Ferrari Wins Teretonga Feature

11 SEPTEMBER 2016
Ferrari Wins Teretonga Feature

Two days of motor racing action opened the season at Teretonga Park, Invercargill this weekend.
On Saturday the opening rounds of the 2016 Carters Tyres South Island Endurance Series were held.
The 3 Hour race went to the Trass Family Motorsport Team Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 of Sam Fillmore of Auckland and Australian Richard Muscat. The Ferrari featured in early exchanges with the SaReNi Camaro GT3 of John McIntyre (Nelson)/Simon Gilbertson (Taradale) and the Holden Commodore V8 SuperTourer of Simon McLennan/Richard Moore of Auckland before eventually winning by a lap. The Camaro dropped a lap early after Gilbertson clashed with a slower car while McLennan and Moore finished fourth behind Paul Kelly of Christchurch and former New Zealand Grand Prix winner Daniel Gaunt in their Porsche 997. Last year’s winners, Allan Dippie (Dunedin) and Scott O’Donnell (Invercargill), were fifth in a Porsche 991 GT3 Cup car.
Fillmore said he had been pretty confident coming into the race on the back of winning the North Island Endurance Series. "I love Teretonga and my wife is from Invercargill so there is a link there. We expected to be jumped at the start but we bided our time. We had one altercation with a slower car otherwise it went well." Muscat, a former Australian GT Champion, thanked Fillmore and the Trass Family for the opportunity. Currently driving in the Supercar Development Series in his homeland he said he loves GT cars like the Ferrari. "I love the style of them, you can attack." It was his first visit to Teretonga and he said while it was short, with a 55-56 second lap time, "it is a pretty good track."
McIntyre said, “it was a very good day. The car was amazing. We lost a lap in the bingle and I had to drive as if it was a sprint race for two hours. I really enjoyed it, Richard (Muscat) drove well. It was great driving at ten tenths for two hours."

Frontrunners to strike trouble included George/Angus McFarlane of Christchurch (Porsche) and the series sponsors, Auckland duo Matt/Dwayne Carter in their Mercedes SLS AMG GT3.
Hugh 'Ace' Gardiner of Auckland in his Porsche GT3 won the 1 Hour race earlier in the day. The current New Zealand 1 Hour Champion was the only man to go under the one minute mark in qualifying and he set a new lap record in the race to win by over a lap from Chris Henderson of Dunedin in a Toyota Sprinter AE86. Allan Dippie/Scott O'Donnell were third, overcoming a drivethrough penalty which was applied during the race.
Thirty-eight cars started the largely incident free race with several retiring with mechanical problems.
The Sunday programme was presented by Downer with Liam MacDonald of Invercargill winning the first two Noel McIntyre Drainage Clubmans Saloon races, his Falcon now sporting a huge rear wing. Pierre Neame of Winton (Ford Mustang) and Tony Mann of Dunedin (Ford Capri) were second and third respectively each time. MacDonald also won Class 4 in the Class Race with other class victors being David Robertson of Invercargill (Class 1), Andrew Muir of Gore (Class 2) and Wayne Elliott of Invercargill, (Class 3).

MacDonald almost won the Handicap Race from a long way back but had to settle for second behind Ben Coffin of Christchurch in a Mazda RX7 before coming back to win the Flying Farewell from Coffin and Adam Cullen of Dunedin in a Nissan Skyline GTR.

Former TRS and NZV8 driver Brent ‘Bones’ Collins of Timaru won all three Pro 7 Plus races from Mike Glasier of Temuka while NZ2 Jack Milligan of Prebbleton won the Pro 7 Class on each occasion with Toby Marsh of Christchurch second twice and NZ3, Mitchell Hamilton of Pleasant Point, second in the other.

Dave McKenzie of Invercargill (Reynard) won all four Sports & Racing Car events with Joseph Oliver (Crossle) second on three occasions and Robin Williams of Riverton second in the other in a Van Dieman.

The next meeting at Teretonga Park on Sunday 6 November will mark 60 years of racing at the circuit.

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