Ford's McIntyre in lead as NZV8s head to Pukekohe Finale
John McIntyre looks poised to become the Parker ENZED NZV8s Champion if all goes to plan during the final round of the NZV8 series being run as part of the PlaceMakers V8 Supercar event at Pukekohe on 20-22 April.
With a 43 point lead over closest rival and defending champion Kayne Scott, McIntyre, who pilots the BP Ultimate Ford, is in with a strong chance to take his first-ever NZV8 title, a feat made more impressive as the 30-year-old is running his own team for the first time in the seven years he’s been competing in the NZV8s.
McIntyre says the opportunity afforded by a MotorSport New Zealand president’s scholarship to have some specialised driver training with neuroscientist and F1 driver coach Dr Kerry Spackman has pretty much turned his season around.
“From a driving point of view, my qualifying has improved – first pole at Timaru and fastest Ford at Invercargill – and as a team, we have pushed ourselves harder to find the right setups, resulting in a very quick qualifying and racing car. I have also more confidence now in my ability to win the championship,†says McIntyre, who has recently shifted his family from Auckland to Nelson.
But, as NZV8 fans know, anything can happen and as Scott comments, any one of about six drivers is capable of winning at Pukekohe.
The Fujitsu Holden driver says his Mark Petch Motorsport team has been working on some small setup changes to help deliver a more consistent race pace. “And while we know our car will be quick, so will the cars of David Besnard and McIntyre. You can’t discount Angus Fogg or Andy Booth, and Pukekohe local Dean Perkins is also one who typically goes well at Pukekohe,†says Scott.
McIntyre won the first race at Pukekohe’s season opener back in November, but Besnard, the professional Australian driver who holds third place in the Hydraulink Ford going into this final round, won the other two races on that opening weekend, including the reverse grid race which saw ‘Bezzy’ storm through the field from the back of the grid to take the chequered flag.
With 896 points Scott is 43 adrift of McIntyre with 939. Besnard, on 859, is only 37 points behind Scott, so it is possible for any of these drivers to win the series, particularly with the key role the full reverse grid race plays in redistributing opportunities to score maximum points.
Besnard comments that the Hydraulink team will be facing the same challenges as everyone else to get the car set-up right. “We’ve got an excellent idea, but everyone has picked up their game since the opening round, so it’s definitely not going to be as easy. But I’ve got nothing to lose in terms of fighting for the championship so I’ll just go for it,†says the V8 Supercar driver.
However Star Mart Ford driver Angus Fogg may have to settle for fourth position. With 834 points, he’s 105 behind McIntyre and is also hampered by having to start the weekend’s first race from the back of the grid as his Caltex Racing team needed to change to a third engine – regulations penalise each engine change after the first two, requiring the driver to start the next race from the rear of the field.
Kerry Cooper, CEO of The MotorSport Company which promotes the Parker ENZED NZV8s Championship, is delighted to see a full field of 32 NZV8s line up for what is the highest profile event in the NZV8 calendar.
“It’s great to see South Auckland/Franklin drivers Dale Lambert and Gene Rollinson rejoin the series at Pukekohe and we’re also thrilled that two drivers from the First Windows and Doors NZV8 Development Series – Chris Adams from Dunedin and Rod Pratt from Oratia in West Auckland – have taken the opportunity to lease a franchise for this final round of the season. This brings the starting numbers up to 32, comprising 14 Holdens and 18 Fords,†says Cooper.
“The NZV8 teams and drivers have put in some fabulous performances this season and it’s always a real highlight for everyone involved in the NZV8s to come to this V8 Supercar round at Pukekohe and battle it out in front of such a supportive crowd. It’s something of an honour as well for the NZV8s to run the last race of their season as the very last race on the schedule this weekend. To race the last race ever of these spectacular V8 Supercar events at Pukekohe is a fitting tribute to one of New Zealand’s most well-known race circuits.
We could definitely be in the situation where the NZV8 champion for 2006-07 is decided in this very last race of the day – it’s going to be one hard-fought championship final, that’s for sure!â€Â
The Parker ENZED NZV8s contend three races during the PlaceMakers V8 Supercar event at Pukekohe with testing and qualifying taking place on Friday 20 April, a 12-lap race in the afternoon of Saturday 21 April and two longer races on Sunday 22 April, including a 16-lap race in the morning and the 20-lap reverse grid race which wraps up the PlaceMakers event schedule.
