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NZTC Championship
2000/01
PRESS RELEASE
#3
15th November 2000
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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
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