McIntyre and Baird set to renew battle.jpg "Image") McIntyre - hot favourite again
This year the crowds are in for real entertainment as the opening two rounds of the BNT V8s have produced no less than four different race winners in the six races held to date. At this stage the hot favourite will be Nelson’s John McIntyre with three wins under his belt in the Talleys/JMR Falcon but he will not be able to relax as other top drivers find their form heading towards the renowned Teretonga circuit where results and weather are always unpredictable.
The obvious challenger could be Queensland based Kiwi international driver Craig Baird in the United Video Falcon which caused McIntyre real problems in Round 2. In fact, Baird arrives at Teretonga having made headlines over the New Year break when he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to motorsport. His fellow competitors will no doubt feel privileged to be racing against such esteem company and will ensure the newly honoured driver will receive “special attention” right from the start of the first race!
However, even Baird cannot concentrate solely on chasing “Johnny Mac” as two Christchurch drivers have proven to be the surprise packages of the season to date and will be pursuing “Bairdo” with determination. Eddie Bell (Independent Fisheries Falcon) was the surprise winner of the opening round at Pukekohe and although he did not adapt well to the wet conditions at Ruapuna, will be a force to be reckoned with on the popular southern circuit. Andy Knight was the surprise performer at Round 2 and although having incurred a 50 second penalty and being deprived of his debut podium, is lying 4th overall and capable of notching up race wins in the rapid Radio Live Falcon.
The first of the Commodores in the points is piloted by Andy Booth who suffered a severe crash in the Big Ben car at Ruapuna but insists his confidence is still high and will be looking to at least repeat his Round 1 podium effort. Without question the driver under the most pressure will be defending champion Kayne Scott who has experienced mixed fortunes with the Fujitsu Heat Pumps Falcon and convinced his poor luck is now behind him, will be aiming to score his first race win of the season.
One of the more interesting facets of the opening two rounds of the championship was the number of drivers outside the top six who had mixed results in Round 1 but seemed to feature prominently in Round 2. The obvious standout was Paul Manuell’s Orix Commodore which suffered major fuel problems at Pukekohe but comfortably won the reverse grid feature race in Round 2 in atrociously wet conditions.
Similarly, Haydyn MacKenzie (Albany Toyota Falcon) and Darryn Henderson (Radio Sport/BP Falcon) were towards the front at Ruapuna and could be the dark horses at Teretonga if they can maintain that momentum. Also enduring mixed results this season are regular “top five” drivers Angus Fogg (LG/Newstalk ZB Falcon) and Tim Edgell (Chesters Falcon). Both Aucklanders are always able to produce speed when it counts and if they stay out of trouble will be sure to cause upsets on this fast flowing circuit.
As for the dedicated southern racing fans, there is one driver who has been making a big impression in his debut season. Dunedin’s John Whelan (Cartridge World Falcon) has been impressive and the former NZ Formula Ford Champion has acclimatised well to the V8s category as shown by some stirring drives at Ruapuna.
Of course, there are a host of other drivers who have enjoyed their positive moments including Clark Proctor (VIP Falcon), Andrew Anderson (ITM Commodore) and Simon Richards (Sew-Eurodrive Falcon). John Penny also astounded critics by scoring 2nd place in Race 3 at Ruapuna after his team worked through the night repairing major crash damage thus proving that he too can cause an upset. |
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