Information on the NZV8s, such as driver profiles, race results, points and TV broadcast schedules, can all be found on www.nzv8s.co.nz. Full details on the PlaceMakers V8 Supercars can be found on www.v8supercar.co.nz.
With a 43 point lead over closest rival and defending champion Kayne Scott, McIntyre, who pilots the BP Ultimate Ford, is in with a strong chance to take his first-ever NZV8 title, a feat made more impressive as the 30-year-old is running his own team for the first time in the seven years he’s been competing in the NZV8s.
McIntyre says the opportunity afforded by a MotorSport New Zealand president’s scholarship to have some specialised driver training with neuroscientist and F1 driver coach Dr Kerry Spackman has pretty much turned his season around.
“From a driving point of view, my qualifying has improved – first pole at Timaru and fastest Ford at Invercargill – and as a team, we have pushed ourselves harder to find the right setups, resulting in a very quick qualifying and racing car. I have also more confidence now in my ability to win the championship,†says McIntyre, who has recently shifted his family from Auckland to Nelson.
But, as NZV8 fans know, anything can happen and as Scott comments, any one of about six drivers is capable of winning at Pukekohe.
The Fujitsu Holden driver says his Mark Petch Motorsport team has been working on some small setup changes to help deliver a more consistent race pace. “And while we know our car will be quick, so will the cars of David Besnard and McIntyre. You can’t discount Angus Fogg or Andy Booth, and Pukekohe local Dean Perkins is also one who typically goes well at Pukekohe,†says Scott.
McIntyre won the first race at Pukekohe’s season opener back in November, but Besnard, the professional Australian driver who holds third place in the Hydraulink Ford going into this final round, won the other two races on that opening weekend, including the reverse grid race which saw ‘Bezzy’ storm through the field from the back of the grid to take the chequered flag.
With 896 points Scott is 43 adrift of McIntyre with 939. Besnard, on 859, is only 37 points behind Scott, so it is possible for any of these drivers to win the series, particularly with the key role the full reverse grid race plays in redistributing opportunities to score maximum points.
Besnard comments that the Hydraulink team will be facing the same challenges as everyone else to get the car set-up right. “We’ve got an excellent idea, but everyone has picked up their game since the opening round, so it’s definitely not going to be as easy. But I’ve got nothing to lose in terms of fighting for the championship so I’ll just go for it,†says the V8 Supercar driver.
However Star Mart Ford driver Angus Fogg may have to settle for fourth position. With 834 points, he’s 105 behind McIntyre and is also hampered by having to start the weekend’s first race from the back of the grid as his Caltex Racing team needed to change to a third engine – regulations penalise each engine change after the first two, requiring the driver to start the next race from the rear of the field.
Kerry Cooper, CEO of The MotorSport Company which promotes the Parker ENZED NZV8s Championship, is delighted to see a full field of 32 NZV8s line up for what is the highest profile event in the NZV8 calendar.
“It’s great to see South Auckland/Franklin drivers Dale Lambert and Gene Rollinson rejoin the series at Pukekohe and we’re also thrilled that two drivers from the First Windows and Doors NZV8 Development Series – Chris Adams from Dunedin and Rod Pratt from Oratia in West Auckland – have taken the opportunity to lease a franchise for this final round of the season. This brings the starting numbers up to 32, comprising 14 Holdens and 18 Fords,†says Cooper.
“The NZV8 teams and drivers have put in some fabulous performances this season and it’s always a real highlight for everyone involved in the NZV8s to come to this V8 Supercar round at Pukekohe and battle it out in front of such a supportive crowd. It’s something of an honour as well for the NZV8s to run the last race of their season as the very last race on the schedule this weekend. To race the last race ever of these spectacular V8 Supercar events at Pukekohe is a fitting tribute to one of New Zealand’s most well-known race circuits.
We could definitely be in the situation where the NZV8 champion for 2006-07 is decided in this very last race of the day – it’s going to be one hard-fought championship final, that’s for sure!â€Â
The Parker ENZED NZV8s contend three races during the PlaceMakers V8 Supercar event at Pukekohe with testing and qualifying taking place on Friday 20 April, a 12-lap race in the afternoon of Saturday 21 April and two longer races on Sunday 22 April, including a 16-lap race in the morning and the 20-lap reverse grid race which wraps up the PlaceMakers event schedule.
Information on the NZV8s, such as driver profiles, race results, points and TV broadcast schedules, can all be found on www.nzv8s.co.nz. Full details on the PlaceMakers V8 Supercars can be found on www.v8supercar.co.nz.