to make an impact at Taupo are Class 2 rookies Matt Podjursky and Brock Timperley who both Jason Bargwanna in his Richards Team Motorsport Toyota Camry hold the championship lead in the BNT V8s. Photo credit Matt Smith. 8 TAUPO 2-3 DEC speedworksevents.co.nz

11 debuted at Pukekohe in November having stepped up from Formula First and Mazda Pro 7 respectively. The Class 3 Invitation field is once again headed by last seasons champion Nigel Karl, and at Pukekohe he will be chased by a host of BMW s from Andrew Nugent, Andre Mortimer, Matt Griffin and Warwick Mortimer. BNT V8S CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS CLASS 1 POS. NO. DRIVER CAR POINTS 1 97 Jason Bargwanna Toyota Andre Héimgartner Toyota Nick Ross Nissan Jack Smith Holden Lance Hughes Holden Brad Lathrope Ford 49 CLASS 2 POS. NO. DRIVER CAR POINTS 1 69 Liam MacDonald Ford TL Robert Wallace Ford TL Chelsea Herbert Ford TL Nick Farrier Ford TL Brock Timperley Ford TL Justin Ashwell Ford TL Bronson Porter Holden TL Matt Podjursky Ford TL Alan McCarrison Ford TL 39 CLASS 3 POS. NO. DRIVER CAR POINTS Andre Mortimer BMW GT Nigel Karl Ford Falcon Shane Whitley Ford Falcon Andrew Nugent BMW E92 M Matt Griffin BMW GTR 142 ROOKIE PROFILE: MATT PRODJURSKY Eighteen-year-old Inglewood student Matt Podjursky made his touring car debut when he joined the BNT V8s for Round 1 at Pukekohe in November. Having climbed his way up the ranks of karting in which he was a 2x national title winner, Podjursky has spent the past three seasons racing in the HiQ Components Formula First Championship where he finished second last season claiming the most podiums out of any driver along the way. We hear from Matt as he reflects on his first weekend of V8 racing. Round 1 of the BNT V8s done and your debut event in the category, how do you think you did? My debut was a hard step up from Formula First, I learnt a lot about the car and how to adapt to driving it in all types of conditions. Is the step up out of Formula First to V8 a big step? It has been a huge step up for not only myself but the entire team, we have so much lean with the data side but I am sure we can get on top of this in no time. You can now call yourself a member of the Pukekohe Mountain club, having a scary moment across the top. I definitely think I am now a part of that club! The actual off on the grass wasn t the worst. It was the shooting across the track hoping that I wasn t going to collide with anyone. First impressions of the racing in the class? The class is just amazing everyone is so friendly, welcoming and willing to help whilst always still being very competitive. Will this season be a learning season? Definitely, this season is about learning the car how to maximize everything I can and especially going over the data and trying to always improve. speedworksevents.co.nz TAUPO 2-3 DEC 9 9

12 BNT V8S HERBERT SHOWS OUTSTANDING SKILLS IN CHALLENGING CONDITIONS OF ROUND 1 Heading into the second round of the BNT V8 New Zealand Championship, MTF Finance driver Chelsea Herbert will be optimistic of success following a highly competitive opening round of the season at the Pukekohe Supercar event in her Holden Commodore. Racing in the Class 2 championship, Chelsea was competitive from the very first track session, finishing third for the first race, second for the second race and winning the third race on the road before being penalised for a marginal jumped start and having to settle for fourth for the race, which gave her third overall for the weekend. It was a weekend of some very mixed track conditions, including some very wet weather early in the meeting. The popular Albany racer was hugely impressive in those conditions, not just mixing it with the other competitors in Class 2, but also trading pole position times with the faster Class 1 cars in qualifying. A puncture put paid to that effort, but third in very challenging conditions in the first race was a clear indicator of Herbert s considerable skills. "I was delighted with third place for race one in very tough conditions!" she explained. "The track was absolutely flooded and half throttle was as much as the car could hang on to. Very happy with the teams choices before we left the gate and very happy with the result." Chelsea Herbert was the class of the field in wet conditions in her MTF Finance Holden TAUPO 2-3 DEC speedworksevents.co.nz

13 KIWIS OVERSEAS A MASSIVE YEAR Who d have thought? At the start of the year if anyone in motorsport (well, may be 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. 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. In his welcome piece for this first Speed Works Events meeting of the new season, Wayne Christie rightly highlights 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 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. Marcus Armstrong Scott Dixon Scott McLaughlin 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. speedworksevents.co.nz TAUPO 2-3 DEC 11 11

