Wanganui’s Earl Bamber has won today’s two Toyota Racing Series Races, taking overall victory for the second round of the 2010 championship season at Timaru’s Levels raceway.
Driving the Triple X Motorsport run Toyota FT40, Bamber made a huge come-back from Saturday’s qualifying and race result, displaying masterful driving around the 2.4 kilometre circuit to head an international field.
“It’s a fantastic day for the Triple X Motorsport Toyota team and I have to thank the Mad Butcher and VnC Cocktails for helping out in getting the car out there and allowing me to do my best,” said Gaunt.
“I don’t think the team could have expected that when we started from eighth this morning in the 20-lap feature race. The guys did a fantastic job with the car setup so we had a blindingly quick car for the wet conditions.”
“Then this afternoon we started sixth and got another fantastic start to be up to third by the first turn. Then by the end of the first lap we were actually leading. Although it was hard to judge how fast to go on the slick tyres with the light rain and then on the last couple of laps Mitch Evans really came charging and it was unfortunate he went off at the end of the straight.”
Following in Bamber’s tyre-tracks, 21-year-old Stefan Webling from New Plymouth jostled for position in the morning Timaru Herald feature race to finish third. Driving the #41 Horizon Energy Services Miles Toyota car, he was on track to repeat the performance in the afternoon sprint race. However mid-race he dropped from fourth position when a group of cars touched. Losing his momentum he was unable to climb back, finishing eighth.
Following the two-in-two race weekends in the South Island, the Toyota Racing Series resumes 5-7 February at the brand new Hampton Downs circuit mid-way between Auckland and Hamilton.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Baird wins Timaru Porsche weekend
Triple X Motorsport’s Craig Baird MNZM has extended his overall lead after the fourth round of the Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge with two wins and a third at Timaru’s Levels raceway.
Auckland’s 21-year-old Courtney Letica then took his maiden victory in the afternoon top-six reverse-grid race to make it three from three for the Triple X Motorsport Porsche team.
Driving the #1 ZM Mad Butcher Porsche 997, Baird put a second win on the board this morning during a wet race around the 2.4 kilometre circuit to hold out team-mate David Reynolds in the #8 Hampsta Indian’s bar Porsche 997.
The 39-year-old Queensland based Kiwi now has 1003 points with two rounds to complete of the six on the 2009/10 calendar season.
“We had a good weekend; both from a championship perspective and having the team win all three races. So everything is good – we’ve got a good point’s extension with 135 to second place now.
“And it was good too for Courtney, the team and his family who are always here supporting him, got a well deserved win. He had pressure from Halliday so I just sat back, knowing I could win the round if I finished where I was, so wasn’t going to risk getting in to anything with Halliday as he’s a fair way back in the championship now. So I just sat there with a grin on my face looking at Courtney leading it.”
Starting from pole position in the final race, Auckland account manager Letica got a perfect start to the 16-lap race to lead the field through the tricky first turns and on to ultimate victory.
“Without question I haven’t been terribly fast here this weekend, but I played a defensive tactic helped by my car engineer Peter Sprague who told me to keep me focused during the race so I could keep ahead of the others,” said Letica who drives the #5 Altherm Porsche 997.
“The place where I wanted the gap the most was where I got the gap the most. Matt Halliday could really only challenge me at one point and that’s where I was well out of his reach.”
Securing a one-two-three finish for the team, Daniel Gaunt in the #3 Placemakers Hampsta Porsche 997 had to battle with team-mates Baird and Reynolds – consistently the runner-up, maintaining his third in the championship chase.
However it was Reynolds who paid the ultimate price in the final race – puncturing his radiator while jostling for position in the early stages.
Finishing the weekend away from the blow-torch battles, team principal Shane McKillen in the #2 VnC Cocktails Porsche placed eighth, directly behind Christchurch car dealer Paul Kelly in the #90 car.
Returning to Auckland to prepare for the series penultimate round, they will journey to Manfeild mid-February for another three race weekend programme.
Auckland’s 21-year-old Courtney Letica then took his maiden victory in the afternoon top-six reverse-grid race to make it three from three for the Triple X Motorsport Porsche team.
Driving the #1 ZM Mad Butcher Porsche 997, Baird put a second win on the board this morning during a wet race around the 2.4 kilometre circuit to hold out team-mate David Reynolds in the #8 Hampsta Indian’s bar Porsche 997.
The 39-year-old Queensland based Kiwi now has 1003 points with two rounds to complete of the six on the 2009/10 calendar season.
“We had a good weekend; both from a championship perspective and having the team win all three races. So everything is good – we’ve got a good point’s extension with 135 to second place now.
“And it was good too for Courtney, the team and his family who are always here supporting him, got a well deserved win. He had pressure from Halliday so I just sat back, knowing I could win the round if I finished where I was, so wasn’t going to risk getting in to anything with Halliday as he’s a fair way back in the championship now. So I just sat there with a grin on my face looking at Courtney leading it.”
Starting from pole position in the final race, Auckland account manager Letica got a perfect start to the 16-lap race to lead the field through the tricky first turns and on to ultimate victory.
“Without question I haven’t been terribly fast here this weekend, but I played a defensive tactic helped by my car engineer Peter Sprague who told me to keep me focused during the race so I could keep ahead of the others,” said Letica who drives the #5 Altherm Porsche 997.
“The place where I wanted the gap the most was where I got the gap the most. Matt Halliday could really only challenge me at one point and that’s where I was well out of his reach.”
Securing a one-two-three finish for the team, Daniel Gaunt in the #3 Placemakers Hampsta Porsche 997 had to battle with team-mates Baird and Reynolds – consistently the runner-up, maintaining his third in the championship chase.
However it was Reynolds who paid the ultimate price in the final race – puncturing his radiator while jostling for position in the early stages.
Finishing the weekend away from the blow-torch battles, team principal Shane McKillen in the #2 VnC Cocktails Porsche placed eighth, directly behind Christchurch car dealer Paul Kelly in the #90 car.
Returning to Auckland to prepare for the series penultimate round, they will journey to Manfeild mid-February for another three race weekend programme.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Triple X Baird breaks Timaru lap record
Having set fastest time in qualifying for today’s first race in the fourth round of the 2009/10 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, Triple X Motorsport driver Craig Baird’s victory included a new lap record at the Timaru circuit.
Driving the #1 ZM Mad Butcher Porsche 997, Baird’s time of 1 minute 01.549 around the 2.4km track lowers the previous mark set by team-mate David Reynolds who drives the #8 Hampsta Indians bar Porsche 997.
“I thought it was going to be hard starting from the inside,” said Baird’s whose track position put him off-line for the run through the first series of corners. “I took it easy off the start, picked up some traction, got to the first corner first and that was that really.
“The lap record was there for the taking really. The track is in good nick, with some new seal down. Using brand new tyres because of qualifying in the wet – we had that extra bit more grip. But I needed that win – definitely,” added Baird of the dry weather for the afternoon race.
