All Or Nothing Weekend For Mini Challenge Leader

FAST COMPANY
Press release
For immediate release

Ryan Bailey

1009/10 New Zealand MINI Challenge

Rnd 6 (Final)

Taupo Motorsport Park

Taupo

Fri-Sun

March 19-21

2010

18-03-10

All Or Nothing Weekend For Mini Challenge Leader Bailey

They'll be nothing left 'on the park' when long-time New Zealand MINI Challenge points leader Ryan Bailey crosses the finish line in the last race at the final round of this season's championship at Taupo on Sunday.

"All or nothing, that's the plan," the 21-year-old kart-turned-rising-car-star said this morning as he heads into the weekend locked in a battle for the 2009/10 title with Team Kiwi Racing teammate Matthew Hamilton.

Bailey - who has won three of the five series rounds so far - was set to tie up the 2009/10 title at the penultimate round at his home track, Manfeild, last month only to be slowed in the crucial final race by a problem with his car's ABS brake system, allowing Hamilton to whittle down his points advantage to just 13 points.

That means the title fight could well go down to the final race at Taupo this weekend, a prospect Bailey has been readying himself for the past month.

"Obviously I'd like to get the points on the board to put the title beyond Matty's grasp before that, but if that's what it's going to come down to I'll be ready, " says Bailey.

"I'll be sitting in the car saying 'bring it on!"

Bailey and Hamilton have known each other for years through their involvement in karts and the pair have dominated this season's MINI Challenge, to the point where though there are just the 13 points between them, Hamilton has a 92 point buffer on third placed driver, Aucklander David Grigor.

Bailey earned his drive with the re-born TKR squad thanks to a winning one-off drive in the 2008/09 MINI Challenge series and the now Auckland-based Palmerston North driver has more than justified team boss David Johns' faith in him.

John's decision to kick start TKR after problems in Australia has polarised opinion at home. But Bailey says he owes John a vote of thanks for offering him the opportunity to prove himself in the MINI Challenge.

Bailey was planning to head to Taupo at the beginning of the week but stayed on in Auckland to attend the funeral of good friend Stace Hopper who dies in a light plane crash north of Auckland late last week.

Hopper was going to join the team for the final round and Bailey says that he is dedicating the meeting to the memory of his fellow driver and friend.

The MINI Challenge cars are on track from Friday with qualifying and the first race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon and two further races on Sunday.

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