14 TOYOTA 86 CHAMPIONSHIP ALEXANDER LOOKING LETHAL AS TOYOTA 86 CHAMPIONSHIP HEADS TO TAUPO Returning champion Tom Alexander is shaping up as the danger man in the Toyota 86 Championship but can he fight off the challenge of Jack Milligan? Or will the front running pair engage in their own duel and let Connor Adam slip through to lead? In front of a massive crowd at the ITM Auckland SuperSprint in November, 2015 Champion Tom Alexander and rookie of the year Jack Milligan carved up the top placings between them, closely pursued by Connor Adam through three punishing races. Fresh from an outstanding one-off run at Bathurst in the Australian Toyota 86 Series, Christchurch s Milligan is a force to be reckoned with as the New Zealand Championship develops. That Bathurst outing honed his racecraft and pace and delivered him an exceptional podium finish. Now he s out for the New Zealand title. Driving in the two-car CareVets racing team, he won the first race of the New Zealand Championship with a gritty drive past pole man Connor Adam, who held on to second place ahead of Alexander. The rest of the weekend belonged to Alexander, who has come back to the 86 Championship after a foray into V8 racing, drawn by the close competition of the 86s. He won the second race in the wet and then backed that with victory in the final race of the weekend. Alexander arrives at Round 2 35 points clear of Milligan and another 12 points ahead of Adam but as Alexander knows, a six round Championship can t be won at the first or second rounds. Not with 75 points on offer for every race win. The key is consistency to keep banking podium finishes, keep the car in one piece and stay out of trouble. Connor Adam and his International Motorsport team-mate Michael Scott arrive at Taupo determined to take the fight to the CareVets team and close the gap to Alexander. A second, a ninth and a gripping drive through the field to third in the final race at Pukekohe were his path to third in the Championship after the first round. Now he must capitalise on that strong early showing. Michael Scott found himself elbowed aside at Pukekohe. It isn t often this talented Auckland racer is missing from the podium but his best at the first round was a fourth placing and he is eighth on the points table so there is some work to do here at Taupo! Jordan Baldwin is top rookie after one round with a best finish of third in race two at Pukekohe. Adapting fast to the handling, braking and performance of the purpose-built TR 86 race car, Baldwin is one to watch at Taupo TAUPO 2-3 DEC speedworksevents.co.nz

15 Now in his second Championship year, Christchurch s Jaden Ransley has built on the form he displayed last year, when he jumped straight from karting to the 86 Championship at the age of 14. 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. Aucklander Ben MacDonald had a strong opening round and is fifth on points going into Round 2 this weekend. Pukekohe was a bruising start in the championship for young Sam Wright in the Richards Team Motorsport car the intensity of the fight for points saw him tap the wall in the first race, damaging the car s rear suspension, but he was able to get back on track to stay in the hunt. Bramwell King is the second driver in the CareVets racing team, and nabbed a cheeky pole position at Pukekohe. He showed strong pace at Pukekohe and can be expected to go well on Taupo s big sweeping corners and fast straights. Martin Short joins the Championship for this round, having raced parts of the previous two championships. TOYOTA 86 CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS NO. DRIVER POINTS 11 Tom Alexander Jack Milligan Connor Adam Reid Harker Ben MacDonald Jordan Baldwin Callum Quin Michael Scott Jaden Ransley Bramwell King Dylan Gulson (AUS) 97 5 Cameron Hill (AUS) 93 7 Sam Wright 80 Dylan Smith in action in his spectacular Pro 7 MEET: MICHAEL SCOTT TOYOTA 86 CHAMPIONSHIP CAR NO# 3 LOCATION. Auckland (originally Te Puke) DOB AGE AT START OF 2017/18 CHAMPIONSHIP. 23 Michael Scott started his karting career in 2007, was Formula F1600 champion in , competed in the Toyota Racing Series for two seasons and two in the Toyota 86 Championship that culminated in a third overall in He raced TRS while studying mechanical engineering at tertiary level, and won the Formula F1600 Championship while also racing the Toyota 86 Championship. Michael is now employed as a race engineer. He made his Toyota 86 debut as one of two drivers awarded CareVets Racing scholarships. Hard work brought its own reward - not only did he win the Formula Ford championship but he was also fourth overall in the 86 series, edging out teammate Ryan Yardley who was fifth. The following year he raced with the support of International Motorsport (IM) to third overall despite a massive crash at the first round. He returns this year as part of a two-car campaign under the IM umbrella. In this year s Toyota 86 Championship, Michael is taking aim at the outright title. speedworksevents.co.nz TAUPO 2-3 DEC 13 13