Second fastest in qualifying and second in this afternoon’s 12-lap race, Reynolds was just out of Baird’s reach while defending his position from a chasing team-mate Daniel Gaunt in the #3 Placemakers Hampsta car.
Finishing third, Gaunt was glad to be still racing after a collision during qualifying while avoiding the un-folding accident of Matt Halliday.
“It put us on the back-foot really – having to stop and repair damage so I could continue. The team kept its composure, keeping us in the top-three – so it was good to still have the pace,” said the 24-year-old Gaunt.
Starting from the damp inside-line, Gaunt said being able to get away cleanly and maintain position was crucial to his weekend results.
Auckland’s 21-year-old Courtney Letica in the #5 Altherm Porsche 997 finished fifth having comfortably kept a chasing Matt Halliday at bay. Christchurch’s Paul Kelly in the #90 Paul Kelly Motors Porsche 997 was eighth with team principal Shane McKillen in the #2 VnC Cocktails Juice bar Porsche 997 in ninth.
Toyota Racing Series drivers Earl Bamber (#7 VnC Cocktails/Mad Butcher) and Stefan Webling (#41 Horizon Energy/Miles Toyota) started from seventh and ninth respectively in today’s 12-lap race. Unable to get a good time in the wet conditions the afternoon lap served similar results with Bamber finishing sixth and Webling ninth.
Australia’s Chris Wootton has opted to not run for the weekend at the circuit he has never previously contested.
Whangarei’s Scott Harrison finished third in the opening Suzuki Swift Sport Cup race.
With dry weather predicted for tomorrow morning’s racing, conditions for the afternoon are expected to change.
Results race one – Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge 12-laps
Pos No. Name Total time
1 1 Craig Baird, Queensland (Triple X) 12:25.241
2 8 David Reynolds, Melbourne (Triple X) +1.032
3 3 Daniel Gaunt, Auckland (Triple X) +1.270
4 9 Jonny Reid, Auckland +2.366
5 5 Courtney Letica , Auckland (Triple X) +9.968
6 21 Matt Halliday, USA +10.242
7 32 Mitch Cunningham, Auckland +14.326
8 90 Paul Kelly, Christchurch (Triple X) +28.542
9 2 Shane McKillen, Auckland (Triple X) +29.470
10 15 Hugh Gardiner, Auckland +33.872
11 82 Andrew Bagnall , Auckland +36.940
12 26 Simon McLennan, Auckland +38.267
13 11 Simon Evans, Auckland +38.497
14 77 Alan Dippie, Wanaka +1 Lap
15 99 Colin Caldwell, Auckland +1 Lap 36.011
Driving the #1 ZM Mad Butcher Porsche 997, Baird’s time of 1 minute 01.549 around the 2.4km track lowers the previous mark set by team-mate David Reynolds who drives the #8 Hampsta Indians bar Porsche 997.
“I thought it was going to be hard starting from the inside,” said Baird’s whose track position put him off-line for the run through the first series of corners. “I took it easy off the start, picked up some traction, got to the first corner first and that was that really.
“The lap record was there for the taking really. The track is in good nick, with some new seal down. Using brand new tyres because of qualifying in the wet – we had that extra bit more grip. But I needed that win – definitely,” added Baird of the dry weather for the afternoon race.
Second fastest in qualifying and second in this afternoon’s 12-lap race, Reynolds was just out of Baird’s reach while defending his position from a chasing team-mate Daniel Gaunt in the #3 Placemakers Hampsta car.
Finishing third, Gaunt was glad to be still racing after a collision during qualifying while avoiding the un-folding accident of Matt Halliday.
“It put us on the back-foot really – having to stop and repair damage so I could continue. The team kept its composure, keeping us in the top-three – so it was good to still have the pace,” said the 24-year-old Gaunt.
Starting from the damp inside-line, Gaunt said being able to get away cleanly and maintain position was crucial to his weekend results.
Auckland’s 21-year-old Courtney Letica in the #5 Altherm Porsche 997 finished fifth having comfortably kept a chasing Matt Halliday at bay. Christchurch’s Paul Kelly in the #90 Paul Kelly Motors Porsche 997 was eighth with team principal Shane McKillen in the #2 VnC Cocktails Juice bar Porsche 997 in ninth.
Toyota Racing Series drivers Earl Bamber (#7 VnC Cocktails/Mad Butcher) and Stefan Webling (#41 Horizon Energy/Miles Toyota) started from seventh and ninth respectively in today’s 12-lap race. Unable to get a good time in the wet conditions the afternoon lap served similar results with Bamber finishing sixth and Webling ninth.
Australia’s Chris Wootton has opted to not run for the weekend at the circuit he has never previously contested.
Whangarei’s Scott Harrison finished third in the opening Suzuki Swift Sport Cup race.
With dry weather predicted for tomorrow morning’s racing, conditions for the afternoon are expected to change.
Results race one – Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge 12-laps
Pos No. Name Total time
1 1 Craig Baird, Queensland (Triple X) 12:25.241
2 8 David Reynolds, Melbourne (Triple X) +1.032
3 3 Daniel Gaunt, Auckland (Triple X) +1.270
4 9 Jonny Reid, Auckland +2.366
5 5 Courtney Letica , Auckland (Triple X) +9.968
6 21 Matt Halliday, USA +10.242
7 32 Mitch Cunningham, Auckland +14.326
8 90 Paul Kelly, Christchurch (Triple X) +28.542
9 2 Shane McKillen, Auckland (Triple X) +29.470
10 15 Hugh Gardiner, Auckland +33.872
11 82 Andrew Bagnall , Auckland +36.940
12 26 Simon McLennan, Auckland +38.267
13 11 Simon Evans, Auckland +38.497
14 77 Alan Dippie, Wanaka +1 Lap
15 99 Colin Caldwell, Auckland +1 Lap 36.011
Friday, January 22, 2010
Baird fastest in Porsche practise
Craig Baird MNZM driving the #1 ZM Mad Butcher Porsche 997 for Auckland Triple X Motorsport has set fastest time in practise for this weekend’s fourth round of the Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge being held near Timaru.
“We’ve got a good car for here – probably better balanced than when we were here last year,” said Baird who finished second to team-mate David Reynolds the last time the pair raced at the Levels venue.
“But there is nothing in the times really – he who got a cleaner lap got the better chance of a quicker time.”
Trailing Baird by a mere 0.085 of a second, Reynolds (#8 Hampsta Indians bar Porsche 997) is intent on repeating his last year’s clean-sweep winning performance. Placed behind defending champion and current points leader Craig Baird, Reynolds says the driving the 2.4 kilometre circuit requires a different tactic to other race tracks.
Following threats of rain, changeable conditions have kept the drivers focused on cycling tyres to cope with all weathers for the three race programme contested over the Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday morning qualifying sets the grid for the afternoon 12-lap race, followed by a second 12-lap race Sunday morning and the top-six reverse grid 16-lap race in the afternoon.
“We’ve got a good car for here – probably better balanced than when we were here last year,” said Baird who finished second to team-mate David Reynolds the last time the pair raced at the Levels venue.
