Dunn On Pole For First MSC F5000 Race

Dunn On Pole For First MSC F5000 Race At Hampton Downs This Weekend

Monaco-based British driver Peter Dunn (March 73A/05) will start tomorrow's first MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series race at Hampton Downs from pole position after topping the time sheets in the final Top 10 qualifying shootout this afternoon.

The Formula 1-style shootout was the highlight of the first day of action at the second New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing meeting - Chris Amon at the northern Waikato circuit, with the rain that had threatened all day holding off just long enough for all three sessions (the first to establish a field pecking order, the second to sort out the top 20 and the third to sort out the relative positions of the fastest 10) to be run on a dry track.

Joining Dunn on the front row of the grid for the first of the weekend's three MSC series races tomorrow (Saturday) morning will be last season's series runner-up, Steve Ross (McRae GM1) from Dunedin, with series young gun Aaron Burson (McRae GM1) from Auckland third, and poleman Dunn's compatriot Michael Whatley (Surtees TS8) fourth.

Defending MSC series champion, and winner - in atrocious conditions - of the only MSC series race run at the rain-shortened first NZ Festival of Motor Racing - Chris Amon meeting last weekend, Ken Smith (Lola T430), will start tomorrow's first race from P10 on the fifth row of the grid after topping the time sheets in the first session but breaking a half shaft in the second, forcing him to miss the actual shootout.

Another top local driver, Roger Williams (Lola T332), was also forced to sit out the shootout after breaking an input shaft in the second session. He will start tomorrow's first series race beside Smith.

Having enjoyed a competitive run on his MSC series debut last season, poleman Peter Dunn says he was looking forward to taking the battle to local stars like Ken Smith and Steve Ross this season and he expressed himself 'very happy' with his first MSC series pole this afternoon.

"Yes," he said, "The car is going very nicely. Each time we went out we made changes and each time we either went a second or a half a second quicker."

Fellow front row starter Steve Ross was a little more circumspect, having topped the time sheets in the Top 20 session then been pipped by just over a hundredth of a second in the shootout.

"I suppose being on the front row of the grid is something, but I'd be happier if we had stayed where were were after the second session," he said.

An indication, not only of just how competitive the MSC series field is, but also of its truly international nature, comes in the fact that the final Top 10 was covered by just over a second, and that of the drivers in it, five were from New Zealand and five were from overseas, four of those from the UK and the other - Jay Esterer (McRae GM1) - from Canada.

Particularly impressive were the perfromances of Aaron Burson (third) and fellow Aucklander Clark Proctor (fifth).

Having only bought the ex Tony Roberts March 73A-1 on the eve of the rained-out first NZ Festival of Motor Racing - Chris Amon round last week the former Stock Car king and more recently NZV8s and Targa Rally front-runner spent the week stripping and re-building the car and was all smiles after getting into, then performing so well in, the Top10 shootout.

"It was always our expectation to be at the pointy end of the field, even last weekend, but to be honest, given the amount of time we had to work on the car before the first meeting it was probably more a wish than a possibility, " he said. "With another week though we've been able to sort out all the little issues we had with it and to be honest with you I don't know whether I could make it go any quicker than it is now without putting some more engine work into it."

And is he enjoying his first foray into slicks-and-wings single-seaters?

"Mate," he chuckled, " I love it. The car's just like a big go-kart. I did a couple of slides in the second session and when I came round the next lap there were these big black marks on the track and I just thought yeeeeeees!"

The MSC F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series is organised and run with the support of sponsors MSC, NZ Express Transport, Bonney's Specialized Bulk Transport, Mobil Lubricants, Pacifica, Smith & Davies, Avon Tyres and Exide.

Ends

2010/11 MSC New Zealand F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series Rnd 3 Preview NZ Festival of Motor Racing - Chris Amon meeting Hampton Downs Fri-Sun Jan 28 2011
Qualifying 1
1 Ken Smith (Lola T430) 1.01.881
2. Jay Esterer (McRae GM1) 1.02.286
3. Mark Dwyer (Lola T400) 1.02.414
4. Steve Ross (McRae GM1) 1.02.786
5. Clark Proctor (March 73A-1) 1.02.860
6. Aaron Burson (McRae GM1) 1.02.101
7. Peter Dunn (March 73A-05) 1.03.104
8. Roger Williams (Lola T332) 1.03.477
9. Frank Lyons (Gurney-Eagle FA74-01) 1.03.898
10. Stuart Lush (McRae GM1) 1.04.112
11. Ian Clements (Lola T332) 1.04.161
12. Ron Maydon (Amon F101 F1) 1.04.207
13. Alastair Russell (McRae GM1) 1.04.362
14. Reg Cook (Lola T430) 1.04.511
15. Michael Whatley (Surtees TS8) 1.04.947
16. Brett Willis (Lola T330) 1.05.563
17. Greg Thornton (Chevron B24) 1.05.809
18. Peter Burson (McRae GM1) 1.07.652
19. Peter Sundberg (Lola T332) 1.07.831
20. Andrew Higgins (Lola T400) 1.08.786
21. Kerry McIntosh (Begg FM2) 1.10.201
22. Warwick Mortimer (Surtees TS5) 1.10.643
23. Poul Christie (Lola T190) 1.13.377
24. Hamish Paterson (Chevron) 1.19.733
25. Michael Lyons (Lola T400) -no time.

Q6 Top 20
1. Steve Ross 1.01.541
2. Roger Williams 1.01.692
3. Ken Smith 1.02.043
4. Peter Dunn 1.01.159
5. Clark Proctor 1.02.444
6. Jay Esterer 1.02.444
7. Aaron Burson 1.02.780
8. Michael Whatley 1.02.815
9. Mark Dwyer 1.03.017
10. Frank Lyons 1.03.207
11. Reg Cook 1.03.326
12. Alastair Russell 1.03.358
13. Ron Maydon 1.04.098
14. Brett Willis 1.04.163
15. Stuart Lush 1.04.393
16. Ian Clements 1.04.684
17. Andrew Higgins 1.05.021
18. Peter Burson 1.09.207
19. Peter Sundberg 1.11.122

Q7 (Top Ten)
1. Peter Dunn 1.01.324
2. Steve Ross 1.01.503
3. Aaron Burson 1.02.469
4. Michael Whatley 1.02.634
5. Clark Proctor 1.02.660
6. Frank Lyons 1.02.773
7. Jay Esterer 1.03.034
8. Mark Dwyer 1.03.017
9. Roger Williams 1.01.692
10. Ken Smith 1.01.881

Calendar
Rnd 1: Oct 30/31 2010 Christchurch Casino Wigram revival meeting Powerbuilt Tools Raceway @ Ruapuna Park Christchurch
Rnd 2: Jan 21-23 2011 NZ Festival of Motor Racing - Chris Amon meeting x 1 Hampton Downs Auckland
Rnd 3: Jan 28-30 2011 NZ Festival of Motor Racing - Chris Amon meeting x 2 Hampton Downs Auckland
Rnd 4: Feb 05/06 2011 Skope Classic meeting Powerbuilt Tools Raceway @ Ruapuna Park Christchurch
Rnd 5: Feb 19-20 2011 Evolution Motorsport Classic Speedfest meeting, Teretonga Park Invercargill
Rnd 6 (Final) March 25-27 2011 Qantas Australian Grand Prix March Albert Park Melbourne, Australia

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