Orr Sets Goals for New Season

Whakatane's Christina Orr had an enjoyable and successful first season in the nation's toughest motorsport category the BNTV8s Championship which wrapped up at Taupo Motorsport Park at the weekend.

Throwing herself in the deep end at the season's opener at Pukekohe last November the transition from open wheelers to the aggression of V8 tourers was not unexpected and she has shown herself able to mix it up with the big boys.

"I thought that I would get bullied a lot more and come away from rounds with a broken car that was non-existent after being beaten up. Overall I was happy with the season but a little disappointed that in some of the races I didn't do better than I did. Everyone told me that it was a hard class and it would take a couple of years to get near the front." she said.

Being involved in an incident at Manfeild last month resulted in a DNF and some damage to the Holden Commodore which was repaired prior to Taupo. Her speed in the car became evident at that round when she was passing tough opponent Paul Manuell for 14th place before being nudged off unintentionally by another driver.

This weekend at Taupo, other than a mechanical failure which put her out of the running in the first race, the round was a strong showing for Orr finishing in 16th and 15th in the final two races of the season which saw a large feild of 27 cars.

"I was pretty happy with the weekend at Taupo, we had a breakage in the first race but there's nothing we could do about that - the other races went off without a hitch and at the end the car was way straighter than at Manfeild."

"Unfortunately there was a bit of a free-for-all in the last race and everybody was going off the track and hitting each other. We had some damage but it was mostly superficial and we could just wipe it off so I was happy to get away with that after taking some evasive action." she said.

Orr had a good start in the reverse grid race which was to wrap up the season but early on opted for a finish rather than take her chances with the bumper car action taking place in front of her while the boys made the most out of the last race of the season.

"At the start I was in fourth place and hoping to hold that position but the guys in the front started getting a little hot under the collar and taking each other out. Rather than end up in the wall like at Manfeild I went wide to avoid a car rolling back across the track but unfortunately put two wheels off into the dirt."

"I was trying to get back on the track and when I looked up half the field were in front of me and I went 'What the hell? I only dropped two wheels off the track!' it was a free for all and I'm kind of glad I got out of it when I did." she said.

Playing safe has it's time and place and with the large attrition rate over the final 20 lap race, Orr's persistence and consistent speed paid off with a mid pack finish of 15th. Even with her own share of problems towards the end she crossed the line ahead of many top drivers who either dropped out or just couldn't match her pace.

"Unfortunately I was in 13th and the brakes went off with just three laps to go and I nearly ended up in a sand trap. I came back in 15th which was way better than last or a DNF." she said.

"I drove just as good at Taupo as I had done at Manfeild and still got in amongst it but this time the car has come out of it straight so that's good."

At the end of the season Christina Orr has reflected on her debut in the BNTV8s and the warnings given by others as she entered into the devil's playground of V8 tourers.

"It's a very tough series just look at Craig Baird who had one of those classic seasons winning both the BNTV8s and the Porsches but it took him three years to get the V8s. It's not easy and the field is only covered by a couple of seconds from first place down to 27th - it's just crazy!" she said.

Orr finished the season 22nd overall and second in the rookie standings behind Formula Ford champion John Whelan who placed 19th overall.

"I was disappointed to have so many DNFs and a DNS and would have preferred to have had a 100 percent finishing rate but unfortunately the gods were against us. This year was a little tight financially and we will be looking for sponsors and support to do the whole of next season and put some into the car to improve performance and have a better season."

"My goals for next year are to have a 100 percent finishing rate and a top 10 placing including top 10 qualifying as well." she said.

But all is not quite over for Orr and the boys from the BNTV8s category who head to Hamilton for the ITM 400 in April.

"I am looking forward to the street race in Hamilton and it will be interesting to see what these bad boys are like on a road surface and having the concrete walls so close. Luckily for me I have my wing mirrors to let me know what is too close and what is not." she laughs.

The ITM 400 in Hamilton is a non-championship round for the BNTV8s where they will battle it out again in support for the fifth round of the Australian V8 Supercars over the weekend of 16-18th April 2010.