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Andy Booth led from the front to win the weekend’s first New Zealand V8s race at the Timaru International Motor Raceway in the VnC Cocktails 200.

With fresh support from Big Ben Pies for his Tasman Motorsport Holden, the two-time V8s champion took pole position in the rain-affected qualifying sessions from defending V8s champion and current series leader John McIntyre, and then went on to win the 14 lap race – his first official win of the season.

On a rain-soaked circuit, the race was started with the first three corners under yellow flag, meaning no passing was allowed. Taking the top two slots behind Booth were McIntyre in the BP Ultimate Ford and Paul Radisich in the HPM Ford. All three drivers agreed that it was sensible for officials to have started the race in this way.

“In the rain, the pole position is the wettest,” said McIntyre. “So it’s really a disadvantage for the pole-sitter in these conditions.”

“It was amazing the difference in grip around the circuit,” said Booth who was delighted to have a race win which wasn’t taken away by officials as happened in Taupo earlier in the season.

In such wet conditions, the race itself was relatively uneventful as drivers kept a safe distance behind the car in front, except when GT Radial Ford driver Dean Perkins hit the tyre wall hard midway through the race. Although the safety car came out for several laps, officials decided not to extract the car from the wall.

“Restarting the race with Perkins’ car in the wall wasn’t great,” said Radisich who was pleased to finish third in the difficult conditions. “It’s hard to challenge in the wet here – it’s quite a narrow circuit and as soon as you stepped off the racing line there wasn’t much grip.”

McIntyre’s second place extended his points’ lead over Angus Fogg, the next best-placed driver in the New Zealand V8s Championship, who finished fourth behind Radisich.

David Besnard was fourth in the SCG Motorsport Ford while Fujitsu Ford driver Kayne Scott improved from his tenth qualifying position to finish sixth. Young Auckland driver Tim Edgell held on well from his fourth qualifying position to finish seventh, with Paul Manuell and Andrew Anderson taking eighth and ninth respectively. Michael Bristow finished tenth having been asked to drive the Tex Onsite Ford for the last two rounds after the team and long-time driver Cameron McLean decided to part ways. Bristow is currently leading the First Windows & Doors V8 Development Series and is racing both his development V8 Holden and the Tex Onsite Ford at Timaru and Teretonga.

The starting grid for Sunday’s 18-lap race is determined by the fastest times that each driver set in the first race. This sees McIntyre on pole, giving him a further opportunity to extend his series’ points lead. Booth, Scott, Radisich, Anderson and then Fogg line up behind McIntyre.

The New Zealand V8s then have a third reverse grid race to wrap up the weekend’s racing at Timaru in the VnC Cocktails 200 before heading to Teretonga for their season finale, the Hydraulink 200.

The competitors in the First Windows & Doors V8s Development Series are also racing at Timaru. Auckland’s Peter Butler was the fastest qualifier in a Ford with Pukekohe’s Michael Bristow beside him on the front row of the grid in a Holden. Bristow won the eight lap race with Dunedin’s Blair Sutherland in second and Butler third.

Qualifying in more detail

This season the New Zealand V8s run a new style of qualifying; all drivers run in the first 20 minute session, then the top twenty get another 15 minutes with the top ten getting a final 15 minute session to decide the starting grid for the first of the weekend’s three races.

As rain threatened in the first session, McIntyre was fastest with a time of 1:07.386, ahead of Scott, Booth, Besnard, Fogg and Bristow. In the second session, Booth chalked up the fastest time of 1:07.223 with Scott and McIntyre next quickest, while frequent top-ten runners Luke Youlden and Clark Proctor missed the cut as the rain started.

In the top ten shoot-out Booth was again the fastest, setting a time on the Dunlop wet tyres of 1:14.640 to take his second pole position this season. McIntyre will line up beside Booth for the first 14-lap race, with Radisich and Tim Edgell in the Chesters Ford in fourth with his best qualifying position of the season. Besnard, Fogg, Andrew Anderson, Paul Manuell, and Dean Perkins took positions five to nine, while Scott was unable to set a final qualifying time after a very uncharacteristic off-track excursion which saw the Fujitsu Ford parked in the gravel after Scott needed to avoid a collision with a fellow competitor on the wet circuit.

ENDS

New Zealand V8s Championship – Qualifying

Position, Driver, Hometown, Car, Qualifying time

NB. The top ten drivers’ times were set in qualifying session #3 on wet tyres, hence the times being slower than the drivers in positions 10 to 29 who set times on dry tyres.