“But there is nothing in the times really – he who got a cleaner lap got the better chance of a quicker time.”
Trailing Baird by a mere 0.085 of a second, Reynolds (#8 Hampsta Indians bar Porsche 997) is intent on repeating his last year’s clean-sweep winning performance. Placed behind defending champion and current points leader Craig Baird, Reynolds says the driving the 2.4 kilometre circuit requires a different tactic to other race tracks.
Following threats of rain, changeable conditions have kept the drivers focused on cycling tyres to cope with all weathers for the three race programme contested over the Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday morning qualifying sets the grid for the afternoon 12-lap race, followed by a second 12-lap race Sunday morning and the top-six reverse grid 16-lap race in the afternoon.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Triple X Toyota drivers keen on Timaru
Last weekend’s opening round of the Toyota Racing Series has Wanganui’s Earl Bamber, New Plymouth’s Stefan Webling and Brisbane’s Chris Wootton confident of their performance at this weekend’s second round at Timaru (23-24 January).
The three Triple X Motorsport run cars have endured an opening weekend that shook a lot of issues from the open-wheel category ahead of the three-race programme at Levels International Motor Raceway in the South Canterbury region.
With each of the E85 biofuelled Toyota FT40 cars equal in performance, setup and driver ability are the two ingredients in separating the field during a race. While Bamber showed early front-running promise, re-learning the car and how it adapts to changes, allowed the former A1 Team New Zealand driver to work his way to the front after the opening race weekend at Teretonga near Invercargill.
“We’ve got a much better car; the car has improved ten-fold over the weekend so the team has done a fantastic job,” said Bamber having finished second in the final race last weekend.
Heading for Timaru, the 19-year old says race placings at the 2.4 kilometre Timaru circuit will again be dictated by qualifying.
“It’s tight and twisty with no passing opportunities – so qualifying is going to be even more crucial.”
For 21-year-old Webling, a series rookie, he’s looking forward to the tighter Timaru circuit.
“I’ve always enjoyed Timaru when I raced it in the Formula Ford. Again there will be a bit of learning being my first time in the Toyota but with Greg Wheeler and the team they will engineer a good car to improve my first season results even more. “
Brisbane’s Chris Wootton says the tough Teretonga weekend contradicted his early progress.
“Obviously I’ve never been to Timaru before but we’ll see what we can achieve. The lead-up to the opening round was going well – I just hope for a good run,” said the 21-year-old.
With two test sessions on the Friday, the all-important qualifying on Saturday morning precedes the afternoon 12-lap race. On Sunday morning there is the 20-lap Timaru Herald trophy race, followed by a 12-lap finale mid-afternoon.
The three Triple X Motorsport run cars have endured an opening weekend that shook a lot of issues from the open-wheel category ahead of the three-race programme at Levels International Motor Raceway in the South Canterbury region.
With each of the E85 biofuelled Toyota FT40 cars equal in performance, setup and driver ability are the two ingredients in separating the field during a race. While Bamber showed early front-running promise, re-learning the car and how it adapts to changes, allowed the former A1 Team New Zealand driver to work his way to the front after the opening race weekend at Teretonga near Invercargill.
“We’ve got a much better car; the car has improved ten-fold over the weekend so the team has done a fantastic job,” said Bamber having finished second in the final race last weekend.
Heading for Timaru, the 19-year old says race placings at the 2.4 kilometre Timaru circuit will again be dictated by qualifying.
“It’s tight and twisty with no passing opportunities – so qualifying is going to be even more crucial.”
For 21-year-old Webling, a series rookie, he’s looking forward to the tighter Timaru circuit.
“I’ve always enjoyed Timaru when I raced it in the Formula Ford. Again there will be a bit of learning being my first time in the Toyota but with Greg Wheeler and the team they will engineer a good car to improve my first season results even more. “
Brisbane’s Chris Wootton says the tough Teretonga weekend contradicted his early progress.
“Obviously I’ve never been to Timaru before but we’ll see what we can achieve. The lead-up to the opening round was going well – I just hope for a good run,” said the 21-year-old.
With two test sessions on the Friday, the all-important qualifying on Saturday morning precedes the afternoon 12-lap race. On Sunday morning there is the 20-lap Timaru Herald trophy race, followed by a 12-lap finale mid-afternoon.
Triple X Reynolds favourite for Timaru Porsche racing
Following last weekend’s round victory at Invercargill, David Reynolds buoys the Triple X Motorsport team’s chances of successive wins with three races on the calendar this weekend at Timaru for the fourth round of the 2009/2010 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge (23-24 January 2010).
Leading the six round series with an 82 point buffer, Triple X Motorsport’s five-time defending champion Craig Baird MNZM driving the #1 Mad Butcher ZM Porsche 997 has to beat Reynolds in the #8 Indians bar Hampsta car to break his winning streak.
Having scored successive pole positions this season, Reynolds heads in to this weekend’s round as favourite after winning all three races last time he raced at Timaru’s 2.4 kilometre International Motor Raceway.
“I’m going to take the same attitude I did last year - I was very very relaxed going in that round and hopefully I’ll get that good lap in qualifying at start from pole. And from there you can dictate a lot more of the racing,” said the Melbourne based driver.
“Timaru is a completely different track – very technical and tight. So you have to think a lot more about some of the corners with more of a slow-in fast-out approach.”
Missing his first win of the season when he was hit by a competitor in the last race last weekend, Daniel Gaunt driving the #3 Placemakers Hampsta Porsche 997 is firing to ensure he improves on his third spot in the championship table.
“It was so disappointing to lose that chance of a win,” said the North Shore based driver. “If you have that chance of victory – and don’t get it, its gut wrenching to try explain why.”
Taking time out between the back-to-back race weekends, team principal and Auckland businessman Shane McKillen has been holidaying in Queenstown with his family. Currently ninth in the standings he is one position behind youngster Courtney Letica in the #5 Altherm Porsche 997.
Letica’s best result in last weekend’s return to racing came with a fifth placing in the final race despite having to start from dead-last.
With Christchurch’s Paul Kelly to return to the series following family commitments the previous weekend, the Christchurch car dealer in the #90 car boosts the team driver lineup to ten. With six Porsche 997 cars the team also run drivers Earl Bamber (Wanganui), Stefan Webling (New Plymouth) and Chris Wootton (Brisbane) in the Toyota Racing Series, along with Whangarei’s Scott Harrison in the Suzuki Swift Sport Cup.
Following on from last weekend’s racing at Teretonga, the team will setup at Timaru on Wednesday to continue preparation of the cars for the Hampsta 200 event. With no pit-stop in the Mad Butcher Porsche race, the weekend starts with two practise sessions on the Friday before Saturday pre-race qualifying.
A 12-lap race on Saturday afternoon is followed by a second 12-lap race Sunday morning and the top-six reverse grid finale of 16 laps in the afternoon.
Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge 2009/2010 points after round three (of six) - top-nine.
