Next weekend (20th September) will see a big field of exciting cars field journey South to Teretonga Park, Invercargill for the opening round of the three round ASKO One Hour Race Series, which is run alongside the ASKO South Island Endurance Series. Plus for the first time the South Island Series will also double up as the 2014 Motorsport New Zealand Endurance Championship, so there will be more than just pride on the line

The One hour Series is a real mixed bag for 2014 with a number of new cars & new drivers for the Series. This, along with many seasoned campaigners making modifications & upgrades, means that Series organizers are promising some great racing and the crowd will again be in for a real treat. Entries are wildly varied and range from late model Porsche & Ferrari race cars, through to little Toyota’s & Honda that are more commonly seen at the local shops. So no matter if you’re a fan of V8’s, turbo’s, rotary’s, 2wd, 4wd, big, small, Japanese or European cars you will definitely be able to cheer on a favorite!

The driver line-up is equally as varied as the cars, with drivers ranging from the young guns to the old heads and the Series is also thrilled that female drivers are represented with both Sue McLaughlin (Porsche 997 GT3) and Alyssa Clapperton (Holden Commodore) lining up in a race that will see drivers ranging from novice level to highly experienced.

The GT class is likely to be where the race and Series battle will be, as the Porsche 997 GT3’s of Hugh ‘Ace’ Gardiner, Hayden Knighton, Danny Whiting, Sue McLaughlin, Danny Stutterd and Sam Fillmore take on the Ferrari’s of Tim O’Connor (458) and Gerald Trass (430). However defending 1hr Series champion Grant Williams will debut his Corvette Z06 in this years 1 hour series, and although downplaying his chances the American muscle could well take it to the precision Euro’s for GT class & overall honors. This class seen some fantastic, down to the wire, racing in 2012 and expect nothing less in 2013.

With Williams stepping up to the GT class, that leaves Class 1 (3501cc +) up for grabs. Dunedin’s Brian Scott’s Corvette C5 has also undergone significant upgrades over the off season but also look out for Chris Henderson (Toyota AE86 V8) who will also be one to watch with a season under his belt in his new car. This class sees the classic V8 v Turbo battle and leading the turbo brigade are likely to be Johnny Waldron (R32 Skyline), Rick Matheson (RX7 turbo) and past 3hr Series champion Allan Dippie (Focus RS500). However also don’t discount the modified ex-NZ6 Commodore of Kieran Roberts/Nathan Pilcher who could easily win the class through reliability if not outright speed.

The competition will be as fiercely fought throughout every class within the Series and Class 2 (2001cc-3500cc) is huge with over 15 cars registered for this class alone. This includes a great mix of BMW M3’s for drivers including Warren Good, Pavlos Van Aalst & Adam Glass. Turbo cars for Pat & Ryan Heagney (AE86), Andy Giles (AE86), Darryn Andrews (Primera) & Malcolm Jones (DX Corolla) and other cars from Mini Challenge & Pro7 spec RX7’s through to the Classic Porsche 911SC of Chris Fleury.

Class 3&4 (0-2000cc) also has a strong field of entries with Stu Black (Starlet) likely to be the pace setter in the fast but fragile Toyota Starlet. His job will potentially be made easier this year with neither of the Dawson brothers Jeremy (Starlet) & Bradley (Trueno) only doing selected rounds in 2014, after dominating this class in recent years. However, new to this class are both James Mitchell (Integra) & Darren Keen (Primera), the returning Ian Wooster (MX5) who suffered a huge roll-over at last years opening round as well as Marc Denton (BMW E30) so there will certainly be some great battles within this class.

After next weekends opening round, the ASKO One Hour Race Series then invades Powerbuilt Ruapuna, Christchurch on 4 October before the Series grand finale at Levels Raceway, Timaru on 18 October. The One Hour Race Series is seen as a fun and affordable way to enter endurance racing but still experience the thrill & strategy of the old fashioned tortoise and the hare battles that endurance racing is renowned for.

Thanks to Series sponsor ASKO Appliances as well as class sponsors Mobil 1, Southern Finance, Paul Kelly Motor Company & Hagley Aluminium the Series will again have a significant prizemoney pool that will be paid out across the One Hour classes, as well as major spot prizes that can be won by either 1hr or 3hr competitors.

Both qualifying and the race are on Saturday 20th September, with the 1hr race expected to start around 11:30am, followed by the 3hr race. For more information on the South Island Endurance Series, entries, or to be added to the Club’s e-mailing list, please contact Chris Dunn via e-mail at [email protected] ph 021-107-9293. Club information can also be found on facebook at www.facebook.com/sierdcnz, for more information on the series sponsor ASKO, please visit www.asko.co.nz

Big grid for ASKO One Hour opener at Teretonga