Three-time New Zealand V8 touring car champion John McIntyre has been signed to partner Australian driver Will Davison in his Ford Performance Racing (FPR) V8 Supercar for next season’s two main endurance races.

McIntyre will join Davison in the #6 Tradingpost FPR Falcon for the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 events in September and October next year.

In an announcement from FPR today team principal Tim Edwards said he was pleased to secure McIntyre’s services before the 2012 season started.

As well as the three New Zealand V8 titles, McIntyre has two V8 Supercar podiums to his credit and this year finished fifth at the L&H 500 at Phillip Island and sixth at Bathurst co-driving with fellow Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen and Stone Brothers Racing.

McIntyre said: “First up, FPR is the Ford factory team and as a Ford-supported driver it is a real honour to be driving with them.

“As a professional V8 Supercar co-driver I only enter two races a year in Australia so my goal has to be to win the endurance events and in particular, Bathurst. To head there in the #6 Tradingpost FPR Falcon with Will Davison in 2012 gives me my greatest shot yet at a Bathurst win.

“It is also a relief to know where I am driving well before the New Year. Last year I had six or seven months out of the car and that makes it hard. I have now met the team and tested the car before the year is out which puts us on the front foot and gives us a jump on everyone else.”

McIntyre enjoyed his first taste of FPR machinery at the team’s final test day of the year at Winton Motor Raceway in northern Victoria on 12 December.

Edwards noted McIntyre’s impressive performances in this year’s enduros.

“After analysing John’s performances against his team-mate this year and against the other co-drivers, it was clear that he was one of the standout performers,” Edwards said.

“It is a real boost to our team to secure someone of his experience so far in advance of next season as it will allow us extra time to integrate John into our team and get him familiar with Will and our car.

“That process starts today with our test so we are already well underway with our preparations for next year. By winning the last race of the year and with our endurance race line-up already locked away, we head into the off-season break in the ideal position.”

FPR’s other driver Mark Winterbottom will again be partnered by Steve Richards in 2012 in the #5 Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon as Richards is entering the second season of his two-year endurance race deal with the team.

John McIntyre Racing appreciates the support of Blackwoods Paykels, Protector Safety, Amcor, Talley’s, Castrol Edge, BP Ultimate, NZ Ceiling and Drywall Supplies, Ideal Electrical, Websters Hydrated Lime Co, Squawking Magpie Wines, Dynamic Fluid Systems, EATON, Ford New Zealand, Irwin Tools and Showquip.

More details about McIntyre and his team can be found on www.jmr.co.nz

The say the final moments of this year’s Bathurst 1000 were exciting would be an understatement – it was a dead set thriller.

After six hours, twenty-six minutes and fifty-two seconds on the Mount Panorama track the difference between the leading two V8 Supercars came down to just 0.29 seconds. The Toll Holden Racing Team pairing of Garth Tander and Nick Percat crossed the line first closely followed the Team Vodafone pairing of Bathurst veterans Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife.

With 21 laps to go Lowndes was running in seventh, but by lap 148 the seasoned competitor had made his way into second. It was all set up for a grandstand finish and that’s exactly what spectators and fans at home got. Four time winner Lowndes continued to push up on Tander but the rookie held his nerve and Lowndes couldn’t force his way through. Epic stuff and the winning margin of 0.2917s is the closest in the history of the great race. (more…)

For those who love a bit of NASCAR the name Darrell Waltrip will be well known. This legend of the sport is a three time Winston Cup champion and has a huge 84 race wins at the pinnacle of stock car racing.

But he’s never been in a V8 Supercar – till now. Waltrip was taken on a hot lap of the Bathurst circuit last weekend as part of the American coverage of the great race. Waltrip rode shotgun with Jason Bright in his Holden Commodore up Mount Panorama and it was quite an experience for the ex-racer. Waltrip looks far from comfortable on a course that’s not just an oval, it looks intense. In the video below, if you can put up with Waltrip’s ramblings during the lap there’s an interesting interview that follows. (more…)

New Zealand racing driver Matt Halliday is feeling confident after his recent testing with Jim Beam Racing in preparation for the Australian V8 Supercar Endurance races commencing this coming weekend. Halliday has been signed to drive in the high profile Phillip Island and Bathurst races where he will partner Aussie driver James Moffatt in their Jim Beam Ford Falcon FG.

The two day test was held at the Queensland Raceway last week and proved to be an excellent opportunity to become acquainted with the team and undertake several fast laps. This year will mark Halliday’s 7th appearance at Bathurst where his best performance has been 4th place overall and 1st Kiwi driver home last year.

