CHAMP’S DEFENCE UNDERWAY WITH SUPERCAR ROUND WIN
Paul Manuell got his Porter Group V8 Ute title defence off to the best possible start at the weekend with a two race
wins at the ITM Supercar event at Pukekohe Park, but the round win was not without its challenges.
A crash on Friday left the champ on the back foot and he responded perfectly with a lap record and race win in Race 1.
IN Race 2 nobody could touch Brett ‘The Scud’ Rudd for consistency and speed while Manuell had to fight off a flying
Matt ‘Stinger’ Spratt to take out Race 3.
RACE 1
Reigning champion Paul 'Auto' Manuell took the first win of the 2016-2017 Porter Group V8 Ute series this morning at the
Pukekohe Park ITM Supercar event, but the ORIX Holden driver had to work incredibly hard for it.
Starting from pole position but from a soggier spot on the damp track than fellow front row sitter Matt 'Stinger'
Spratt, Manuell was slow away and had to focus on defending from Peter 'Kaos' Ward as Spratt streaked away to a three
car length lead into Turn 1. Ward sat it out around the outside and nipped into second at Turn 2 with Manuell having to
settle for third as the field surged onto the back straight for the first time.
There was plenty of action behind too, with Jayden 'Sangy D' Dodge failing to get away in his first V8 ute race after a
failure in the drivetrain off the start, and Richard 'Danger' Moore also getting a poor getaway from the inside half of
the track in the Flex Group Holden and coming under immediate pressure from a fast starting Glen 'Coyote' Collinson in
the DNA Custom Paint Ford FG. Two into one wouldn't go up that part of the circuit and Collinson was left with no choice
but to back out, allowing several of the field to get by. Brett 'The Scud' Rudd benefitted nicely and settled into
fourth ahead of Moore.
At the front Manuell set about an impressive recovery drive, rubbing doors with Ward as he went into second down the
inside into Turn 1 and wowing the huge crowd with a mighty pass around the outside of Spratt in the KPH Transport Holden
around the outside as the two went full steam into the mountain turn. It was ute racing at its best as the three
streaked away, trading fastest laps as behind them Rudd and Moore settled into their own scrap and behind them James
'Huggi' Urquhart and Collinson were engaged in their own battle, as were Nigel 'Hammered' Hanley, Geoff 'SOS' Spencer
and Elton 'Toon' Goonan a little further back. An off by Moore compromised his race and he was forced into fight back
mode, setting some impressive lap times as he battled his way back into the top half.
As the 12 lap race counted down, it became apparent that Manuell - still carrying the wounds of his practice crash on
Friday - was not getting away from Spratt or Ward, and in fact the two were catching him again. Was Manuell protecting
his tyres or was there some real trouble for the champ? It turned out to be the latter, with Paul struggling under
braking as the race wore on. Spratt's full focus was on pressuring the ORIX driver, and it was a good job he did as Ward
was turning in some sensational lap times behind. Particularly spectacular over the mountain in the last few laps, he
clocked a 1.16.7 - a new race and official series lap record and comfortably the fastest ute in the field. A few more
laps and the story might have been different, but as the top three crossed the line just a few tenths apart, it was
Manuell from Spratt and the charging Ward.
Rudd took a lonely fourth in the Yale Loscam Holden, while Moore fought back for a respectable fifth. Collinson took
sixth, with Urquhart in seventh and Hanley in eighth. Goonan took an impressive ninth, much happier with the handling of
his Hamilton Asphalts/Nautech Ford after adjusting the set up before the race, one place ahead of Geoff Spencer in tenth
- who has hampered throughout by a severe vibration in the front of the car. Dave Kernohan beat son Jeff to 11th in the
KCL Ford battle, with Simon 'The Bandit' Ussher completing the runners and earning a front row start for Race 2.
RACE 2
Brett 'The Scud' Rudd took the biggest victory of his racing career in front of a packed house at the ITM Supercar event
at Pukekohe, coming through from tenth on the grid to win an action-packed second Porter Group V8 Ute race.
The full reverse grid produced endless action throughout its 12 laps, and included a Safety Car period after Nigel
'Hammered' Hanley half spun as he changed down from fifth to fourth gear for the first turn, with Richard 'Danger' Moore
hitting the wall hard to avoid him. It was a miracle none of the other ute drivers made contact with either Hanley or
the wall and there was a two lap Safety Car period whilst marshals removed Moore's badly damaged Flex Group Holden.
Pole holder Simon 'The Bandit' Ussher made the best start of the lot of them and led initially, before being passed by
Geoff 'SOS' Spencer and Jeff' Ripples' Kernohan as the field bunched. Jayden 'Sangy D' Dodge also made a great start and
found himself in the top half from last on the grid as the first lap unfolded. Paul 'Auto' Manuell made heavy contact
with the rear of James 'Huggi' Urquhart's Mitre 10 Trade Holden at the restart too, further hindering their chances of
progress as Spencer made a good getaway.