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17 BIG PIRELLI PORSCHE FIELD HERALDS NEW LOOK SERIES PIRELLI PORSCHE CHAMPIONSHIP There s a great field of Porsches racing this weekend at the first round of the Pirelli Porsche Championship, with no fewer than 11 current and former Cup specification cars in the field for fans of the iconic German marque to get excited about. There have been some changes to the series rules since last season as well. Modifications to vehicles in Classes A and B are now restricted to introduce car parity and create a path for drivers to enter the Pirelli Porsche NZ Championship with cars from Asia and Australia and compete for a National Championship based on driver ability rather than car specification. Matt Whittaker, last year s New Zealand Pirelli Porsche Championship winner returns to defend in Class A in his fabulous 991 while two additional 991 GT3 Cup Cars have been brought in to the country. One ex- Aussie Porsche Cup series will be handled by returning Porsche stalwart Paul Kelly from Christchurch while Tim James has a brand new machine. The iconic 997 GT3 Cup cars are now the base car for Class B and last year s championship runner-up and Open Class winner Brian McGovern returns to face stiff competition from David Mackrell, Keith Miller and the returning Kevin Etches. The Open Class is now for modified Porsches and Taupo will see Sean Kirkpatrick featuring in the very hot ex-ian Hayr GTRNZ Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car. Class C will showcase the earlier 996 GT3 Cup cars with last year s 996 class winner Robert Dong battling against fellow Wellingtonian Phil Jones and newcomer Ted Carner who has returned an ex-international Motorsport car back to New Zealand from Australia. Brent Greer has parked his 997 GT3 Cup car and this season is campaigning a modified 964 against the various 996s. The new Class D has a different look with two supercharged 968s in the hands of Dave Allison and series newcomer Jim McKernan. The popular PIRELLI PORSCHE ENTRIES NO. NAME CAR CLASS 8 Neil Dewar Porsche 944S2 E 9 David Mackrell Porsche 997 GT3 Cup B 1 Matthew Whitaker Porsche 991 GT3 Cup B 11 Brian McGovern Porsche 997 GT3 Cup B 21 Ted Carner Porsche 996 GT3 Cup C 23 Peter Hardy Porsche 944S2 E 34 Adrian Redding Porsche 944S2 E 42 Steff Chambers Porsche 944S2 E 46 Gerry Kessels Porsche 944S2 E 48 Dave Allison Porsche 968 SC D 63 Kevin Etches Porsche 997 GT3 Cup B 72 Brent Greer Porsche 964 Modified D 78 Sean Kirkpatrick Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 4.3 Open 86 Keith Miller Porsche 997 GT3 Cup B 90 Paul Kelly Porsche 991 GT3 Cup A 333 Tim James Porsche 991 GT3 Cup A 356 Tony Houston Porsche 944S2 E 434 Jim McKernan Porsche 944 SC D 888 Robert Dong Porsche 996 GT3 Cup C 999 Phil Jones Porsche 996 GT3 Cup C introductory car to Porsche racing has recently been the Class E 944S2 and six drivers will represent that model at The Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park led by returning former Porsche Club Champion Tony Houston. He will face a tough challenge from Steff Chambers, Peter Hardy, Neil Dewar, Adrian Redding and newcomer Gerry Kessels. Classification changes limit modifications and give the older Cup cars a much more even playing surface. speedworksevents.co.nz TAUPO 2-3 DEC 15 15

18 PORTERGROUP V8 UTES CHAMPIONSHIP BIGGEST START FOR YEARS FOR PORTERGROUP V8 UTES When the PORTERGROUP V8 Ute series gets underway for its four round New Zealand championship this weekend at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, fans can look forward to one of the most intriguing battles in the category since it began over a decade ago. Less events and parity changes over three ute models to match the performance of the 6.0 litre GM engine, Ford 5.4 and 5.0 litre Coyote engines have struck the right chord with competitors and 16 utes on the Taupo grid represents one of the biggest starting fields for several seasons in the category for Round 1 s Ash Cairns Memorial Trophy meeting. The real interest, however, will be in the field of drivers and this year some of the most experienced exponents of V8 ute racing will face off against a whole host of new and experienced racers. Reigning champ Richard Danger Moore is back, the last gasp title winner from last season almost certainly looking for a better start to this season than last. He s back in the Mitre 10 Trade Racing Holden and will be the benchmark for the others to beat. His biggest challenge is likely to come from the 2015 season champion, Paul Auto Manuell. With 20 racing seasons behind him, the popular racer is one of the most experienced out there and this year has a new look on his Holden, backed for the first time by Super Freight and Partmaster. Another former champion will be in the mix too, with 2013 champion Chris Hammertime Hanley back on track, this time in a Ford Falcon BF. The former Holden racer made a one off guest appearance back in 2016 at the NZ GP meeting and won, so will have lost none of his speed and racecraft. No fewer than six new drivers are entered in the championship and all bring with them significant and winning expertise. Sam Fillmore will race as team mate to Moore in the Flex Group Holden, while his endurance racing team mate Danny Stutterd lines up for the first time in the category in the Ward Demolition Holden filling in for regular driver Peter Ward. Andrew Porter is back for a full season having sampled the category in last year s finale in Peter Ward s Holden. He ll run the whole season in the ex-hanley Holden and will 16 TAUPO 2-3 DEC speedworksevents.co.nz

