Murray Beeby of Timaru leads the Sports GT Class, Temuka driver Gary Duncan the Production GT Turbo class and Gary Ponting of Wanaka the Production GT non turbo class after the second round of the Production GT Series at Timaru International Motor Raceway this weekend.
Another good field of twenty cars fronted for Round 2 of the series and once again provided good racing. The Sports GT Class leader after Teretonga, Andrew Cundall was absent but the leading protagonists from the other classes were ready to continue their battles. At the end of the round the Sports GT Class and the Production GT turbo class in particular are very evenly poised.
Konrad Scott of Geraldine got proceedings under way with the fastest time in qualifying in his Mazda RX7 ahead of Geoff Washbourne of Christchurch (Holden Commodore) with Harry Dodson of Auckland third fastest in his Nissan R35 GTR. It was Dodson who made the best start bursting through from the second row at the start of Saturday’s race to take the lead. Washbourne chased hard in second place ahead of Scott but the Commodore later lost ground and dropped down the order. Scott continued on in second while Pierre Neame of Winton worked his way through into third in his Mustang. South Canterbury drivers filled the next three places with Murray Beeby, Neville Stowell and Gary Duncan fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. Temuka drivers, Stan Moore and Geoff Gray, both retired their EVO’s.
Dodson, Scott and Neame took the first three positions in the Sports GT Class while Dodson also took maximum points in the Production GT turbo class ahead of Stowell and Duncan. In the normally aspirated Production Class it was Kevin Varney of Karaka from Gary Ponting of Wanaka in another Civic and Alyssa Clapperton of Dunedin (Holden Commodore).
Sunday morning’s race was a reverse, split grid and with the fast cars at the back Barry Moore of Queenstown led away in his Volkswagen Corrado. However Gray, back on track after his race one retirement, was soon in front and led until the penultimate lap when Dodson snatched the lead. Neame also got through into second place on the final lap leaving the finishing order Dodson, Neame and Gray. Dodson and Neame were the top two in the Sports GT Class ahead of Beeby while Dodson also took Production GT turbo class honours from Gray and Duncan. Alyssa Clapperton took the non turbo honours from Varney who passed Ponting on the last lap. Scott, Stowell and both Stan and Barry Moore were the major casualties.
The final race was a handicap affair and Evan Munt led away in his Vauxhall Viva and held the lead for the majority of the race. The fast men were coming and it was Beeby who hit the front two laps from home. Dodson and Duncan followed him through as did Scott and Gary Doig of Prebbleton in another RX7. Beeby took maximum points in Sports GT this time ahead of Dodson, Scott and Doig. Dodson made it a clean sweep of the Production GT turbo class for the round taking top points in all three races with Duncan and Hamish Ellingham second and third this time. Ponting took the points in the non turbo class giving each of the three competitors a class win over the weekend.
Dodson won both the Sports GT and Production GT Class for the round while Varney was the normally aspirated class victor.
With two rounds in the South Island now behind them the competitors will cross Cook Strait for the next round of the series at Hampton Downs over the weekend of 1/2 February.
The series comprises two Production GT Classes, one for forced induction cars and the other for normally aspirated cars. Production GT cars must retain the manufacturers original chassis and utilise an engine sourced from the same manufacturer as that of the body shell. A Sports GT Class is also included giving any machine a home to run without restrictions other than having to run with dot rated tyres. The class is operating a facebook page facebook.com/ProductionGT where information is available including the series articles.
