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Twenty-eight BNT V8s have completed their official
testing and warm-up sessions as they prepare to race in the first round of the
2008-09 BNT V8s Championship at the Taupo
Motorsport Park
this weekend.
.
Defending champion John McIntyre set the quickest time
in Friday’s second test  session, his time of 1:36.531 comfortably under
the track record he set for this class of 1:36.928 in January this year when
the New Zealand V8s class last raced at Taupo
On Friday, BP Ultimate was announced as the new fuel
for the BNT V8s and during recent fuel tests at Taupo, former V8s champion
Kayne Scott was setting times more than a second under the lap record. Scott
was also quickest during Saturday morning’s warm-up session.
The field for this season’s BNT V8s championship
has a number of highly-regarded drivers including former V8s champions
McIntyre, Scott, Andy Booth and Paul Pedersen. Add in New Zealanders with major
international successes to their credit like Paul Radisich and Craig Baird, the
sole Australian representative David Besnard, and the competition is expected
to be fierce. Up-and-coming younger drivers like Tim Edgell, production racing
champion Dale Williams, Toyota Racing Series champion Andy Knight and V8s
development series champion Michael Bristow add yet another level of interest
to this season’s championship battle.
The BNT V8s (formerly the New Zealand V8s) have three
races at Taupo this weekend with a three-part qualifying session due to get
underway at 11:30 this morning.
ENDS/
Photo information – Please credit Jeff Smith.
Free to use. Multiple champion and kiwi racing star Craig Baird starts his
first full season in the BNT V8s driving for the United Video Ford team
2008-09 BNT V8s Championship
calendar
Round 1 (Fujitsu 200), Taupo Motorsport
Park, 3-5 October 2008
Round 2, Pukekohe
Park, 7-9 November 2008
Round 3, Powerbuilt Tools International Raceway (Christchurch), 28-30
November 2008
Round 4, Timaru International Motor Raceway, 9-11
January 2009
Round 5, Teretonga
Park (Invercargill),
16-18 January 2009
Round 6, Manfeild
Park (Fielding), 27
February - 1 March 2009
Round 7, Pukekohe
Park, 20-22 March 2009
[Non-championship trophy round, Hamilton 400 V8
Supercars, 17-20 April 2009]
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