Reid takes second win – Corkery unhurt in huge shunt
Monday 30 April 2012, 12:05PM
By V8 Supertourers New Zealand
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Race 2
A great start by Jonny Reid sealed his second straight win of the weekend at Round 3 of the V8 SuperTourer championship at Manfeild Autocourse, but the real story of the race was a dramatic escape for Racing Projects driver Colin Corkery who survived a massive crash into the tyre wall.
At the start Reid used what is fast becoming a trademark blistering first lap to make the break, and never looked back. Behind him however, there was plenty of action.
Ant Pedersen - one of the stars of Race 1 - was tipped out and into the gravel at Turn 1 forcing an early Safety Car, but he was able to rejoin quickly and make the back of the pack before the restart. Championship leader John McIntyre also had plenty of contact, bending both steering arms in early contact and eventually falling to seventh place.
Reid’s healthy lead evaporated on lap 17, however, when the red flag came out after Colin Corkery had an enormous shunt in the Racing Projects car. Coming out of the last corner he was accelerating hard and moved right with Andre Heimgartner just behind. He clipped him and spun off at seemingly unabated speed before heavy contact with the tyre wall. The car was destroyed and ended up back on the track. After a long wait in the car Corkery emerged and was able to walk away unaided and unscathed - a miraculous escape but testament to the strength and integrity of the new SuperTourer chassis.
After a lengthy delay while the tyre barrier was repaired and the wreckage of Corkery’s car removed, the race was restarted with nine laps left to run. Reid once again sprinted off and a feisty Andy Knight slipped by Greg Murphy into second.
The race for second was the focus of the final few laps with Knight in the Gulf Oil Century Batteries car managing to hold on and take a well deserved result, with Greg Murphy taking the final podium position and Steve Richards following closely behind, after his best run to date in the series. Half a second was all that covered those three at the flag.
Andy Booth was fifth after a stellar drive from the back of the field in the Woodstock Holden Commodore while Pedersen also had a string recovery after his spin to finish in sixth. McIntyre, Andre Heimgartner, Craig Baird and Kayne Scott rounded out the top 10.
Race 2 Result - V8 SuperTourers Round 3, Manfeild
1. Jonny Reid Ford Falcon V8ST
2. Andy Knight Ford Falcon V8ST
3. Greg Murphy Holden Commodore V8ST
4. Steve Richards Ford Falcon V8ST
5. Andy Booth Holden Commodore V8ST
6. Ant Pedersen Ford Falcon V8ST
7. John McIntyre Ford Falcon V8ST
8. Andre Heimgartner Holden Commodore V8ST
9. Craig Baird Ford Falcon V8ST
10. Kayne Scott Holden Commodore V8ST
Race 3
Murphy masters wet-dry Manfeild to win feature race
Greg Murphy thrilled the crowds with a lights-to-flag victory to show his mastery of wet-dry conditions in the Feature race of the third Round of the V8 SuperTourer championship at Manfeild Autocourse this afternoon.
Murphy made an early break on the wet track, but the rain had already eased and the SuperTourers quickly established a dry line, and making the most of the tyres in these conditions proved to be key to the race.
The M3 racing team seemed to have the set up for the conditions completely sussed, and with Murphy out front the men on the move through the field were his team mates Paul Manuell and Richard Moore - in Orix and Skinny Holden Commodores respectively.
Reid's set up and that of team mate Ant Pedersen, did not seem suited to the track and the winner of race 1 and race 2 faded quickly, dropping down behind John McIntyre, Steve Richards, Manuell and Moore. As the tyres struggled with temperatures on the drying track, surprise package Moore looked like the man on the move, sliding the car in great style as he chased down and passed car after car. Manuell pulled a pass on him but soon afterwards fell back s he had asked too much of the tyres. Moore was soon through and chasing McIntyre.
"I started quite low down, so had to put on a charge right from the first lap," said the Canterbury University student. "I just got my head down and went for it, my tyres held on and I was able to come through."
There was no stopping Murphy though, the crowd favourite timing his run to perfection - just holding off McIntyre for the win by two tenths of a second. Star of the race Moore was less than two seconds behind but delighted to take his first podium.
Reid’s troubled final race ended with fifth, good enough to take the championship lead after a great weekend in the International Motorsport car. Steve Richards was sixth, Kayne Scott seventh and the top ten completed by Craig Baird, a disappointed Ant Pedersen and Andy Knight.
Race 3 Result - V8 SuperTourers Round 3, Manfeild
1. Greg Murphy Holden Commodore V8ST
2. John McIntyre Ford Falcon V8ST
3. Richard Moore Holden Commodore V8ST
4. Paul Manuell Holden Commodore V8ST
5. Jonny Reid Ford Falcon V8ST
6. Steven Richards Ford Falcon V8ST
7. Kayne Scott Holden Commodore V8ST
8. Craig Baird Ford Falcon V8ST
9. Ant Pedersen Ford Falcon V8ST
10. Andy Knight Ford Falcon V8ST
Round Results
Pos Points
1 Jonny Reid 661
2 Greg Murphy 621
3 John McIntyre 554
4 Andy Knight 426
5 Steven Richards 408
6 Ant Pedersen 363
7 Richard Moore 345
8 Craig Baird 341
9 Kayne Scott 322
10 Paul Manuell 317
11 Eddie Bell 311
12 Andre Heimgartner 224
13 Andy Booth 223
14 Colin Corkery 70
15. Scott McLaughlin 0
16. Geoff Emery 0
Championship Overall
1. Jonny Reid 1626
2. John McIntyre 1538
3. Greg Murphy 1264
4. Kayne Scott 1252
5. Ant Pedersen 1240
6. Craig Baird 1153
7. Andy Booth 1038
9. Eddie Bell 883
10. Andy Knight 860
11. Andre Heimgartner 768
12. Fabian Coulthard 757
13. Richard Moore 717
14. Paul Manuell 676
15. Scott McLaughlin 585
16. Geoff Emery 434
17. Colin Corkery 293