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Thomlinson
Takes 2 out of 3!
by Tony Bunyan
Race
one
The weather was fine with patches of bright sunshine
as the cars assembled for Saturday's race. Phil Hellebrekers
got away to a good start followed through the Esses
by Thomlinson, Fogg, Mackay, and Bell.
In
the early stages of the race the two Toyotas made a
break on the pack, with Hellebrekers holding a comfortable
lead over championship points leader Thomlinson.
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Hellebrekers on His Winning Way!
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As
the cars streamed over the top of the mountain on lap
three Angus Fogg ran wide hitting the Armco and puncturing
his oil cooler line. Rhys McKay took advantage of Fogg's
mishap promoting himself to third position with Bell
hard on his exhaust pipe. With his engine overheating
Fogg had no choice but to bring his car to a halt, his
second DNF in as many races.
By
the midpoint of the race Bell had succeeded in passing
McKay, with the two Toyota's still battling for supremacy
. Aaron Harris found himself orphaned in the middle
of the order, with Peter Millener and Tony Oliver fighting
for the minor places.
Thomlinson
had not given up on the lead, hounding Hellebrekers
at every opportunity. Catching someone is one thing,
but passing them is another. Sometimes so close that
the cars could trade paint, Thomlinson was unable to
capitalise on the situation. Rhys McKay was also working
hard to regain his podium place. It was a classic Nissan/BMW
duel, each pilot probing the weaknesses of the other.
Both teams were biting their fingernails to the bone,
But in the dying stages of the race it was McKay who
gained the upper hand, beating Bell to the line for
the flag.
As
the flag fell Phil Hellebrekers had driven a fantastic
race, but his team mate and rival for the championship,
Barrie Thomlinson pipped him at the post to take the
win and denie his team mate his elusive first win. Hellebreker's
had hoped to continue whittling away at Thomlinson's
lead. With Thomlinson's strangle hold on the Championship
gripping ever tighter, the question of team orders will
not need toarise. But then it is a question that only
Thomlinson and team manager Steve Boyce can really answer!
Race
Two
The weather for Sunday's first race was hot and sunny,
with a blue sky, but heavy rain cloud threatening in
the surrounding hills. The grid remained the same as
race one, with Hellebrekers on pole.
Hellebrekers
got away to the best start, with Fogg slipping in behind
Thomlinson to occupy third position. At the hairpin
Kevin Bell braked devilishly late to try an outside
overtaking manouvere on Fogg. It didn't stick. On lap
2 the back end of Peter Millener's BMW stepped out at
the Esses. After gathering up the car he added insult
to injury by applying the power a little early and doing
another donut, much to the crowds delight. The pressure
was showing on Fogg too, who ran wide on the mountain
(luckily it was dry) off onto the grass, but managing
to stay ahead of Bell.
Bell
was not to be denied, finally getting past Fogg at the
hairpin on lap 3. The racing was much closer than Race
1. Not only were Hellebrekers and Thomlinson dog fighting,
but they were being hounded by the Bell and Fogg. McKay
struggled to hang onto the shirt tails of the leading
group, Harris behind him.
Fogg
attacked Bell down the back straight, using the Nissan
Primeras raw power to overtake the BMW E46. No luck.
The pressure on Hellebrekers was tremendous, the four
cars closing up under brakes at the hairpin and dicing
over the mountain and down the home straight.
Having
retained the lead for three quarters of the race Hellebrekers
faulted. It was costly. As the cars reappeared from
the dip, Thomlinson, Bell and Fogg had got passed him.
By now the lead cars had also caught the tail enders.
In
a bid to take the lead Bell left his braking desperately
late at the hairpin, but time was running out and Thomlinson
made his Toyota Altezza extremely wide.
The
racing was as hot as the track and the drivers put on
a tremendously entertaining display. It was a well deserved
win for Thomlinson who continues to accumulate points
and extend his Championship Points lead.
Race
3
The third and final race reversed the order of the top
10 cars. Wayne Moore and Patrick Hodgson occupied the
front row of the grid with Tony Oliver and Peter Millener
and first of the 2.0 litre cars. The track remained
warm and dry, the late afternoon sun breaking through
scattered cloud.
Millener
in the BMW 320 and Oliver in the Toyota Corona made
short work of the smaller cars, with Team Kiwi's Nissan
Primera's blasting off the line to hound the leaders
into the Esses. Angus Fogg once again showed his class,
overtaking the lead pair on the second lap. Hellebreker's
had also made good progress until a tap from McKay's
Nissan Primera at the Esses unbalanced the Toyota and
sent the Altezza onto the grass. An unscheduled pit
stop ensued.
In
the meantime Fogg had consolidated his lead, putting
space between him and the duelling duo of Bell and Thomlinson.
Rhys McKay in in the number one pit stop Primera was
chasing hard, passing Harris's Dynapack BMW coupe down
the back straight at top speed.
The
pace was fast and furious as the leaders caught the
tail Enders on lap eight. McKay had caught Millener
and then Oliver eventually passing both of them as he
attempted to reel in the front runners.
Fogg,
Bell and Thomlinson were evenly spaced as the the cars
reached three-quarter race distance , but it was only
a lull in a furious battle for first place. Millener's
BMW pulled up with mechanical failure and McKay drove
a lonely race in 4th place, while Bell turned the torch
on Fogg.
Fogg
was finding it increasingly difficult to hold off a
determined Bell. It only required a small mistake on
the final lap to allow both Bell and Thomlinson through.
As the cars appeared over the top of the mountain, Bell
was a head, but Thomlinson's Toyota Altezza was closing
in on him rapidly. Once again New Zealand's premier
circuit racing class had brought the crowd to their
feet. It was a photo finish as the cars crossed line,
with only the time sheet able to separate the cars and
award Bell his first win of the season!!
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