The final round of the 2013 UDC New Zealand V8 Ute series takes place at Pukekohe over the weekend of November 29,30 and December 1 and it is still all to play for, though only the series leader has it all to lose…
Chris ‘Hammer Time’ Hanley has been the most competitive ‘all-round’ driver for the duration of the 2013 series, which has included rounds at Hampton Downs, Taupo, Ruapuna Park and Pukekohe as the major support class for the BNT SuperTourers in the Hankook Super Series.
Determined to follow in the footsteps of other NZ Ute series winners like Andrew Waite, Matt Lockwood and Chris Pither and step up to the leading V8 racing series in New Zealand and Australia, Hanley has been competitive everywhere, bagging wins and more importantly putting in some great drives from low grid positions often determined by the series marble draw and reverse marble draw formats to secure good points hauls from each of the championship rounds.
He heads into the final round at Pukekohe with a healthy points lead – 66 points in fact – ahead of his nearest rival Mike ‘Buzz’ Lightfoot. If it all went wrong for Hanley, however, either Lightfoot or Peter ‘Kaos’ Ward could snatch the title from his grasp.
Hanley’s year has been clean so far and he has been a series ‘master’ in heavy and sometimes action-packed traffic. He was involved in one shunt at Pukekohe earlier in the season which could have severely dented his championship hopes along with the Brother Holden Ute, but sterling work on the same day by Jake Stoneman and his crew had it fit and well and Hanley was once again able to make the most of the opportunity and score plenty of points to defend his series lead.
One thing Hanley will be aware of is that neither Lightfoot or Ward are the ‘giving up’ type and they will both be going at full throttle for 100% of the weekend to keep the pressure on Hammer Time. And adding to that scenario of uncertainty will be Aussie hot shot Kris ‘Killa’ Walton, who dominated at Taupo on his last appearance in the series and is back for the finale in the Multispares Ford on a circuit he already has experience on.
Brett ‘The Scud’ Rudd – enjoying a top second season in the UDC V8 Utes will be looking for a big finish to his season as will the father and son team of Dave and Jeff Kernohan, who started the season slowly but who have been gathering momentum with every round. Watch out too for Geoff Spencer – feisty and fast last time out at Hampton Downs and very quick on both previous occasions in 2013 that the UDC Utes raced at Pukekohe.
