MEDIA RELEASE
9 DECEMBER 2007
TERETONGA PARK SHINES IN 50TH ANNIVERSARY FINALE
An excellent day of motor racing in hot, sunny conditions was the perfect way for the curtain to fall on the 50th Anniversary year at Teretonga Park in Invercargill today.
The event, presented by Fulton Hogan, featured plenty of good, close racing as many of the South Island's leading motor race categories battled out rounds in their respective championships.
Invercargill driver Colin Dawson, the reigning New Zealand and South Island OSCA Champion arrived at Teretonga leading this year's OSCA Championship. However by the end of the day it was another Southlander, Lawrence Knowler of Invercargill, who had taken over the championship lead. Dawson won the first race in his 6 litre Mazda RX7 after a good battle with Knowler ahead of third placegetter Blenheim driver Chris Hatton in a Chev Camaro. In the second race, a handicap event, Knowler brought his Chev Camaro through to win ahead of Hatton and Laine Ettwell of Christchurch in a Pontiac GTO. Dawson could only manage fourth and then did not make the start of the final race due to a suspected diff problem. That race was won by Etwell from Timaru's Raymond Hart in a Nissan Skyline and Knowler. Knowler's results allied to Dawson's demise left Knowler in the championship lead.
Several other cars struck problems throughout the day including Canterbury drivers Matt Cronin and Geoff Washbourne plus Andrew Cundall of Invercargill.
Neville Stowell of Timaru set the pace in the Kumho Sport Saloon Series, winning two of the three races in his Nissan Skyline GTR. Fellow Timaru driver Mike Small in a similar car put pressure on Stowell throughout, finishing second in the opener and winning the second race before retiring from the third, a handicap race won by Stowell from Ron Shelton and Gary Duncan. Raymond Hart and Matt Dunn had each taken a third place in the two earlier races.
Dunedin driver Steve Ross took pole position for the Pre 65 Saloon races but it was local driver Wayne Tuffley of Invercargill who romped away with the first race to win from Lumsden's Greg Stewart and Ross. All three were at the wheel of Ford Mustangs. On his way to the win Tuffley set a new lap record of 1 minute 07.46 seconds. Tuffley was quickly into the lead of the second race but received a drive through penalty which dropped him down the order. There was plenty of excitement as the race reached it's climax as Manny Sim of Ashburton spun across the track at the final corner hitting the car of Christchurch driver Wayne Patrick. Ross managed to keep out of trouble to win from St Andrews driver Jim Little in an AP6 Valiant with Christchurch driver Gareth Hall third in his Falcon. Little then took the third race from Roy MacDonald of Dunedin in a Ford Fairlane with Sim third.
The Super 6 Saloons provided good racing with the Holden Commodores outdoing the Ford competitors.
Nathan Blomquist of Christchurch won two of the three races leading Dunedin's Peter Hughes and Lance Thompson of Lawrence across the line in the second race of the day
before winning the final race from Thompson with Hughes third. Christchurch driver Clara Bond had qualified fastest on Saturday and won the first race on Sunday morning in her Commodore after a good dice with Hughes. Hughes led briefly before Bond got back in front for the win while Blomquist and Thompson had a good dice for third and fourth which went in Blomquist's favour. However Bond rolled at the loop early in the second race causing it to be red flagged. However she was back on track to race to sixth in the third and final race. Gore driver Russell Keeler was the fastest of the Ford's but his day ended early in the second race.
Dunedin driver John Whelan dominated the South Island Formula Ford Championship races, qualifying fastest on Saturday and winning all three races on Sunday. Driving his Van Diemen Stealth, the Motorsport Solutions driver who is currently second in the N.Z. Formula Ford Championship won all three races quite comfortably.
He won the first by over eight seconds from Simon Grace of Christchurch and Jamie McNee of Wellington. In the second he led across the line from Nick Donaldson of Belfast while Matthew Penrose of Rangiora and Damon Leitch of Invercargill had a great dice for third place in their Class 2 cars. Penrose just took third place but in finishing fourth Leitch set a superb lap time that would place him on the front row for the final race. Whelan also won that one with Donaldson making it through to second just ahead of Leitch who continues to impress.
Winton driver Pierre Neame was the fastest of the Noel McIntyre Drainage Clubmans Series cars, winning the first race from Invercargill's Matthew Ralston in a Nissan Silvia and Scott Laurence in an EVO. However Neame's Capri expired in a cloud of smoke during one of the OSCA races leaving Stephen Grellet of Dunedin, who had been slow off the grid in his BMW M3 in race one, to win the second race from Christchurch driver Darryn Andrews in a Nissan Primera and Laurence. In the engine capacity class races later in the day
Andrews and Laurence both won their classes while Jeremy Dawson and Paul Thompson took the others.
David Garden's Chev Corvette also came to a smoky end in the opening Clubmans race ending it's day in spectacular fashion. Anton Summerfield of Darfield and Craig Borley of Mosgiel shared the wins in the Pro 7 category which raced with the Clubmans cars.
Darryn Andrews also won the Flying Farewell from Matthew Ralston and Howard Kingsford - Smith to wrap up what has been a wonderful year of racing and milestones in Teretonga Park's 50th Anniversary year.
The next race meeting at Teretonga Park is the annual Leitch Motorsport/Southland Times Classic SpeedFest over the weekend of 16/17 February 2008.
Lindsay Beer
Publicity Officer
Southland Sports Car Club
021 351 499