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Team
Kiwi Dents Toyotas Points Tally in Appalling Conditions
by Tony Bunyan
In appalling weather conditions John McIntyre in the
Team Kiwi Pitstop Nissan Primera lead the challenge
to nobble Toyotas stranglehold on the NZTC Championship
at Levels Raceway, Timaru. The rain was so heavy organizers
had to declare Round Three of the NZTC Championship
a wet meeting as torrential rain pounded the South Island,
disrupting telecommunications and closing State Highway
1 north of Timaru.
Race
One
While McIntyre had secured pole position it was Angus
Fogg in the Team Kiwi Vodaphone Nissan Primera who got
the best start to leapfrog ahead of McIntyre, with Bell
in the BMW Superproduction 320 SP maintaining third
position.
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NZTC
under starters orders at Timaru
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As the early laps of the race unfolded Fogg extended
his lead, appearing to enjoy the rain soaked conditions.
McIntyre had dropped back a little, but wasn't under
any threat from Bell's BMW.
However
situations can change very rapidly in these extreme
conditions and Fogg ran wide on the sweeper out of the
long fast back straight, dropping off onto the grass.
While he fought to get the car back onto the track,
McIntyre in the second Team Kiwi Primera made a clean
exit and passed Fogg to take over the lead.
Incredibly,
two laps later, with Fogg beginning to gain on McIntyre
he ran wide at the same point. This time he was luckier.
Kevin Bell in the BNT/Castrol BMW 320 SP was not quiet
close enough to capitalize on Fogg's error. In the mean
time McIntyre had extended his lead over the field.
The
two Toyota Altezzas were well back, their lap times
0.5 seconds off the leaders times. Aaron Harris's engine
misfire problems continued as he splashed through the
puddles lying on the track to stay ahead of Tony Oliver
in the Toyota Corona.
As
the race neared its conclusion, Fogg had managed to
open a gap on Bell to secure his second position, while
Barrie Thomlinson slowed significantly at the hairpin
allowing the tail of the field to close in on him.
It
was a deserving win for McIntyre and although it is
unlikely that a Team Kiwi driver will win the NZTC Championship,
the team has once again given Nissan a very healthy
manufacturers points tally.
Race
Two
The wet weather front which drenched the whole of the
South Island continued to produce difficult conditions
at the Levels Raceway, Timaru for Sunday's racing. After
several heavy showers and continual drizzle there were
few patches of grass that had not been turned into mud.
Master
of the start Angus Fogg once again got away the best
to head off team mate John McIntyre into the first turn.
Kevin Bell's BMW 320 SP was the best of the rest to
drop in behind the Nissan Primeras and secure third.
The
top end of the track was particularly greasy and all
hell broke loose as Bell and then Tony Oliver in the
Toyota Corona found a patch of oil. Oliver came off
worst, sliding backwards into the tyre barrier and shortening
the back end of the car by almost half a metre. Bell
managed to get back on the track to retain his third
place.
As
the cars settled down into the second lap, Fogg was
well ahead of McIntyre, with Bell fending off Thomlinson
for third place.
Aaron
Harris continued his run of misery as he felt his left
front hand wheel parting company from his car. With
all of the wheel studs still intact, the most likely
explanation was the pitcrew had forgotten to tighten
the wheel nuts!
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McIntyre Leads Fogg Across the start/finish Line
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Johnny
Mac had not given up on overhauling Fogg for the lead
and the pair diced down the back straight, McIntyre
blinded by the sheet of spray coming off Fogg's car.
Bell found himself an orphan in third, with the two
Toyota Altezza's of Thomlinson and Hellebrekers well
off the pace of the leaders. It got worse for the Toyota's
with Thomlinson retiring on lap six with gearbox and
electrical problems.
Patience
rewarded as Fogg lost traction going into the complex
on the penultimate lap, McIntyre driving home the advantage,
ducking up the inside of Fogg. Another one two finish
by Team Kiwi, another win for McIntyre.
It was an excellent piece of driving in the wet by McIntyre
and if Fogg is the benchmark, the n McIntyre scored
more than championship points with the win.
Race
Three
The final race of the meeting was reverse grid, with
the sixth fastest car sitting on pole. Because the race
programme was running over an hour late the race was
shortened from 12 to 8 laps. Tony Oliver's pit crew
had done a fantastic job to get their car back onto
the track after the car sustained heavy damage in the
earlier race. Aaron Harris in the Dynapack BMW 320 coupe
shared the front row of the grid with Phil Hellebreker's
Toyota Altezza. The rain had held off for 30 minutes
prior to the start and the track was drying rapidly.
Harris
got the jump on Hellebrekers as the cars headed through
the Esses. Angus Fogg had also made a good start and
was hard on Bells exhaust pipe. As the cars exited the
sweeper to head down the back straight Fogg made heavy
contact between his right front and Bell's left rear,
sending the BMW careering off onto the grass. This writer
saw nothing deliberate about the incident, the condition
of the track playing its part to make close racing difficult.
The
marshals saw it differently. As the cars streamed past
the start/finish line Fogg in the heavily damaged Primera
was shown the black flag and informed he had incurred
a 10 second stop/go penalty.
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Aaron
Harris at the Front of the Dummy Grid for Race
3
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By
half way through the race points leader Thomlinson's
weekend got a lot brighter overtaking Hellebrekers and
then Harris for the lead. Hellebrekers sat in third
place, with the Team Kiwi cars and Bell in the BMW trailing.
Still to complete his compulsory pitstop,the back end
of Fogg's car stepped out as the cars entered the Esses,
allowing Bell to close the gap up on the Nissan. His
progress wasn't to last and the car pulled up for Bell's
third DNF of the season.
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Phil
Hellebrekers Immaculately Prepared Toyota Altezza
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In
the closing stages of the race Fogg pulled into the
pits to complete his stop/go penalty. An interesting
duel had developed between McIntyre and Harris. While
his car was visibly slower than McIntyre's, Harris was
making the Primera driver work very hard to get past.
The pass was inevitable, McIntyre taking the BMW on
the back straight on the last lap.
Although
the Toyotas had struggled all weekend to find a set
up that suited the team's perservance had paid off,
finishing the weekend on a strong note. The steadying
influence of Team manager Martin Collins on Team Kiwi
was event over the weekend and John McIntyre's talent
was undeniable. At the seasons midpoint Toyota have
the upperhand, but Team Kiwi has shown they are not
invincible.
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