19 Classic Holden vs Ford battle recommences this weekend at Taupo. no doubt be a competitive addition. Another experienced and successful GT racer Conal Dempsey is also making the switch to V8 ute racing for the summer and will pilot the Ryco 82C Racing Ford. That team also makes a second entry in the series for Dave Shaggy Lowe. Race winner and super-fast Aussie racer Alexandra Whitley appears this weekend in the ex-matt Spratt Holden and will be looking to make a big and positive impression as she strives to secure a budget for a full season campaign. Glen Coyote Collinson heads a two car Panorama Motorsport team with another stunning new look on his Ford Falcon FG. A race winner for the past two seasons, he has also been dogged with bad luck and will be looking for consistent season and more wins. He could prove to be the top Ford challenger and a dark horse for the title. Team mate in the team s BF Falcon will be Jason Mario Land, back for another tilt after a solid effort in the category back in Old hands Geoff SOS Spencer in his Holden, father and son team Dave and Jeff Kernohan in their Fords and Simon Ussher in his BF Falcon are back for more racing in the category, and all will have their moments. V8 UTE ENTRIES NO. DRIVER CAR 1 Richard Danger Moore Mitre 10 Trade Racing Holden VE 3 Andrew Hireman Porter PORTERGROUP Holden VE 12 Dirty Dave Kernohan KCH Ford Falcon BF 15 Paul Auto Manuell Super Freight/Partmaster Holden VE 17 Glen Coyote Collinson Panorama Motorsport Ford Falcon FG 18 Jason Mario Land Panorama Motorsport Ford Falcon BF 21 Jeff Ripples Kernohan KCH Ford Falcon BF 22 Geoff SOS Spencer Coresteel Holden VE 23 Sam Sammy Fillmore Flex Group Holden VE 48 Alexandra Skippy Whitley PORTERHIRE Holden VE 69 Danny The Menace Stutterd Ward Demolition Holden VE 82 Conal Bullet Dempsey Ryco 82C Racing Ford Falcon BF 84 Dave Shaggy Lowe Ryco 82C Racing Ford Falcon BF 90 Chris Hammertime Hanley Placemakers Ford Falcon BF 94 Simon The Bandit Ussher United Freight Ford Falcon BF Performance of the utes and engines are matched and racing is incredibly tight. speedworksevents.co.nz TAUPO 2-3 DEC 17 17

20 PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FOLLOWING PARTNERS AND SUPPLIERS V eloc t y New Zealand Motorsport news, photos, opinions 18 TAUPO 2-3 DEC speedworksevents.co.nz

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22 NEXEN TYRE PRO 7 MAZDA RACING SERIES MAZDA RACERS START RENAISSANCE SEASON THIS WEEKEND NEXEN TYRE MAZDA PRO 7 ENTRIES NO. DRIVER CAR/CLASS 9 Justin Allen Plus 10 Chris Hillier Plus 57 Dylan Smith Plus 99 Rowan Shepherd Plus 22 Keith Wilkinson RX8 14 Darren Leith RX8 16 Phil Blythe RX8 15 Glenn Stevenson RX8 21 Andrew Jackson RX8 24 Rob Williams RX8 49 Frank Gilbert RX8 77 Gill Russell RX8 85 Andrew Tierney RX8 97 Roger (Ramjet) Beuvink RX8 98 Leo Bult RX8 108 Matt Horne RX8 115 Thomas Hannaford RX8 19 Alex Corpe MX5 44 Tim Fox MX5 55 Scott Topham MX5 75 Kevin Richards MX5 777 Jeremy Hoskins MX5 It's a huge season coming up for the Mazda racing community in New Zealand with the first round of the NEXEN TYRE Pro 7 Mazda racing series this weekend in Taupo heralding the start of an eye-catching series that takes in events on North and South Islands. A brand new title sponsor and plans to televise at least three of the seven rounds of its series mark the Pro 7 category as perhaps the most interesting club category to watch the progress of this summer racing season. DTM Wheel and Tyre have stepped in to provide title sponsorship for the series which has been on the bill at New Zealand racing meetings for 27 years and as Club President John Jackson explained, there are major benefits for competitors on and off the track. "It's fantastic to have NEXEN TYRE on board with the Mazda Pro7 class," he explained. "This now allows us to televise at least three rounds of our championship run by Speed Works Events. This gives our class and competitors a much higher profile in the sport and we are all stoked about that. The other key benefits are tyre pricing and all round tyre performance in both dry and wet conditions." TAUPO 2-3 DEC speedworksevents.co.nz

