High-profile Auckland all-rounder Clark Proctor (March 73A-1) is the latest MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series race winner after a popular lights-to-flag win in the feature 15-lap final at the second NZ Festival of Motor Racing – celebrating Denny Hulme at Hampton Downs today.

Defending series champion and current series points leader Steve Ross (McRae GM1) beat Proctor and first NZ Festival meeting race winner Ken Smith (Lola T332) to the top spot in qualifying on Saturday and to the finish line in the eight lap preliminary races on Saturday and Sunday morning  – but the afternoon’s race was a Proctor benefit from start to finish.

“I knew my car could turn in nice and tight at Turn 1 on cold tyre and I knew Steve (Ross) would diamond the corner as he always does and that that would probably catch Kenny out and that’s exactly what happened,” said the former Speedway, NZV8s and Targa front-runner. “It was great to see that chequered flag and great to get a win in this series.”

With Proctor forcing his way into the lead through the first corner and series returnee Andrew Higgins (Lola T400) following him through the first lap of the feature looked very different to those of the two preliminaries. Ross initially held third place from Smith and visiting British drivers Greg Thornton (McRae GM1), Mark Dwyer (Lola T400) and Peter Dunn but Higgins pulled out after only three laps and Ross overcooked it heading into the first turn on the fourth lap, spinning and losing several places as he scrambled to get back onto the track.

“I was trying to get past somebody and I went in a bit hot,” he explained.

That gave both Proctor and Smith some breathing space as the pair eased away from Thornton, Dwyer, a recovering Ross, Brett Willis (Lola T330), Paul Zazryn (Lola T332), Peter Dunn (March 73A)and young gun Alan Dunkley in the first of the older Class A cars, a high-wing Lola T140.

For the next six laps Smith was never more than two or three car lengths behind Proctor with Ross getting past Thornton but too far behind the make any real impression on the front pair.

Then there was Proctor and a big gap to Smith, the ageless veteran having survived a wild ride through the gravel trap on the outside of the downhill Turn 9 after having being forced wide as he was working his way through lapped traffic.

Like Ross, Smith was able to rejoin the track, in this case without losing a place, but the pressure was off Proctor and by the time the chequered flag came out he was just over eight seconds ahead of Smith with Ross third a further four seconds down the track, Thornton, Dwyer and Brett Willis making up the top six and Alan Dunkley again the first of the Class A runners home in seventh.

Earlier, Australian Paul Zazryn (Lola T332) had led Monaco-based Brit Peter Dunn (March 73A), Dunkley and the Matich A50s of Australians Aaron Lewis and Bryan Sala but by race end Dunkley had found a way past both Dunn and Zazryn and Sala had worked his way Lewis and Dunn to cross the line in ninth place.
 
Race 2 (8 laps)
Earlier in the day there was also drama in the second MSC series race of the weekend, the Safety Car deployed after Andrew Higgins spun and beached his car on the second lap then the race red flagged when visiting Australian driver Rod Carroll spun and made light contact with the pit wall at the end of the start/finish straight.

Race one winner Steve Ross again got the jump on fellow front row starter Ken Smith off the rolling start with Higgins and Thornton slotting into third and fourth place respectively until Thornton was tapped into a spin exiting Turn 8 and Higgins followed suit on Turn 9. Before the race was stopped Clark Proctor held fourth from Mark Dwyer, expat Chris Lambden (McRae GM1), Paul Zazryn and Peter Dunn (March 73A-5).

When the race was re-started Ross again got the jump on Smith and Dwyer with Proctor fourth, Lambden fifth, Zazryn sixth and a battle pack of Peter Dunn, Brett Willis and Australian Aaron Lewis disputing seventh.

A lap later Proctor had got past Dwyer only to spin himself back down the order.

“I set off after Kenny, and was making big inroads into him and Steve over the back,” said Proctor. “Unfortunately I had a little bit of a moment entering Turn 9 and dropped what I had made up so I was trying hard the next lap when I just got caught out and the car swapped ends exiting Turn 3. I ended up in the gravel but luckily managed to get it out and carry on.”

That left Dwyer unchallenged in third place with Lambden fourth and Dunn fifth, until the latter slowing, however, as his car’s engine was starved for fuel.

That allowed Willis, Zazryn and Aaron Lewis to move up a place, Lewis finally able to show the potential of his Matich A50 after sorting out a fuel issue which he had been battling ‘for three or four meetings.’

“Yeah, he said.”It was just what I’ll call an intermittent wire fault which we have now fixed, as well as a couple of other little issues and I can now battle the guys I normally battle.”

Having been able to get back onto the track after his own spin and join the grid for the re-start, Greg Thornton worked his way back up to eighth, crossing the line in front of a close-running Peter Sundberg (Lola T332), Shayne Windelburn (Lola T400) and Russell Greer (Lola T332).

In 12th place when the flag came out was Clark Proctor in front of Talon man David Banks, Peter Burson (McRae GM1), Bryan Sala (forced to pit early to remove a loose muffler) and Warwick Mortimer (Surtees TS5). Andrew Higgins recovered to finish 20th, Alan Dunkley – who had to pit for repairs to his car’s nose cone – 22nd.

Race 1 (Sat 8 laps)
After pipping first round race winner Ken Smith in qualifying in the morning Steve Ross got the jump on Smith and Higgins in the weekend’s first MSC series race setting the fastest race lap on his way to crossing the finish line just under a half a second ahead of Smith and just over five seconds in front of Higgins.

Behind Ross, Smith and Higgins, Clark Proctor spent the race working his way back past Greg Thornton and Mark Dwyer while Paul Zazryn found himself following category young gun Alan Dunkley.

Dunkley went even quicker in qualifying at this weekend’s meeting and forced his way through to seventh on the first lap. Early on he easily led Zazryn who in turn had an advantage over Brett Willis and Aaron Lewis but towards the end of the race Zazryn found a way past Dunkley to cross the line in seventh position.

An early casualty was British visitor Michael Whatley (Lola T300) who pitted when he lost oil pressure. Local class stalwart Poul Christie (McLaren M10B) also pulled into the pits, but in his case it was because of his concerns with the low grip levels off the racing line on a couple of corners resealed overnight after the track surface broke up on Friday.

Making history for the second weekend in a row, meanwhile, were Talon drivers David Banks and Aaron Burson. Only five Talons were made and at the moment only two are in race-ready condition – and those two are being raced at Hampton Downs this weekend.

The MSC F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series is organised and run with the support of sponsors MSC, NZ Express Transport, Bonney’s Specialized Bulk Transport, Mobil Lubricants,  Pacifica, Avon Tyres and Exide. It continues next weekend at the annual Skope Classic meeting at Christchurch’s Powerbuilt Tools Raceway at Ruapuna Park.