Pos, car, driver, town
1 1 Craig Baird Queensland (Triple X) 793
2 21 Matt Halliday USA 707
3 3 Daniel Gaunt Auckland (Triple X) 666
4 9 Jonny Reid Auckland 619
5 8 David Reynolds Melbourne (Triple X) 584
6 82 Andrew Bagnall Auckland 447
7 96 Anthony Pedersen Rotorua 394
7 5 Courtney Letica Auckland (Triple X) 394
9 2 Shane McKillen Auckland (Triple X) 388
Triple X Motorsport driver line-up:
Car number 1: Craig Baird (Mad Butcher/ ZM Porsche 997) – first overall 2008/2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge
Car number 2: Shane McKillen (VnC Cocktails/Juice Bar Porsche 997)
Car number 3: Daniel Gaunt (Placemakers/Hampsta Porsche 997) – third overall 2008/2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge
Car number 5: Courtney Letica (Altherm Porsche 997)
Car number 8: David Reynolds (Indians Bar/Hampsta Porsche 997) – second overall 2008/2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge.
Leading the six round series with an 82 point buffer, Triple X Motorsport’s five-time defending champion Craig Baird MNZM driving the #1 Mad Butcher ZM Porsche 997 has to beat Reynolds in the #8 Indians bar Hampsta car to break his winning streak.
Having scored successive pole positions this season, Reynolds heads in to this weekend’s round as favourite after winning all three races last time he raced at Timaru’s 2.4 kilometre International Motor Raceway.
“I’m going to take the same attitude I did last year - I was very very relaxed going in that round and hopefully I’ll get that good lap in qualifying at start from pole. And from there you can dictate a lot more of the racing,” said the Melbourne based driver.
“Timaru is a completely different track – very technical and tight. So you have to think a lot more about some of the corners with more of a slow-in fast-out approach.”
Missing his first win of the season when he was hit by a competitor in the last race last weekend, Daniel Gaunt driving the #3 Placemakers Hampsta Porsche 997 is firing to ensure he improves on his third spot in the championship table.
“It was so disappointing to lose that chance of a win,” said the North Shore based driver. “If you have that chance of victory – and don’t get it, its gut wrenching to try explain why.”
Taking time out between the back-to-back race weekends, team principal and Auckland businessman Shane McKillen has been holidaying in Queenstown with his family. Currently ninth in the standings he is one position behind youngster Courtney Letica in the #5 Altherm Porsche 997.
Letica’s best result in last weekend’s return to racing came with a fifth placing in the final race despite having to start from dead-last.
With Christchurch’s Paul Kelly to return to the series following family commitments the previous weekend, the Christchurch car dealer in the #90 car boosts the team driver lineup to ten. With six Porsche 997 cars the team also run drivers Earl Bamber (Wanganui), Stefan Webling (New Plymouth) and Chris Wootton (Brisbane) in the Toyota Racing Series, along with Whangarei’s Scott Harrison in the Suzuki Swift Sport Cup.
Following on from last weekend’s racing at Teretonga, the team will setup at Timaru on Wednesday to continue preparation of the cars for the Hampsta 200 event. With no pit-stop in the Mad Butcher Porsche race, the weekend starts with two practise sessions on the Friday before Saturday pre-race qualifying.
A 12-lap race on Saturday afternoon is followed by a second 12-lap race Sunday morning and the top-six reverse grid finale of 16 laps in the afternoon.
Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge 2009/2010 points after round three (of six) - top-nine.
Pos, car, driver, town
1 1 Craig Baird Queensland (Triple X) 793
2 21 Matt Halliday USA 707
3 3 Daniel Gaunt Auckland (Triple X) 666
4 9 Jonny Reid Auckland 619
5 8 David Reynolds Melbourne (Triple X) 584
6 82 Andrew Bagnall Auckland 447
7 96 Anthony Pedersen Rotorua 394
7 5 Courtney Letica Auckland (Triple X) 394
9 2 Shane McKillen Auckland (Triple X) 388
Triple X Motorsport driver line-up:
Car number 1: Craig Baird (Mad Butcher/ ZM Porsche 997) – first overall 2008/2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge
Car number 2: Shane McKillen (VnC Cocktails/Juice Bar Porsche 997)
Car number 3: Daniel Gaunt (Placemakers/Hampsta Porsche 997) – third overall 2008/2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge
Car number 5: Courtney Letica (Altherm Porsche 997)
Car number 8: David Reynolds (Indians Bar/Hampsta Porsche 997) – second overall 2008/2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Bamber second in final Toyota race
Wanganui 19-year-old Earl Bamber has finished today’s third race in the opening round of the 2010 Toyota Racing Series in second place after starting from pole at Invercargill’s Teretonga race circuit.
Initial woe with the gearbox in the Toyota FT40 was rectified overnight by Bamber’s Triple X Motorsport engineer group, allowing the former A1 Team New Zealand driver the opportunity to race for results.
However the pole position start was short-lived when Bamber nearly followed the car alongside him that jumped the start.
“It was mistake on my behalf at the start – the guy on the next row went and I followed, then stopped as I realised he was a bit early, then nearly stalled the car. So that was a distraction – but I take the blame for that,” said Bamber.
Looking back at his return to New Zealand’s premier wing’s and slicks race category, Bamber says the cars are so close there is little opportunity for overtaking – leaving one key to race success: “We have to put it down to qualifying at the start of the weekend. So I’m looking forward to Timaru next weekend – as we have a car that has improved ten-fold over the weekend with help from the fantastic team.”
Behind Bamber in the three-car Triple X Motorsport Toyota team, 21-year-old Stefan Webling of New Plymouth says his first championship round was a great learning experience.
“Obviously it was tough. We started out with a nice car and the pace was good. In these cars you have to qualify well to race well – which was evident in the last race when I had a fast car but a slow guy in front of me and I just couldn’t get past.”
Brisbane’s Chris Wootton introduction to racing in New Zealand has been challenged by a car that was assembled late on Thursday after damage to the monocoque tub.
“It’s a very professional series – and the cars are fun when they are running right. If it’s not running so well it’s not fun to drive,” said the 21-year-old.
With the second championship round next weekend at Timaru, the cars will be prepared on-site at the Levels Raceway for another three races (23-24 January).
Initial woe with the gearbox in the Toyota FT40 was rectified overnight by Bamber’s Triple X Motorsport engineer group, allowing the former A1 Team New Zealand driver the opportunity to race for results.
However the pole position start was short-lived when Bamber nearly followed the car alongside him that jumped the start.
“It was mistake on my behalf at the start – the guy on the next row went and I followed, then stopped as I realised he was a bit early, then nearly stalled the car. So that was a distraction – but I take the blame for that,” said Bamber.
Looking back at his return to New Zealand’s premier wing’s and slicks race category, Bamber says the cars are so close there is little opportunity for overtaking – leaving one key to race success: “We have to put it down to qualifying at the start of the weekend. So I’m looking forward to Timaru next weekend – as we have a car that has improved ten-fold over the weekend with help from the fantastic team.”
Behind Bamber in the three-car Triple X Motorsport Toyota team, 21-year-old Stefan Webling of New Plymouth says his first championship round was a great learning experience.
