The V8 SuperTourers and New Zealand V8 Touring Cars will lineup side by side for the first time since 2012 this weekend, in a race that could foreshadow the merger of both competitions.
Dwindling driver numbers have plagued both racing series over the past year so having more than 25 cars lineup on the starting grid of the United V8 Spectacular at Pukekohe Park Raceway will be a welcome sign for Kiwi motorsport fans.
New Zealand V8 Touring Cars director Ian Booth said the races will be the first of many where the TLX series and the SuperTourers compete together.
“After this meeting onwards we are merging the groups together,” he said.
“From the 2015/2016 season onwards, the SuperTourers and TLX groups will be together and the TLs will be what we will call a development series.
“Unfortunately those guys [V8 SuperTourers] are tied up with too many legal things going on but hopefully that will not jeopardise what we are trying to put together.”
While the exact format of the combined series was not yet known, Booth believed the first race of the 2015/16 competition would be in November at the ITM 500 in Pukekohe.
This weekend, the New Zealand V8 Touring Cars TLX series and TL series will join the V8 SuperTourers for two races – one on Saturday and one on Sunday.
The SuperTourers and the TLX series cars will compete in a final 25-lap race on Sunday afternoon to decide the winners of their respective championships.
The nine TL series cars will then compete in their own 15-lap race to contest the Dave Slater Memorial Trophy.
It is a positive sign for New Zealand Motorsport after the SuperTourers looked to be in trouble.
Just eight drivers, including a one-off appearance from Kiwi GP2 driver Mitch Evans, lined up at the V8 SuperTourers’ last event at Hampton Downs in January.
Rounds five and six of the competition in Timaru and Christchurch were both cancelled due to a lack of competitors.
A spokesman for United V8 Spectacular promoters KDH said it took six weeks of negotiating to get both organisations to lineup on the starting grid side-by-side.
He said the organisations only gave them the go-ahead two weeks ago.
“The parties have joined forces and they are looking forward to the off season in the winter to work out how they are going to combined in the long term,” he said.
SuperTourers’ Team4 boss Owen Evans said they would still be handing out series points for the races, which will be the final of the 2014/15 season.
“We think that is the fairest thing to do, because otherwise it would be incomplete,” he said.
“By having [the points] open, it is worthwhile for the guys to come out and have a crack.”
He said it would be exciting to see the SuperTourers and New Zealand V8 Touring Cars racing together.
“This round is all about cementing our future for next year with both classes moving together,” he said.
“It is probably the smartest thing to do and probably something that New Zealand Motorsport have been waiting for quite some time.”
Simon Evans will head into the weekend as the hot-favourite to take out the SuperTourers title with a lead of more than 200 championship points but 19-year-old Andre Heimgartner is poised to strike if he has a poor weekend.
Jason Bargwanna holds the advantage in the New Zealand V8 Touring Cars TLX series, with Nick Ross 158 points behind.
Pukekohe Park Raceway will have plenty of other action this Saturday and Sunday, as it celebrates the 25th anniversary of Super Truck racing in New Zealand with the fourth round of the championship series.
Ssangyong Actyon Racing Utes and the UDC V8 Racing Utes will also be racing.
Great to read this news.
Many supporters have been very concerned at the split and I think this was the obvious outcome.
Congratulations to the negotiators for a positive result.
Lastly I wish all competitors all the best for a fast and safe weekend.
Colin