23 MEET: ANDREW JACKSON NEXEN PRO 7 MAZDA RACER A big season for the NEXEN TYRE supported Mazda racers begins this weekend. With the new sponsor on board, and with increased numbers in its field, the NEXEN TYRE Mazda Pro7 series will televise three of its meetings including its New Zealand Championship round at the New Zealand Grand Prix at Circuit Chris Amon, Manfeild between February 9-11 and the Toyota Racing Series New Zealand Motor Cup round at Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park between January There is also the possibility of including the Toyota round at the Mike Pero Motorsport Park, Ruapuna, over the weekend of January For now though, the drivers have Round 2 at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park this weekend firmly in their sights and it is a fantastic looking field. Seeing the chequered flag first - you can t beat that feeling. He s right of course, as every racer knows, but there s much more to Andrew Jackson than just a burning desire to win. The 27-year-old is one of 30 that have their sights set on the National and North Island Championship titles at this year s NEXEN TYRE Mazda Pro7 Racing Series. And if last year s performances, prior a season-ending accident at the Pukekohe, are anything to by the Hobsonville Point competitor is in with a good chance. Karting was where it all started for Jackson and his brother James, thanks to his father John who raced in the Pro7 Class for seven years. I have always loved motorsport, the community and of course the speed and the excitement of competition, he said. Dad retired from racing in 2016 but he still jumps in the car for a bit of fun on practice days. Andrew s achievements so far include the Rookie of the Year trophy in the Mazda series; third place in the Pro7 Championship and second in the Championship. To get the desired results, Jackson s team spends more than 100 hours a week preparing for each race weekend. He chose to race in the Pro7 Class above other classes in the country. Simple really, it s an affordable, single make race class and it s the best bang for your buck when it comes to racing in New Zealand, he added. I love the group and the people that race in the NEXEN TYRE Mazda Pro7 Class. While the overall growth in the motorsport industry has been slow and steady across the board, Jackson said the NEXEN TYRE Mazda Pro7 class has managed to buck this trend. We ve experienced a lot of growth, from four to over 15 new RX-8s alone in the last two seasons, he said. Dylan Smith in action in his spectacular Pro 7. Andrew wouldn t mind a skid in a Porsche GT3 in the near future but for now is content with his RX8 racer - which boasts a 13B Rotary Engine, Fortune Auto Suspension, DBA Brakes, AIM Digital Dash and NEXEN N FERA SUR4G semi-slick tyres. speedworksevents.co.nz TAUPO 2-3 DEC 21 21

24 TRADEZONE GT1/GT2 ALL GUNS BLAZING They re big, they re fast and just about anything goes. And the top guns in the TRADEZONE GT1/GT2 class are likely to be amongst the fastest, if not THE fastest, machines running this weekend at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park. Although they raced a non-championship round at Pukekohe Park recently as part of the V8 Supercar support programme, the event did give us a few clues as to what we can expect to see this coming season. One car not racing was the uniquely fast and successful Crawford Porsche of GT1 champ Glen Smith, but there was a Crawford there nonetheless and the Chevrolet powered example of experienced racer John De Veth was out for the first time, with John getting to grips with the powerful beast. He got quicker and quicker over the weekend in very challenging conditions and should be well at home in the car by the time he and Smith line up to do battle at Taupo s track this weekend. There was a fair representation of V8 powered machinery in the category at Pukekohe too, and this will continue at Taupo with several ex Supercars and SuperTourers lined up to compete this weekend. Rule changes from the GTRNZ AGM has seen many of the highly competitive GT3 class now moving to GT2 and so that class should prove entertaining as drivers such as Maurice Shapley in his Holden Monaro and Marvyn Towers in the throaty sounding MG BGT V8 unleash the full power of their cars in the grid. Watch out too for Nathan Strachan, making the jump up from a Honda and the GT3/GT4 grid last year to the GT2 field this year with a monster V8 powered Mazda RX7. TRADEZONE GT1/GT2 ENTRIES NO. DRIVER POINTS 1 Glenn Smith GT1 Crawford Porsche 6 Wayne Conder GT1 Corvette Transam 7 Cameron Jones GT1 Mazda RX Conal Dempsey GT1 Porsche 911MR 32 Tony Anderson GT1 Ford Falcon BA 33 John De Veth GT1 Crawford Chev 62 Ross Thurston GT1 Mitsubishi Lancer 94 Rod Gimblett GT1 Holden Supertourer 184 Kerry Jones GT1 Chevrolet Corvette C5 4 Terry Jones GT2 Nissan R32 GTR 9 Bradley Jesson GT2 Mitsubishi Evo 24 Maurice Shapley GT2 Holden Monaro 35 Nathan Strachan GT2 Mazda RX7 V8 64 Graeme Smyth GT2 Mazda RX7 66 Kiley Jury GT2 Mitsubishi Evo 110 Murray Bell GT2 Mazda RX7 112 Marvyn Towers GT2 MG BGTV8 308 Hayden Butcher GT2 Subaru WRX The experienced John De Veth now has a Crawford to pedal and take on GT1 champ Glen Smith TAUPO 2-3 DEC speedworksevents.co.nz