“Obviously it was tough. We started out with a nice car and the pace was good. In these cars you have to qualify well to race well – which was evident in the last race when I had a fast car but a slow guy in front of me and I just couldn’t get past.”
Brisbane’s Chris Wootton introduction to racing in New Zealand has been challenged by a car that was assembled late on Thursday after damage to the monocoque tub.
“It’s a very professional series – and the cars are fun when they are running right. If it’s not running so well it’s not fun to drive,” said the 21-year-old.
With the second championship round next weekend at Timaru, the cars will be prepared on-site at the Levels Raceway for another three races (23-24 January).
Triple podium finish for Triple X Porsche team
Winning the weekend’s third round of the 2009/10 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Melbourne’s David Reynolds led home team-mates Craig Baird and Daniel Gaunt for a one-two-three finish in the final race at Invercargill’s Teretonga circuit.
Reynolds in the #8 Hampsta Indians bar Porsche 997 won two of the weekend’s three races in the six round series, moving to fifth in the overall standings – behind series leader and defending champion Craig Baird in the sister Mad Butcher ZM car.
“It’s been a good weekend – we’ve got good cars with good race pace. Unfortunately losing one second the pit-stop in the first race cost me the triple victory,” said Reynolds.
“Everyone drove very well in the last race and drove hard - and that’s what I like doing.”
Baird’s 86-point lead at the head of the standings has him ahead of rival Matt Halliday and Triple X Motorsport team-mate Daniel Gaunt – driving the #3 Placemakers Hampsta Porsche 997.
With all of the team’s five cars finishing the three races, the picture perfect fine weather was a welcome return to Auckland’s Courtney Letica following his serious crash at the previous round near Christchurch.
However his final race was dealt an early set-back when he clashed with Matt Halliday during the warm-up lap. With both cars puncturing the pair started from pit-lane with Letica finishing fifth overall for the final race.
Also dealt an early-race blow, team principal Shane McKillen was hit and spun, rejoining the rear of the field to eventually finish in 12th position.
Damage-free, the five Porsche cars will undergo extensive preparation ahead of next weekend’s fourth round being held at Timaru (23-24 January 2010).
Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge 2009/2010 points after round three (of six) - top-nine.
Pos Car No. Name Hometown Total
1 1 Craig Baird Queensland 793
2 21 Matt Halliday USA 707
3 3 Daniel Gaunt Auckland 666
4 9 Jonny Reid Auckland 619
5 8 David Reynolds Melbourne 584
6 82 Andrew Bagnall Auckland 447
7 96 Anthony Pedersen Rotorua 394
8 5 Courtney Letica Auckland 394
9 2 Shane McKillen Auckland 388
Reynolds in the #8 Hampsta Indians bar Porsche 997 won two of the weekend’s three races in the six round series, moving to fifth in the overall standings – behind series leader and defending champion Craig Baird in the sister Mad Butcher ZM car.
“It’s been a good weekend – we’ve got good cars with good race pace. Unfortunately losing one second the pit-stop in the first race cost me the triple victory,” said Reynolds.
“Everyone drove very well in the last race and drove hard - and that’s what I like doing.”
Baird’s 86-point lead at the head of the standings has him ahead of rival Matt Halliday and Triple X Motorsport team-mate Daniel Gaunt – driving the #3 Placemakers Hampsta Porsche 997.
With all of the team’s five cars finishing the three races, the picture perfect fine weather was a welcome return to Auckland’s Courtney Letica following his serious crash at the previous round near Christchurch.
However his final race was dealt an early set-back when he clashed with Matt Halliday during the warm-up lap. With both cars puncturing the pair started from pit-lane with Letica finishing fifth overall for the final race.
Also dealt an early-race blow, team principal Shane McKillen was hit and spun, rejoining the rear of the field to eventually finish in 12th position.
Damage-free, the five Porsche cars will undergo extensive preparation ahead of next weekend’s fourth round being held at Timaru (23-24 January 2010).
Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge 2009/2010 points after round three (of six) - top-nine.
Pos Car No. Name Hometown Total
1 1 Craig Baird Queensland 793
2 21 Matt Halliday USA 707
3 3 Daniel Gaunt Auckland 666
4 9 Jonny Reid Auckland 619
5 8 David Reynolds Melbourne 584
6 82 Andrew Bagnall Auckland 447
7 96 Anthony Pedersen Rotorua 394
8 5 Courtney Letica Auckland 394
9 2 Shane McKillen Auckland 388
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Pole in Porsche for Triple X
Triple X Motorsport driver David Reynolds has set fastest time in qualifying for this weekend’s third round of the 2009/10 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge at Invercargill’s Teretonga circuit.
Driving the Indian’s bar Hampsta Porsche 997, Reynolds time of 57.854 seconds around the 2.61 kilometre circuit was 0.007 second faster than team-mate and current championship leader Craig Baird (MNZM) in the ZM Mad Butcher car.
From the second row behind his team-mates, Daniel Gaunt in the Placemakers Hampsta Porsche 997 starts from fourth position.
“I was very lucky to get pole I think,” said Melbourne based Reynolds. “The track conditions have changed considerably since yesterday with the weather and other cars making it different. I expected to go a lot quicker, but of course am happy to be on pole and to give myself the best chance to win the first race.”
For Baird, he says the afternoon Mad Butcher 100 kilometre race hinges a lot around the compulsory pit-stop to remove and replace two tyres on the car.
“Whoever does the better stop will win the race,” said the 39-year old ex-pat Kiwi. “I’ll rely on me for the start and I’ll rely on the team for the stop.”
The first time behind the wheel since his accident at Ruapuna late in November, Auckland’s Courtney Letica set seventh fastest time in the Altherm Porsche 997 – just ahead of team principal Shane McKillen in the brand-new VnC Cocktails Juice bar Porsche.
Often affected by weather extremes, mild conditions at Teretonga are expected to prevail, with increasing wind the only expected variation to the race that starts at 5:25pm.
Qualifying results Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge: CRC 200 at Teretonga (16 January 2010) - top eight.
Pos No. Name Best time
1 8 David Reynolds, Triple X, Melbourne 57.854
2 1 Craig Baird, Triple X, Gold Coast 57.861
3 21 Matt Halliday, USA 57.875
4 3 Daniel Gaunt, Triple X, Auckland 58.307
5 9 Jonny Reid, Auckland 58.311
6 32 Mitch Cunningham, Auckland 58.815
7 5 Courtney Letica, Triple X, Auckland 59.057
8 2 Shane McKillen, Triple X, Auckland 59.704
Driving the Indian’s bar Hampsta Porsche 997, Reynolds time of 57.854 seconds around the 2.61 kilometre circuit was 0.007 second faster than team-mate and current championship leader Craig Baird (MNZM) in the ZM Mad Butcher car.
From the second row behind his team-mates, Daniel Gaunt in the Placemakers Hampsta Porsche 997 starts from fourth position.
