Heart Of Racing Battles For Their Double-Podium Premiere In The North Island Endurance Series Opener

Kelly and Riberas are understandably excited about participating in both the North and South Island Endurance Series to raise money for the Starship Foundation.

“Successfully completing our first two races is incredibly exciting for us as a team,” says Kelly, the three-time New Zealand Drifting Champion, “Everybody has put in heaps of work to get this programme going, and it always feels good to see hard work start to pay off.”

Alex Riberas kicked off the race with a fantastic start from P2 on the grid, quickly jumping to P1 at Turn 1. The early stages of the race saw no shortage of action with Audi R8 LMS GT3 pilot Andrew Fawcett going off track at Turn 3 after a light shower at the start. Riberas gained his lead ahead of McLaren 650S GT3 driver Glenn Smith early, cutting his lap time down to 1:02s as he hit lapped traffic on Lap 7, eventually extending to a 27-second lead.

Riberas’ first stint was consistently strong, lapping the third place car with a 49-second lead. A fantastic battle ensued with Smith until drama unfolded due to mechanical issues on the track resulting in a yellow flag. Riberas maintained the massive gap until he and Darren Kelly made a driver change during a safety car on Lap 37. Kelly jumped behind the wheel during the yellow flag and Riberas came out of the car feeling great about the first stint, but mentioning that something felt strange in the engine bay.

Kelly experienced his first racing contact in a battle with the Holden VE Commodore of Lance Hughes on Lap 46. Fortunately, Kelly escaped with no major damage to the Aston Martin. Lap 59 saw a pit stop and driver swap for the McLaren, switching from Smith to three-time Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champion Chris van der Drift, which put Kelly back in the lead with pressure coming from van der Drift as he set 1:02s lap time, closing the gap over the following laps.

Kelly saw fellow drifter Cole Armstrong join him on track for his first time on Lap 66. However, Armstrong’s stint was short lived with a mechanical issue for the Audi TT RS VLN. Kelly was pressured by van der Drift and the drama continued with safety cars being deployed on Lap 74. Lap 86’s pressure on the Aston came from Hughes, but mechanical drama for Hughes transpired into a pit stop and Kelly having clear air behind him.

Intermittent engine gremlins faced in Lap 96 with Riberas taking the over on Lap 101. Race leader Chris van der Drift pitted on Lap 117 then set his fastest times of the day with a three lap lead. Riberas had a one lap lead over the Audi, creating a tight chase from Sam Fillmore throughout the following laps, requiring heavy concentration from the Spanish Aston Martin Factory Driver.

Lap 143 saw a restart from the safety car and a struggle for power in the engine of Riberas, who had a calculated pass from Filmore under breaks down the inside on Turn 1 and a close battle occurred from Laps 146 to 150 between the two.

While the team celebrates their double-podium premiere, they are acutely aware of the challenges that lie ahead in their upcoming races. The Heart of Racing team manager Nick Williamson states the team is “beyond excited to run the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in both of New Zealand’s endurance championships” and he is confident they will put in the work needed to get to the championship round in November.

Kelly and Riberas already have their eyes set on the South Island’s next event at the Mike Pero Motorsport Park in Christchurch where the duo will take on their opponents on October 3 in another demanding 3-hour race. Only winning by an intense half-second gap in Teretonga, the team has to be on their A game for the rest of their season to continue their streak of success. Riberas is confident in the team’s abilities to complete their missions on and off the track.

“Our team’s goal is to raise as much money as possible for the Starship Foundation and we race to spread awareness of this cause. If we win along the way, that is a bonus. It feels great to know that everybody on the team is doing their best to get exciting results on the track, and life-saving results for the kids we race for,” says Riberas.

The team raises funds for the National Children’s Intensive Care Unit at Starship. To find out more about their mission and donate, visit www.theheartofracing.co.nz.

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