Richard Moore will return to the drivers seat this weekend as he joins the BNT NZ Touring Car field for round three at Hampton Downs.
A former frontrunner of the V8 SuperTourer championship, Moore served as a teammate and understudy to Greg Murphy. With podiums and round wins to his name, Moore is excited to get back into his Holden Commodore and competing in the championship’s class one this weekend.
“I have been following the category with close eyes and it’s something I have really wanted to get back into since my last race in 2014. I’m optimistic that the series will develop and build, alongside a strong contingent of support classes, it has the foundations to do so.”
With a little bit to learn this weekend at Hampton Downs, Moore says he is eager to sample the new Dunlop control tyre the class has adopted for this season.
“I’m really interested to see the performance of the Dunlop tyre this weekend. I’ve heard a lot about them from the other drivers so it will be another challenge to deal with but its nothing we can’t handle!”
“I’m probably little behind the eight ball in a sense that the other guys have had a number of rounds now on that tyre, but I’m confident I can adapt quickly and get the most out of it. That’s what the practice session is for!”
Now completely out from under the wing of Greg Murphy, Moore says he learnt a lot from the kiwi icon, and is confident he will be able to perform at the Hampton Downs circuit.
“Murph is someone I have always admired. As soon as we started working together I realised why he had been so successful, and for the same reason why so many people resented him, he is a hard ass! But rightly so, it got him to where he is now! I tried to learn as much as I could from him over the three years, without a doubt I would never have got to the level I did without his assistance and encouragement, whether or not it seemed to be encouragement at the time!”
“I think we can have a good weekend. The car is good, and I have confidence in my abilities for sure. I’ve done well at Hampton Downs in the past, and it’s a circuit I really enjoy.”
“We’ve got some great support this weekend from Genuine Vehicle Imports and Mike Pero on the car, so I will be looking to put on a good show for them.”
To add to his BNT NZ Touring Car campaign this weekend, Moore is throwing himself in the deep end by also competing in the UDC V8 Utes championship as well where he will drive the second Holden Commodore ute of regular V8 ute competitor James ‘Huggi’ Urquhart.
Moore says he’s looking forward to the challenge and action that the UDC V8 Utes series provides.
“Huggi and the Mitre Ten guys helped us in for this round about a week ago. Ironically this is before we organised any of the NZ Touring Car deal! I’m stoked to be a part of the team, and the category, one that I have watched for years!
“I’ll just have to learn as quickly as I can to become New Zealand’s next top pick up truck racer!”
