NZTC Championship 2000/01

PRESS RELEASE #3
15th November 2000

NO CLEAR FAVORITE FOR 2000/2001 NEW ZEALAND TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

If November's LK Drivesafe 500 is any indication of what is in store for the teams in the 2000/2001 New Zealand Touring Car Championship, it will be the most tightly fought competition on this years motorsport calendar.

Debuting in the appalling weather conditions of Saturday's two 20 minute qualifying sessions, New Zealand's premiere Touring Car Class had a huge advantage over their more powerful V8 rivals. In torrential rain, the nimble 2.0 litre cars uncharacterisitically filled the top six grid positions at the Pukekohe track.

Impressive too, was the performance of Team Kiwi's Nissan Primera. For an untested car without any significant development time, the car has the greatest potential to be the giant killer in the 2000/2001 championship. Driven by last year's NZTC runner-up Angus Fogg, the team could only manage one run, but it was decisive enough to put them on pole and lead the 2.0 litre challenge. It is clearly the fastest car in 2000/2001 and with identical cars it will be interesting to see which Team Kiwi driver will triumph. "Considering the lack of preparation time, we are very pleased with our performance in the LK and are looking forward to the Championship proper." commented current NZTC Champion Jason Richards.

With time for testing and development, the revelation of last years Drivesafe 500, Short Motorsport's Lexus IS 200, was not only very fast, but incredibly strong. Head to head the Lexus outpaced the Nissan Primera in the early stages of this years endurance race and lead for much of it. Only a technical infringement spoilt their race. The Lexus undoubtedly has the potential to give Barrie Thomlinson his first New Zealand Touring Car Championship.

Showing that consistency as well as speed are required to get the job done, in the end the BMW 320is of International Motorsport triumphed over their faster rivals. Kevin Bell and Rod Hicks have deservedly earned the reputation for being a formidable endurance race combination. In addition to their Bathurst win, for the second year in a row, the pair were the first 2.0 litre car home, finishing sixth outright. Having lost a huge amount of time in the early running, the pairing of NZTC Champion Brett Riley and two time Formula Holden Champion Simon Wills, made a credible fight back to be the second 2.0 litre car home. Although the BMWs made the race a one-two finish, privately the team must be concerned about the raw performance of their rivals in the sprint races to come.

At the end of last season Jody Vincent was making heads turn with some impressive drives. Over the winter the Nissan Sentra SSS has been completely rebuilt. Fourth on the grid in the LK Drivesafe 500 was a tremendous achievement for the privateer. "It is a team achievement. We have worked on the car almost every night over the winter and its starting to pay off", enthused Vincent. He is the dark horse in an impressive line up of cars.

It will be a tall order for International Motorsport to fill as they attempt to retain the NZTC for the seventh consecutive year. The nonchampionship LK Drivesafe 500 race established no clear favourite for the 2000/2001 New Zealand Touring Car Championship. Maybe after the first round of the championship at the Manfeild Autocourse, Feilding on 26th November 2000 that favorite will emerge.

For more information contact:
Tony Bunyan
New Zealand Touring Car Website

Email editor@nztouringcars.co.nz
Website www.nztouringcars.co.nz