“I was very lucky to get pole I think,” said Melbourne based Reynolds. “The track conditions have changed considerably since yesterday with the weather and other cars making it different. I expected to go a lot quicker, but of course am happy to be on pole and to give myself the best chance to win the first race.”
For Baird, he says the afternoon Mad Butcher 100 kilometre race hinges a lot around the compulsory pit-stop to remove and replace two tyres on the car.
“Whoever does the better stop will win the race,” said the 39-year old ex-pat Kiwi. “I’ll rely on me for the start and I’ll rely on the team for the stop.”
The first time behind the wheel since his accident at Ruapuna late in November, Auckland’s Courtney Letica set seventh fastest time in the Altherm Porsche 997 – just ahead of team principal Shane McKillen in the brand-new VnC Cocktails Juice bar Porsche.
Often affected by weather extremes, mild conditions at Teretonga are expected to prevail, with increasing wind the only expected variation to the race that starts at 5:25pm.
Qualifying results Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge: CRC 200 at Teretonga (16 January 2010) - top eight.
Pos No. Name Best time
1 8 David Reynolds, Triple X, Melbourne 57.854
2 1 Craig Baird, Triple X, Gold Coast 57.861
3 21 Matt Halliday, USA 57.875
4 3 Daniel Gaunt, Triple X, Auckland 58.307
5 9 Jonny Reid, Auckland 58.311
6 32 Mitch Cunningham, Auckland 58.815
7 5 Courtney Letica, Triple X, Auckland 59.057
8 2 Shane McKillen, Triple X, Auckland 59.704
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Three Toyota Triple X Motorsport drivers head for Invercargill
Triple X Motorsport drivers Earl Bamber (Wanganui), Stefan Webling (New Plymouth) and Chris Wootton (Brisbane) start the five round Toyota Racing Series this weekend at Invercargill’s Teretonga Park Raceway (15-17 January).
The world’s most southern race venue, based eight kilometres west of the city, Teretonga’s 2.61 kilometre circuit begins the first full championship for the Auckland team, who run five Porsche 997 cars and a Suzuki Swift.
While Bamber and Webling have past experience in the Toyota cars, Wootton’s fresh experience in Asia ranks him as a top race place contender, bolstered by engineer Greg Wheeler, formerly with the Williams F1 Team and A1GP Malaysia.
“Having Earl as a team-mate is a great yardstick,” said 21-year-old Wootton. “I am looking forward to the challenge of racing against him and hopefully beating him!”
“The Toyota Racing Series gives us a chance to race across the summer and prepare for the remainder of the year. The schedule’s fantastic because we’re doing five events in a very short period of time.”
“Getting seat time and race miles are critical to improving and the TRS will certainly provide that. Having tough inter-team competition will also ensure I am at the top of my game.”
Having never raced in New Zealand, each of two South Island and three North Island circuits will be new to the part-time personal trainer.
“I go in fairly blind in terms of the circuits we’ll be racing on as obviously I haven’t raced there before and I haven’t been able to get onto a computer simulation, but learning new circuits is something I enjoy and in reality, it’s part of the thrill of racing.”
“With the test drive in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup car as the major prize – and outstanding prize money being offered right throughout the Series – it’s an excellent opportunity,” said Wootton of the incentive to win the New Zealand based series.
“There’s absolutely no doubt it’s going to be tough. The series from what I’ve seen is very similar to Formula BMW in that all the cars are very even, which makes for some close racing. From a sponsorship point of view, TRS is very well setup and you can take sponsors to the events and host them comfortably.”
Having won the 2009 New Zealand Grand Prix with driver Daniel Gaunt, team manager Ian McNabb says the Triple X Motorsport focus is on victory: “We’re intent on winning the overall title and defending the Grand Prix crown – giving each of the drivers as much experience as possible by sharing data. We’ve gone from dipping our toe in the water to a proper swim.”
A1 Team New Zealand mechanic Mark Pilcher will look after the three Triple X Motorsport Toyota cars that share technical expertise and management with a team that has cars contesting the Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and Suzuki Swift Sport Cup.
With the series officially starting on Friday 15 January, the Toyota trio will have two 30 minute practise sessions before Saturday’s race weekend qualifying. Championship point scoring starts with a 16-lap race Saturday afternoon, Southland's 16-lap historic "spirit of a nation" trophy race Sunday morning and a 12-lap finale that afternoon.
The second round follows a week later, held at Timaru’s Levels raceway (22-24 January).
The world’s most southern race venue, based eight kilometres west of the city, Teretonga’s 2.61 kilometre circuit begins the first full championship for the Auckland team, who run five Porsche 997 cars and a Suzuki Swift.
While Bamber and Webling have past experience in the Toyota cars, Wootton’s fresh experience in Asia ranks him as a top race place contender, bolstered by engineer Greg Wheeler, formerly with the Williams F1 Team and A1GP Malaysia.
“Having Earl as a team-mate is a great yardstick,” said 21-year-old Wootton. “I am looking forward to the challenge of racing against him and hopefully beating him!”
“The Toyota Racing Series gives us a chance to race across the summer and prepare for the remainder of the year. The schedule’s fantastic because we’re doing five events in a very short period of time.”
“Getting seat time and race miles are critical to improving and the TRS will certainly provide that. Having tough inter-team competition will also ensure I am at the top of my game.”
Having never raced in New Zealand, each of two South Island and three North Island circuits will be new to the part-time personal trainer.
“I go in fairly blind in terms of the circuits we’ll be racing on as obviously I haven’t raced there before and I haven’t been able to get onto a computer simulation, but learning new circuits is something I enjoy and in reality, it’s part of the thrill of racing.”
“With the test drive in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup car as the major prize – and outstanding prize money being offered right throughout the Series – it’s an excellent opportunity,” said Wootton of the incentive to win the New Zealand based series.
“There’s absolutely no doubt it’s going to be tough. The series from what I’ve seen is very similar to Formula BMW in that all the cars are very even, which makes for some close racing. From a sponsorship point of view, TRS is very well setup and you can take sponsors to the events and host them comfortably.”
Having won the 2009 New Zealand Grand Prix with driver Daniel Gaunt, team manager Ian McNabb says the Triple X Motorsport focus is on victory: “We’re intent on winning the overall title and defending the Grand Prix crown – giving each of the drivers as much experience as possible by sharing data. We’ve gone from dipping our toe in the water to a proper swim.”
A1 Team New Zealand mechanic Mark Pilcher will look after the three Triple X Motorsport Toyota cars that share technical expertise and management with a team that has cars contesting the Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and Suzuki Swift Sport Cup.
With the series officially starting on Friday 15 January, the Toyota trio will have two 30 minute practise sessions before Saturday’s race weekend qualifying. Championship point scoring starts with a 16-lap race Saturday afternoon, Southland's 16-lap historic "spirit of a nation" trophy race Sunday morning and a 12-lap finale that afternoon.
The second round follows a week later, held at Timaru’s Levels raceway (22-24 January).
Baird to extend Porsche lead for Triple X
Currently first and second overall in the 2009/2010 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, Auckland’s five car Triple X Motorsport team head to the often extreme weather location of Invercargill for the second-half of the championship season this weekend (15-17 January).