As the laps counted down, the race lost Jayden Dodge after a spin at the complex. A four car Holden battle with Spencer,
Rudd, Manuell and Matt Spratt for the win had the crowd on their feet, but Spencer hit trouble with a vibration in the
front end similar to that which he experienced in the first race. This time it was on the right hand side not the left,
however, and he had no answer for Rudd's great move down outside of the turn five complex to take the lead with a couple
of laps to go. Spencer's defence was strong enough to keep the other two Holden invaders at bay, however, and this in
turn was enough to give Rudd the opportunity to seal the race over the final few kilometres – a task he undertook and
achieved with some ease.
"I've never felt as calm," said a delighted Rudd after the win. "I had thought about looking after my tyres in the first
race and the car just felt great throughout race two. There was plenty going on around me, but I had a great car under
me throughout the 12 laps. It's always great to win but this one is special, for sure."
Manuell took third ahead of Spratt, with Kaos Ward in fifth, Urquhart sixth, Collinson seventh, Hanley a remarkable
eighth after his big off.
RACE 3
Paul 'Auto' Manuell wrapped up the first round of the Porter Group V8 Ute series with a second race win of the weekend
at the ITM Supercar event at Pukekohe Park, leading home Matt 'Stinger' Spratt and Brett 'The Scud' Rudd in both the
race and the round.
Rudd, starting from the front row, made a slightly better start than pole man Manuell, and the two sat it out side by
side into Turn 1, with the reigning champion emerging in front as the field swept into the complex.
Second row sitters Matt 'Stinger' Spratt and Peter 'Kaos' Ward also made good getaways and it was game on for the first
couple of laps as the group jostled for the lead.
Behind, Jayden 'Sangy D' Dodge and Richard 'Danger' Moore in the Stadium Finance Ford and the Flex Group Holden both
also made great getaways which set them up for impressive drives after each had challenging weekends.
At the front it was Spratt who was the man on the move, but on lap three Manuell responded to the challenge with a 1.16
dead around the superfast track, a new lap record for the Porter Group V8 Ute category. Spratt also broke the lap
record, but still lost out on the lap by ghree tenths. As the 12 lap race wore on, Manuell's times slowed as he appeared
to once again be struggling under braking, particularly for the Turn 5 complex halfway down the old straight. Each lap
Spratt got closer and closer and on lap 11 he made his challenge up the inside, identifying that was his striong point
of the circuit and Manuell's weak point.
Unfortunately for Matt, he locked up and forced Manuell to take to the grass, a move which would not require Paul to
redress and one which left the Stinger with too much to do with one lap to go. The race and the round belonged to
Manuell and the Stoneman crew who had obviously done a marvellous job fettling the ORIX Holden and maintaining its
winning form after his early off on Friday and some argy bargey on Saturday.
Rudd could not hang on to the leading dup but maintained a healthy lead by the end over Ward. Geoff 'SOS' Spencer had a
quiet race in fifth in the Coresteel Buildings Holden, ahead of James 'Huggi' Urquhart in the Mitre 10 Trade Holden.
Richard Moore excelled to move through the field to take seventh, in another ute that was hastily rebuilt after its
Saturday hit against the Turn 1 wall. That it raced was testament to the efforts of the Mitre 10 Trade crew led by Kerry
Holland and Moore rewarded the work with a great drive. Another to catch the eye was Jayden Dodge one place behind in
eighth, after a challenging first weekend in the category. The speed is there, however, and he will be one to watch as
the series moves to the Bruce McLaren motorsport Park in December for Round 2.
Nigel 'Hammered' Hanley took ninth in the Placemakers Holden, followed by Glen Collinson in the DNA Paints Ford FG and
Elton 'Toon' Goonan in the Hamilton Asphalts Ford, the quickest of the Ford runners in the final race. 'Dirty' Dave
Kernohan and Simon 'The Bandit' Ussher enjoyed their own fine scrap throughout the race and rounded out the finishers in
12th and 13th.
ROUND POINTS
PositionDriversUte BrandUte NumberRound 1Overall1stPaul ManuellHolden197972ndMatt SprattHolden4886863rdBrett RuddHolden9986864thPeter Ward Holden6973735thGeoff SpencerHolden2269696thJames Urquhart Holden1059597thGlen CollinsonFord1755558thNigel HanleyHolden2753539thElton GoonanFord13474710thDavid KernohanFord12434311thSimon UssherFord94424212thRichard MooreHolden57414113thJeff KernohanFord21313114thJayden DodgeFord911818