Hat trick of podiums puts Alexander second in TR86 points

Hat trick of podiums puts Alexander second in TR86 points

Alana McIsaac1:36am 10 February 2014

TomAlexander ManfieldGP2014 ByEuanCameron

Tom Alexander lived up to his promise of fighting back at this weekend’s fourth round of the Toyota Finance TR86 Championship at Manfeild after claiming a hat-trick of podium finishes across two days of racing.

The first race on Saturday afternoon saw Alexander claim third before finishing in second during both races on Sunday.

Alexander said: “I’m absolutely stoked. The team have worked incredibly hard to get the car right for this weekend and it’s paid off. It was just a great weekend for racing and all of the boys [TR86 class] put on a great show for the spectators here.”

With less than a week between races, Alexander’s team found a bent rear sub-frame was the cause of mystery handling issues from the previous round at Hampton Downs.

“Obviously we’re glad we found the problem before this weekend. It means we were able to be fast this weekend and are still in contention for the Championship.”

Even the variable weather conditions at Manfeild wasn’t enough to dent Alexander’s pace after qualifying in second place in heavy rain, being pipped at the post by Ashley Blewett in the closing minutes of the session.

Alexander still sits second in the Toyota Finance TR86 championship behind close rival, Jamie McNee with three more rounds to go.

“Jamie [McNee] is fast and he’s definitely making me work hard for points. We’ll just have to keep trying our best to get back in front at the next round.”

The next round of the Toyota Finance TR86 series will take place at Taupo on March 7-9, 2014, followed by an additional two rounds held at Hampton Downs and Pukekohe respectively. The final Pukekohe round features a three-hour endurance race.

Stadium Finance operates several branches around the country including Christchurch, Tauranga and Dunedin. The company is ‘the home of good sports’ and is involved with many sporting and cultural events around New Zealand. For more information, please visit www.stadium-finance.co.nz or follow them on Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/StadiumFinanceor https://www.facebook.com/StadiumCarsMotorsport.