The third of six rounds on the championship calendar and the first of two back to back race weekends, Teretonga, the world’s most southern race venue, has been dominated by the Triple X Motorsport squad for the last two years.
With the goal of placing three of their cars again in the top-three overall, championship leader Craig Baird says the team’s third event at Teretonga is to again focus on winning. Announced in the New Year honours list for services to motorsport, Baird, driving the #1 Mad Butcher/ZM Porsche 997, has a 102 point lead over team-mate Daniel Gaunt driving the #3 Placemakers/Hampsta Porsche 997.
“We didn’t have a great last round – with the weather opposite to the tyre strategy. But in saying that I came away with a bigger points lead in the championship – extending further from Matt Halliday.”
“The weather is probably more of a factor at Teretonga; it’s known for glorious weather, pouring rain and cold. We’ve got the team around us to make the best of any situation, but putting more wins on the board is up there,” added Baird.
His first race event since the New Year honours announcement, the 39-year-old ex-pat Kiwi says the award topped a very special year that he’d like to extend with a sixth Porsche title.
Joining Baird and Gaunt in the quest for a podium lock-out, Melbourne’s David Reynolds will again drive the ex- Mike Morton #8 Hampsta/Indians Bar Porsche 997. Returning to the team for the Ruapuna weekend, Reynolds won all three races to move from last in the standings to currently sit seventh overall.
Another making a return, Auckland 21-year-old Courtney Letica has received the necessary medical clearance following his crash in qualifying at Ruapuna.
Suffering concussion and a fracture in his left ankle, he missed the three races to drop him from third overall to 12th after the second round.
Letica, needing to replace the #5 Altherm Porsche 997 that was heavily damaged, will drive the car relinquished by team principal Shane McKillen, who has purchased a brand new 2009 model 997.
The new #2 VnC Cocktails/Juice Bar Porsche 997 will allow McKillen to continue from his 11th overall in the points standing with three races on the programme around the 2.61 kilometre race circuit.
Following the journey from Auckland to Invercargill, the team have an early start to the weekend with the addition of three Toyota Racing Series cars to the stable of five Porsches and a Suzuki Swift.
Two test sessions on the Friday precede hot-lap rides for competition winners and team business partners. With qualifying on Saturday morning, racing begins with the Mad Butcher 100 kilometre race in the late afternoon. Including a compulsory pit-stop, there is also the incentive of a doubled points offer for the winner.
With the Porsche wheel attached by a single wheel-nut, the pit-stop tyre change can be completed quickly, however rules stipulate the wheel nut must be check torqued following its tightening by the gas-powered impact gun. With only two people allowed to do the task, they must also reinstall the wheel-nut safety clip before it is lowered from the in-board air-jacks and allowed to re-join the race. Taking approximately 25 seconds to complete, the process can be the difference between a win and a placing.
Sunday returns to the sprint format, with a 12-lap race late morning, followed by the afternoon top-six reverse grid 16-lap finale.
Chasing for a total of 300 points spread across the three races, drivers need to be mindful of limited time and resources to repair/prepare before the next race at Timaru a week later (22-24 January).
Triple X Motorsport driver line-up:
Car number 1: Craig Baird (Mad Butcher/ ZM Porsche 997) – first overall 2008/2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge
Car number 2: Shane McKillen (VnC Cocktails/Juice Bar Porsche 997)
Car number 3: Daniel Gaunt (Placemakers/Hampsta Porsche 997) – third overall 2008/2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge
Car number 5: Courtney Letica (Altherm Porsche 997)
Car number 8: David Reynolds (Indians Bar/Hampsta Porsche 997) – second overall 2008/2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge.
Points: 2009/2010 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge – top 11 after round two.
Pos, car, driver, home, points
1 1 Craig Baird (Triple X) Queensland 546
2 3 Daniel Gaunt (Triple X) Auckland 444
3 9 Matt Halliday USA 436
4 21 Jonny Reid Auckland 430
5 96 Anthony Pedersen Rotorua 394
6 32 Mitch Cunningham Auckland 306
7 82 David Reynolds (Triple X) Melbourne 300
8 5 Andrew Bagnall Auckland 288
9 8 Simon McLennan Wellington 242
10 26 Simon Evans Auckland 238
11 11 Shane McKillen (Triple X) Auckland 237
The third of six rounds on the championship calendar and the first of two back to back race weekends, Teretonga, the world’s most southern race venue, has been dominated by the Triple X Motorsport squad for the last two years.
With the goal of placing three of their cars again in the top-three overall, championship leader Craig Baird says the team’s third event at Teretonga is to again focus on winning. Announced in the New Year honours list for services to motorsport, Baird, driving the #1 Mad Butcher/ZM Porsche 997, has a 102 point lead over team-mate Daniel Gaunt driving the #3 Placemakers/Hampsta Porsche 997.
“We didn’t have a great last round – with the weather opposite to the tyre strategy. But in saying that I came away with a bigger points lead in the championship – extending further from Matt Halliday.”
“The weather is probably more of a factor at Teretonga; it’s known for glorious weather, pouring rain and cold. We’ve got the team around us to make the best of any situation, but putting more wins on the board is up there,” added Baird.
His first race event since the New Year honours announcement, the 39-year-old ex-pat Kiwi says the award topped a very special year that he’d like to extend with a sixth Porsche title.
Joining Baird and Gaunt in the quest for a podium lock-out, Melbourne’s David Reynolds will again drive the ex- Mike Morton #8 Hampsta/Indians Bar Porsche 997. Returning to the team for the Ruapuna weekend, Reynolds won all three races to move from last in the standings to currently sit seventh overall.
Another making a return, Auckland 21-year-old Courtney Letica has received the necessary medical clearance following his crash in qualifying at Ruapuna.
Suffering concussion and a fracture in his left ankle, he missed the three races to drop him from third overall to 12th after the second round.
Letica, needing to replace the #5 Altherm Porsche 997 that was heavily damaged, will drive the car relinquished by team principal Shane McKillen, who has purchased a brand new 2009 model 997.
The new #2 VnC Cocktails/Juice Bar Porsche 997 will allow McKillen to continue from his 11th overall in the points standing with three races on the programme around the 2.61 kilometre race circuit.
Following the journey from Auckland to Invercargill, the team have an early start to the weekend with the addition of three Toyota Racing Series cars to the stable of five Porsches and a Suzuki Swift.
Two test sessions on the Friday precede hot-lap rides for competition winners and team business partners. With qualifying on Saturday morning, racing begins with the Mad Butcher 100 kilometre race in the late afternoon. Including a compulsory pit-stop, there is also the incentive of a doubled points offer for the winner.
With the Porsche wheel attached by a single wheel-nut, the pit-stop tyre change can be completed quickly, however rules stipulate the wheel nut must be check torqued following its tightening by the gas-powered impact gun. With only two people allowed to do the task, they must also reinstall the wheel-nut safety clip before it is lowered from the in-board air-jacks and allowed to re-join the race. Taking approximately 25 seconds to complete, the process can be the difference between a win and a placing.