1, Andy Booth, Auckland, Holden Commodore VZ, 1:14.640

2, John McIntyre, Nelson, Ford Falcon BA, 1:14.873

3, Paul Radisich, Melbourne, Ford Falcon BA, 1:15.393

4, Tim Edgell, Auckland, Ford Falcon BA, 1:15.730

5, David Besnard, Gold Coast, Ford Falcon BA, 1:15.843

6, Angus Fogg, Auckland, Ford Falcon BA, 1:16.130

7, Andrew Anderson, Auckland, Holden Commodore VY, 1:16.190

8, Paul Manuell, Auckland, Holden Commodore VZ, 1:16.352

9, Dean Perkins, Pukekohe, Ford Falcon BA, 1:16.638

10, Kayne Scott, Hamilton, Ford Falcon BA, No time

11, Luke Youlden, Melbourne, Ford Falcon BA, 1:08.008

12, Michael Bristow, Pukekohe, Ford Falcon BA, 1:08.021

13, Michael Wallace, Dunedin, Holden Commodore VY, 1:08.044

14, Adam Brook, Christchurch, Ford Falcon BA, 1:08.100

15, Haydn Mackenzie, Auckland, Ford Falcon BA, 1:08.100

16, Inky Tulloch, Gore, Ford Falcon BA, 1:08.209

17, Simon Richards, Hamilton, Ford Falcon BA, 1:08.213

18, John Penny, Taupo, Ford Falcon BA, 1:08.242

19, Nick Ross, Cambridge, Holden Commodore VZ, 1:08.343

20, Clark Proctor, Auckland, Ford Falcon BA, 1:08.462

21, Andrew Porter, Auckland, Ford Falcon BA, 1:08.413

22, Chris Adams, Mosgiel, Holden Commodore VY, 1:08.497

23, Andrew Fawcet, Wellington, Ford Falcon BA, 1:08.528

24, Mark Pedersen, Auckland, Ford Falcon BA, 1:08.564

25, Cam Hardy, Hamilton, Holden Commodore VZ, 1:08.569

26, Kevin Williams, Auckland, Holden Commodore VZ, 1:08.607

27, Connel McLaren, Auckland, Ford Falcon BA, 1:08.940

28, Julia Huzziff, Auckland, Holden Commodore VY, 1:10.328

29, Shaun Turton, Pukekohe, Holden Commodore VY, 1:11.155

New Zealand V8s Championship – Timaru Race 1 (14 laps)

Position, Driver, Hometown, Car, Points earned

1, Andy Booth, Auckland, Holden Commodore VZ, 75

2, John McIntyre, Nelson, Ford Falcon BA, 67

3, Paul Radisich, Melbourne, Ford Falcon BA, 60

4, Angus Fogg, Auckland, Ford Falcon BA, 54

5, David Besnard, Gold Coast, Ford Falcon BA, 49

6, Kayne Scott, Hamilton, Ford Falcon BA, 45

7, Tim Edgell, Auckland, Ford Falcon BA, 42

8, Paul Manuell, Auckland, Holden Commodore VZ, 39

9, Andrew Anderson, Auckland, Holden Commodore VY, 36

10, Michael Bristow, Pukekohe, Ford Falcon BA, 33

11, Clark Proctor, Auckland, Ford Falcon BA, 30

12, Luke Youlden, Melbourne, Ford Falcon BA, 28

13, Michael, Wallace, Dunedin, Holden Commodore VY, 26

14, Haydn, Mackenzie, Auckland, Ford Falcon BA, 24

15, John, Penny, Taupo, Ford Falcon BA, 22

16, Andrew, Porter, Auckland, Ford Falcon BA, 20

17, Inky, Tulloch, Gore, Ford Falcon BA, 18

18, Mark, Pedersen, Auckland, Ford Falcon BA, 16

19, Nick, Ross, Cambridge, Holden Commodore VZ, 14

20, Andrew, Fawcet, Wellington, Ford Falcon BA, 12

21, Simon, Richards, Hamilton, Ford Falcon BA, 10

22, Chris, Adams, Mosgiel, Holden Commodore VY, 9

23, Connel, McLaren, Auckland, Ford Falcon BA, 8

24, Julia, Huzziff, Auckland, Holden Commodore VY, 7

25, Cam, Hardy, Hamilton, Holden Commodore VZ, 6

26, Kevin, Williams, Auckland, Holden Commodore VZ, 5

27, Shaun, Turton, Pukekohe, Holden Commodore VY, 4

DNF, Adam, Brook, Christchurch, Ford Falcon BA  

DNF, Dean, Perkins, Pukekohe, Ford Falcon BA