25 TRADEZONE GT3/GT4 Its always close in GT3/GT4. NEW RULES MEAN CLOSER FIELDS TRADEZONE GT3/GT4 is the less extreme class of the GTRNZ community, and fuels the passion of the drivers and engineers out there who want to drive or tune their machines to the fastest possible speeds but almost always on a sensible budget. It s an enthusiasts grid for sure, and whatever your taste in road car, then you are highly likely to find a relative or descendant racing in the GT3 and GT4 field. TRADEZONE GT3/GT4 ENTRIES NO. DRIVER POINTS 15 Hayden Gare GT3 Leyland Mini 17 Shane Whitley GT3 Ford Fairmont 23 Nigel Snow GT3 Toyota Synergy Antony Te Rito GT3 Honda Civic 57 Eric Hennephof GT3 Holden Supertourer 58 Garry Carswell GT3 Mazda RX7 73 Dallis Green GT3 Mazda RX7 79 Nigel Lucas GT3 Mazda RX7 93 Mark Allen GT3 Vauxhall Firenza 100 Layne Collier GT3 Ford Mustang 117 Greg Cuttance GT3 Ford Falcon XE 171 Nigel Karl GT3 Ford Falcon 619 Richard Wagstaff GT3 Toyota MRS 45 Jayden Mason GT4 Toyota Starlet 118 Drew Jeffrey GT4 Honda CRX 168 Aaron Walker GT4 Honda Civic 191 Scott Smith GT4 Honda Civic 888 Tim McDonald GT4 Honda Civic The make up of the GT3 class should prove interesting in the coming season as drivers come to understand how the new breakout times will affect them and cars like the Toyota MRS of Hawera s Richard Wagstaff and the Mini of young Hayden Gare should be contenders for points honours by the end of the weekend. The GT4 class continues to offer slower cars a chance to race at the big events and GTRNZ is welcoming new drivers to this class in the coming season. From this weekend onwards you can expect a good battle between the Taranaki pair Drew Jeffery in his Honda CRX and Tim McDonald in his Honda Civic - both new to the club this season. Taranaki s Scotty Smith is a GT3/GT4 regular in his fast EKCivic. speedworksevents.co.nz TAUPO 2-3 DEC 23 23

26 SSANGYONG ACTYON UTE RACING SERIES Mark Mallard and Kirk Stoneman duelling as only SsangYong s can. ACTYON A PLENTY Thirty SsangYong Actyon Sport Race utes will take the starter s flag at the first round of the Speed Works New Zealand Motorsport Championship here at Taupo s Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park and it will be the third round of the five round SsangYong series. Among the 30 competitors for this round will be an unprecedented number of female drivers. In all, six girls will compete door-to-door in one of the country s most exciting race series with 24 blokes that don t want to be beaten! No other class of circuit motor racing has ever had more than two girls competing, let alone six, so it s an all-time record for the Woman in Motorsport campaign led by Debbie Day, a member of the NZMS executive and very active senior Clerk Of the Course at many of the major events these days. Woman in Motorsport here in God s Own has been taken to a whole new level with SsangYong New Zealand s help and assistance. The pink race ute of Sheridan Broadbent highlights this fact, sponsored as it is by Great Lake Motor Distributors, importers of the SsangYong brand of vehicles. It races in pink to support the New Zealand Foundation of Breast Cancer s campaign to raise public awareness of this silent killer. Sheridan herself is a survivor and a fierce advocate of raising awareness of this major health issue for half of the population of New Zealand. The leading female competitors in the series are 30 year old mother of two and experienced racer Christina Orr-West, who currently sits fourth overall in the championship and 24 year old Alexander Whitley who has fallen to 11th in the standings following a DNF at the NZ Supercar round at Pukekohe last month. Both of these girls have proven on numerous occasions to be very fine racers and more than able to beat the boys!!! Sheryl Hanright is another experienced motorsport enthusiast and has earned a reputation as tough to pass. And it s true she is one very determined lady. Amanda West hails from Pukekohe and dovetails her interest in motorsport with her role as the administration manager at Pukekohe Park Raceway. After sampling the sport last season, Amanda is having her first full season in the driver s seat and is determined to move forward as her confidence grows. Tessa Field from Palmerston North is also new to circuit racing although she has spent four season s driving Mini-Stocks on the dirt prior to joining the SsangYong Racing Series. Rowan Sheppard, twice runner up in the SsangYong series, has a lead of just a single point over the hardcharging expat Australian Peter Bennett with Matt Gibson only two points adrift of Bennett. Top female driver Christina Orr-West sits a further 51 points behind Gibson. Ryan Bailey, like Gibson a former Suzuki Swift Champion, is just two behind Christina. Rounding out the top six is 13 year old schoolboy Callum Hedge who is only six points off Bailey. Hedge is being tipped by many as a young man to watch, competing this season in two categories, the SsangYong Racing Series and the NZ National Formula Ford Championship, where he dominated the first round ahead of 20 other competitors. The cat among the pigeons for this round is two time series winner Daniel Connor, who was forced to miss the Pukekohe round and with the help of escalating points table will be out to make the most of the last three rounds of the series in his MTF sponsored ute TAUPO 2-3 DEC speedworksevents.co.nz