Sunday returns to the sprint format, with a 12-lap race late morning, followed by the afternoon top-six reverse grid 16-lap finale.
Chasing for a total of 300 points spread across the three races, drivers need to be mindful of limited time and resources to repair/prepare before the next race at Timaru a week later (22-24 January).
Triple X Motorsport driver line-up:
Car number 1: Craig Baird (Mad Butcher/ ZM Porsche 997) – first overall 2008/2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge
Car number 2: Shane McKillen (VnC Cocktails/Juice Bar Porsche 997)
Car number 3: Daniel Gaunt (Placemakers/Hampsta Porsche 997) – third overall 2008/2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge
Car number 5: Courtney Letica (Altherm Porsche 997)
Car number 8: David Reynolds (Indians Bar/Hampsta Porsche 997) – second overall 2008/2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge.
Points: 2009/2010 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge – top 11 after round two.
Pos, car, driver, home, points
1 1 Craig Baird (Triple X) Queensland 546
2 3 Daniel Gaunt (Triple X) Auckland 444
3 9 Matt Halliday USA 436
4 21 Jonny Reid Auckland 430
5 96 Anthony Pedersen Rotorua 394
6 32 Mitch Cunningham Auckland 306
7 82 David Reynolds (Triple X) Melbourne 300
8 5 Andrew Bagnall Auckland 288
9 8 Simon McLennan Wellington 242
10 26 Simon Evans Auckland 238
11 11 Shane McKillen (Triple X) Auckland 237
Sunday, January 10, 2010
What the team have been up to
During the first week of the 2010 New Year members of the Triple X Motorsport team have been doing a variety of activities in the build-up to the race weekend at Teretonga mid-January.
Craig Baird: Following his announcement of being included in the 2010 New Year honours list, Craig has been on holiday in New Zealand with his family – including a stint camping. Never far from a steering wheel, his bug for racing at speedway in the weekend fell short when he was unable to secure the necessary licence. Now his focus is joining the team for the two-in-two races – with family in tow.
Dan Gaunt: Trying for time-out building up to his gigantic year to be, Dan admits to thinking slightly about his V8 Supercar season ahead of maintaining his podium position in the New Zealand Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge standings. As chauffeur in bringing one of the four Triple X Motorsport transport vehicles to the South Island, he is part of the crew travelling Auckland to Invercargill and return. Via Queenstown of course.
David Reynolds: Returning to Melbourne after a few days with family, David has been rather serious. Repeated and long bike rides are David’s claim to Tour de France training ahead of his New Zealand visit where he’s planning on leap-frogging competition in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge to help the team to another one-two-three.
Courtney Letica: A very busy time recuperating following the late November accident at Ruapuna, Courtney has been on light work duties followed by plenty of physio – allowing for a full doctors clearance to resume racing.
Shane McKillen and Michael Morton: Have both been on Waiheke Island for the past week with their respective family groups enjoying boating, fishing and catch-up time with people they don’t get to see during their hectic schedules.
Todd, Lance, Adam: Met in Palmerston North just after New Year to spend a couple days at the Bamber’s Wanganui Safari Park helping out with their animal management – whilst getting to know the family behind the team’s Toyota driver: Earl. Whilst there were some occasions where scenes of ‘Rambo’ were re-enacted, it was a very productive time for all before a change of clothes and resumption of the journey south.
Ian: Like Dan, his adopted and potentially biological son, Ian has been taking a little time-out from a year that ended with three Toyota Racing Series cars being added to his management plan. Joining the convoy south, he intends laying low as part of a strategy to unveil what the race weekend strategy will be.
Timo: Following a New Year holiday in Whangamata with his children, Timo has been nose to the grindstone (linishing belt actually), before locking his car preparation workshop and joining the team for the two-week South Island trip.
Mark: Our Harry has been a little sneaky, arriving in to Queenstown a little earlier than the rest of the team he’s been making himself conspicuous by his absence. A fancy explanation for being on holiday, he has been spying on competition to his mountain bike park, enjoying the wannabe talent at work.
Gareth and Peter: Have both been good little boys and kept South Canterbury Toyota in full swing by maintaining their presence during the holiday season. The good news is they get time off for good behaviour to join the team for the two weekends of racing.
Adrian: Last and never least, Cosmo has been MIA in Adelaide - something to do with the extreme heat.
Craig Baird: Following his announcement of being included in the 2010 New Year honours list, Craig has been on holiday in New Zealand with his family – including a stint camping. Never far from a steering wheel, his bug for racing at speedway in the weekend fell short when he was unable to secure the necessary licence. Now his focus is joining the team for the two-in-two races – with family in tow.
Dan Gaunt: Trying for time-out building up to his gigantic year to be, Dan admits to thinking slightly about his V8 Supercar season ahead of maintaining his podium position in the New Zealand Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge standings. As chauffeur in bringing one of the four Triple X Motorsport transport vehicles to the South Island, he is part of the crew travelling Auckland to Invercargill and return. Via Queenstown of course.
David Reynolds: Returning to Melbourne after a few days with family, David has been rather serious. Repeated and long bike rides are David’s claim to Tour de France training ahead of his New Zealand visit where he’s planning on leap-frogging competition in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge to help the team to another one-two-three.
Courtney Letica: A very busy time recuperating following the late November accident at Ruapuna, Courtney has been on light work duties followed by plenty of physio – allowing for a full doctors clearance to resume racing.
Shane McKillen and Michael Morton: Have both been on Waiheke Island for the past week with their respective family groups enjoying boating, fishing and catch-up time with people they don’t get to see during their hectic schedules.
Todd, Lance, Adam: Met in Palmerston North just after New Year to spend a couple days at the Bamber’s Wanganui Safari Park helping out with their animal management – whilst getting to know the family behind the team’s Toyota driver: Earl. Whilst there were some occasions where scenes of ‘Rambo’ were re-enacted, it was a very productive time for all before a change of clothes and resumption of the journey south.
Ian: Like Dan, his adopted and potentially biological son, Ian has been taking a little time-out from a year that ended with three Toyota Racing Series cars being added to his management plan. Joining the convoy south, he intends laying low as part of a strategy to unveil what the race weekend strategy will be.
Timo: Following a New Year holiday in Whangamata with his children, Timo has been nose to the grindstone (linishing belt actually), before locking his car preparation workshop and joining the team for the two-week South Island trip.
Mark: Our Harry has been a little sneaky, arriving in to Queenstown a little earlier than the rest of the team he’s been making himself conspicuous by his absence. A fancy explanation for being on holiday, he has been spying on competition to his mountain bike park, enjoying the wannabe talent at work.
Gareth and Peter: Have both been good little boys and kept South Canterbury Toyota in full swing by maintaining their presence during the holiday season. The good news is they get time off for good behaviour to join the team for the two weekends of racing.
Adrian: Last and never least, Cosmo has been MIA in Adelaide - something to do with the extreme heat.
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