Lap Records Tumble At Classic Speedfest

MEDIA RELEASE
17 FEBRUARY 2013

Lap Records Tumble At Classic Speedfest

Lap records plummeted throughout both days of the Evolution Motorsport Classic Speedfest at Teretonga Park near Invercargill this weekend. Lap records were broken ten times over the two days eventually creating six new marks in various classes. A very good crowd enjoyed Saturdays racing while an even more impressive number turned out for the second day on Sunday.

The AJ Auto Electrical Formula 5000 races were a favourite with many in the crowd and they did not disappoint with three different winners and two lap records over the course of the event. Andrew Higgins of Auckland put his Lola T400 on pole and drove away to win the first race on Saturday dropping the lap record to 54.501 seconds in the process. The following morning Dunedin driver Steve Ross in a McRae GM1 won while Takanini driver Clark Proctor trimmed the record to 54.478. Proctor then won the third race to cap off a great weekend of racing. Ross took out the MSC F5000 Tasman Revival Series of which this was the final round.

Australian Peter Barclay was the standout in the Macaulay Ford Racing Car class winning all four races in his beautiful Repco Brabham BT21 while local driver Brendan Mason did the same in the Southland Tyre Centre Classic Saloon races with a clean sweep in his Chev Camaro. Mason also won the first Noel McIntyre Drainage Clubmans Saloon race of the weekend from a packed grid while Aaron Black of Dunedin won the next two before Invercargill driver Robert Ralston blitzed the field in the Flying Farewell.

The Pre 65 Saloons and MINI Challenge cars raced together in the Downer/Cooke Howlison class. Roy MacDonald of Dunedin took two wins in the Pre 65 contests in his Mustang as did Maurie Bone of Christchurch in his Anglia. Local drivers Wayne Tuffley and Rodger Cunninghame both secured some good placings in their Mustangs and Greg Stewart of Lumsden grabbed a third. Meanwhile Scott O'Donnell of Invercargill won both MINI Challenge category races on Saturday from Richard Knowles of Christchurch. O'Donnell struck problems on Sunday leaving Knowles to win the MINI category on both occasions.

UK visitor Paul Smeeth in a Lotus 22 won two of the Professionals McPherson Realty Ltd Formula Junior races while Noel Woodford of Auckland and Marcus Mussa of Great Britain shared the other two. Meanwhile Kim Shearn of Australia left with the new Formula Junior lap record.

Canadian Jack Ondrack took two very comfortable wins in his Tuscan TVR V8 in the Sievwright Auto Sports Cars class on Saturday before Murray Sinclair of Christchurch won both of Sundays races in his Chevron.

Stephen Grellet of Dunedin steered his BMW to victory in two of the Jesco Historic Touring Car races while Christchurch driver Gary Johnstone took a win in his Jaguar XJS and Warren Good of Dunedin won the other in his BMW. Event sponsor Rick Michels collected several good placings in his BMW M3 across the four races.

Carl Wall of Christchurch won three Southern Paints Formula Libre race of the weekend in his Reynard before David Arrowsmith of Christchurch took the last in his Swift DB4 and Paul Coghill of Dunedin was on track for a clean sweep in the Global Diesel Parts Vintage Racing Car races in his Jaguar until Russ Haines of Ashburton won the finale in his Frangapelli Holden.

The next race meeting at Teretonga Park takes place on 17 March.

ENDS

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