“It’s been great coming back to Australia to do some serious testing and get a good feel for the Jim Beam car which performs very well. The team have been great in testing so we will be in with a shot for a strong result at both races if everything goes to plan” said Halliday from the Gold Coast earlier this week. (more…)

If you subscribe to NZV8 Magazine this month you’ll go into the draw to win one of two Bathurst supporters packs.

Thanks to www.lionsden.co.nz we have two packs to give away:

Prize 1 consists of a men’s HRT team shirt, HRT cap and HRT supporters flag.

Prize 2 consists of a women’s Team Vodafone sleeveless vest and Team Vodafone supporters flag.

Subscribe to NZ V8 from only $49!
•    Get every issue delivered direct to your door, before it is available in the shops.
•    Never miss an issue.
•    Automatic entry into all our subscriber draws.
•    Remember, all current NZ Performance Car subscribers are entered in the draw for all subscription prizes.

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Ex F1 champ Jenson Button has become the first person to ever run an F1 car around Australia’s iconic Mount Panorama Bathurst circuit.

In a special event that took place in the build-up to the Australian GP, Vodafone took Button and Aussie V8 Supercar driver Craig Lowndes to Mount Panorama to have a little fun and make history. The two drivers traded laps in a 2008 McLaren MP4-23 Formula 1 car.

Button took the honours of getting on to the track first and ran five laps of the circuit he clocked in a best lap of 1:48 before coming in and giving Lowndes a turn. Lowndes, always the professional, did very well in his laps, recording a best of 1:49. Lowndes also became the first Australian to take an F1 car around Bathurst, an honour Mark Webber may have liked.

Check out a video below of the two drivers taking the F1 car around the mountain. (more…)

Holden’s high-performance division HSV has just announced that is has struck up a relationship with V8 Supercars, and will become the Official Safety and Course Car Supplier to V8 Supercars for the 2011 season.

General Manager of Marketing at HSV, Tim Jackson, said HSV is thrilled to be increasing its presence at V8 Supercar rounds by supplying the safety and course cars for the 2011 Championship.

“We have been in discussions for some time with V8 Supercars, and it is great that we have been able to strike this type of relationship.”

“In addition to the safety and course cars, our association includes some exclusive on-track initiatives for HSV, and provides us a great opportunity to integrate our entire race relations program which incorporates the Holden Racing Team, Bundaberg Racing, Garth Tander, Greg Murphy, Fabian Coulthard and Cameron McConville.”

“We look forward to providing consumers a very exclusive on-track HSV Drive Experience with our race drivers at selected events, as well as expanding on the ‘Speed Trap’ at Bathurst by incorporating it into more events, and utilising more data for fans to enjoy.”

V8 Supercars CEO Martin Whitaker said it’s great to have HSV on board leading the 2011 V8 Supercar field. (more…)

Driving for Stone Brothers Racing, the driver pairing of Shane van Gisbergen and John McIntyre is rated by many as the all-Kiwi team with the best chance of winning Australasia’s most famous motor race, the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, which is running this Sunday 10 October.

McIntyre, who has twice won the New Zealand V8 championship, says it’s exciting to be lining up with van Gisbergen at ‘the great race’, the star endurance events of the Australian V8 Supercar championship.

“The bookmakers have us as the top rated all-Kiwi driver pairing, so we’re not the only people expecting us to do well!” says the Nelson-based McIntyre.

“This is the first time that I’ve been driving in a car classed as one of the potential winners, so that’s a real highlight for me. It’s also the first time I’ve been contracted to drive at Bathurst two years in a row, so that gives me a lot of confidence that, together, Shane and I can do a great job in the #9 SP Tools Falcon.”

McIntyre says that they haven’t dwelled on not finishing as well as they’d hoped at the Phillip Island endurance round in September due to a misfire in the engine that started on lap seven. Despite that, the car continued running, albeit not at peak pace, for the entire 113 lap race.

“The team’s sorted the car, so you just get on and focus on your next race. For me, that’s been about continuing to push hard with my fitness as the main thing I can do to benefit my race preparation. Bathurst can have varied weather — if it’s hot, then your own fitness and ability to endure the heat are vital elements of your preparation.”

McIntyre says he and van Gisbergen want to win. “It’s that simple. We want to win Bathurst and together with the team we’ll develop a game plan in the day or so before the race on Sunday 10 October.”

McIntyre left New Zealand yesterday to meet up with SBR in Sydney before heading to the famous Mt Panorama circuit in the New South Wales town of Bathurst.

The team has three practice sessions on Thursday, two practice sessions and a qualifying session on Friday, another practice and the top ten shootout on Saturday before Sunday’s 1000 km race starting at 10:30am, Australian time.

Photo Credit: Stone Brothers Racing