27 Joel Herbert flies the flag for MTF. SSANGYONG ACTYON UTE RACING SERIES POINTS POS. NO. DRIVER POINTS 1 2NZ Rowan Shepherd Peter Bennett Matt Gibson Christina Orr-West Ryan Bailey Callum Hedge Kayne Barrie Murray Brook Joel Herbert Mark Mallard Alexandra Whitley Peter Vodanovich Kirk Stoneman Ken Hunter Paul Booth 321 POS. NO. DRIVER POINTS Lincoln Prouting Anthony Allen Morgan Foster Daniel Connor Sam Fletcher Matt Higham Jeremy Dixon Lance Northcott Joshua Parkinson Sheridan Broadbent Sheryl Hanright Tony Vanderloos Amanda West Tessa Field 38 SsangYong racing is door to soor action from start to finish. speedworksevents.co.nz TAUPO 2-3 DEC 25 25

28 LDV T60. 5 STAR SAFETY, 5 YEAR WARRANTY. * T60 Luxury Model shown, specs may vary from image shown. ONLY 3 LEFT! ALL PURCHASERS OF A T60 WITHIN THE COMPETION DATES* WILL AUTOMATICALLY GET 10 ENTRIES IN THIS COMPETITION. YOU COULD WIN YOUR PURCHASE PRICE BACK! ENTER NOW! ldvt60.co.nz A new BIG TRUCK has just landed in town. Made with care by one of the world s largest auto companies, T60 has been engineered from the ground-up with state of the art safety features and technology. We are also proud to announce that the LDV T60 has just achieved a 5 Star Safety Rating from ANCAP. Pop into your local LDV dealer to see why LDV is one of NZ s fastest growing vehicle brands. Features include 2.8 Variable Geometry Turbo Diesel 4WD 6 speed Automatic or Manual Seats 5 10inch Touch Screen Entertainment System Side Steps Roof Rails Hill Descent Control Reverse Camera Lane Departure Warning Traction Control System Air Conditioning Tyre Pressure Monitoring System 5 year/130,000km (whichever occurs first) Factory Warranty with Roadside Assist NOW WITH ANCAP 5 STAR SAFETY RATING 5 YEAR FACTORY 130,000KMS WARRANTY WITH 24HR ROADSIDE ASSIST T60 4x4 Manual From $28,990 ldv.co.nz 0800 LDV VANS WORKING HARDER EVERY DAY 26

29 ENZED CENTRAL MUSCLE CARS MIGHTY MUSCLE CARS All action in the ENZED Central Muscle Cars. Unmissable this weekend in Taupo. Already in the full swing of their championship season, the spectacular ENZED Central Muscle Cars are back on the Speed Works card for the first of our summer events this weekend and what a field this world class grid provides. Brimmed full of the all-time classic muscle car brands and models, this year the field in both the Group 1 and Group 2 classes looks incredibly well matched, with the Group 1 scrap in the first two rounds being mouth-watering. Shane Wigston currently holds a slender five point lead ahead of Clarke Hopkins in Group 1 but don t discount both the spectacular Dean Perkins or Bruce Anderson for honours this weekend. Watch out too for New Zealand racing legend Angus Fogg in his new Mustang. You can t miss it, it s resplendent in spectacular black and gold and will sure to be near or at the front at Taupo this weekend. In Group 2, for less modified classics and wearing blue windscreen banners as opposed to the red ones of Group 1, it s Steve Noyer who has his nose out front on 343 points. The top three however - Noyer, Bruce Kett and Tristan Teki - are covered by a scant 30 points so all three will be looking for good results this weekend and the lead of the Group 2 series could easily change. CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION GROUP 1 (AFTER 2 ROUNDS) POS. NO. NAME SERIES POINTS 1 73 Shane Wigston Clarke Hopkins Grant Dalton Dean Perkins John Midgley Steve Scholes Lance Midgley Greg Honnor Bruce Anderson Dean Hansen Rick van Swet = 30 Cam Crawford = 5 Andrew Turner Sean Fowler Ross Graham Michael Eden 191 GROUP 2 (AFTER 2 ROUNDS) POS. NO. NAME SERIES POINTS Steve Noyer Tristan Teki Bruce Kett Paul Boden Andrew Sinclair Greg Running Greg Holden 152 speedworksevents.co.nz TAUPO 2-3 DEC 27 27

30 HI-Q COMPONENTS FORMULA FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP NGATOA ESTABLISHES HIMSELF AS THE MAN TO BEAT A 50% win and 100% podium rate this season for Kaleb Ngatoa has established him as the championship favourite. Speed and consistency for Ngatoa have seen him streak ahead to a 52 point lead after the second round of the Hi-Q Components NZ Formula First Championship. His nearest rival, Callum Crawley, has been unable to rival the series leader since the second race of the season and although he finished second in Taupo his results were not what he was looking for after finishing off the podium twice. Liam Foster, currently sitting third in the standings, produced the standout drives of Round 2. After missing qualifying and subsequently starting last for the first race of the round he drove through to finish fourth. In the final race of the round after losing a handful of positions due to an off, he charged through to steal a podium finish on the last lap. This weekend marks the third round of the 2017/18 Hi-Q Components NZ Formula First Championship and the second of the category s Taupo Triple at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park. The early championship favourite heading into the round, Chris Symon, will be out for redemption after a dismal opening two events. The Palmerston North school teacher sits almost 200 points off the championship lead in seventh after suffering mechanical issues in three of the six races so far, including one DNF. The battle for the rookie honours this season is heating up with Blake Evans closing the gap to SpeedSport Scholarship driver Conrad Clark to just 21 points in Round 2. While Clark has had strong Saturdays, collecting two podiums, he has struggled on the two Sunday races of both rounds. Evans, still to stand on the podium this season, had a strong showing at Round 2 and is a good bet for a podium this weekend. FORMULA FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS POS. NO. NAME CAR POINTS 1 15 Kaleb Ngatoa Alvee Callum Crawley Alvee Liam Foster Alvee Reece Hendl-Cox Saturn Conrad Clark Sabre Blake Evans Challenge Chris Symon Harpoon Amy Smith Raceworks Louis Redshaw Challenge Billy Fraser Challenge Bob Dillow Alvee Alex Hawley Sabre Taylor Hurst Challenge Cameron Dance Scorpion Craig Greenwood Challenge Shaun Logan Challenge Paul Butler Sabre Dave Scammell Challenge Travis Day Sabre Ian Foster Challenge Nathan Sudiono Sabre 42 The class brings another strong field and with an extra two laps per race than has previously raced at Taupo, the incredibly close racing brought about by the 1200cc VW engines will no doubt be a highlight of the weekend. Formula First always this close or closer! TAUPO 2-3 DEC speedworksevents.co.nz

31 speedworksevents.co.nz TAUPO 2-3 DEC 29 29

32 NEW ZEALAND GRAND PRIX It s nose to tail action with the Toyota single seaters and the Grand Prix provides intense action. GRAND PRIX BACK IN TOP GEAR 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. Ticketing promotions have proved phenomenally successful with more already confirmed two and a half months 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. Last year s Grand Prix winner, Sahara Force India s Jehan Daruvala. Battles to win New Zealand s most coveted trophy will be close throughout. There are some great ticket packages available on Speed Works web site at - check it out and join the crowd for the action. Bring it on! TAUPO 2-3 DEC speedworksevents.co.nz

33 31 Mediterranean and New Zealand Cuisine Craft Beer, Fine Wine and Cocktail Lounge Casual in a Classy Atmosphere We invite you to indulge in the dishes that have inspired our New Zealand and Mediterranean influenced menus. Our tapas menu is designed to be shared, and we offer a full a-la-carte menu for those wanting a more traditional approach to dining. We have Peroni and Asahi Beers on tap, as well as our local Lakeman, and a good selection of bottled Craft Beers. The bar also specialises in whisky, and we stock a huge wine selection. The Coffee is by Allpress Espresso; tea by Harney & Sons. Specialising in Long Table Shared Plate Dinners, Vine Eatery & Bar is the perfect place for larger groups who are looking for something a little different and entertaining. For more casual gatherings we have amazing platters full of fresh delicious meats, seafood and local produce. Come on in and enjoy our many spaces; outdoor seating, the fireplace, a variety of table and booth settings, or for groups of ten or more, our private rooms upstairs The Balcony & The Vintage Room. 37 Tuwharetoa St, Taupo p e. bookings@vineeatery.co.nz

34 New Zealand TAUPO 2-3 DEC speedworksevents.co.nz

35 WIN THE ULTIMATE NZ GRAND PRIX VIP PACKAGE FOR 2 WORTH $5000 RETURN FLIGHTS FOR TWO ACCOMMODATION PACKAGE INCLUDING MEALS AIRPORT & MANFEILD TRANSFERS 2X VIP WEEKEND PASSES 2X V8 HOT LAPS COMING UP NEXT... FOR MORE DETAILS SEE speedworksevents.co.nz TAUPO 2-3 DEC 33 33

36 EVENTS