New Zealand V8 race driver Kayne Scott has officially committed to the new V8SuperTourer race series which will begin in February next year. ‘

Scott, from Hamilton, and the Racing Projects team of Nigel Barclay, based in Penrose, Auckland, will join in a VE Holden Commodore. He joins a growing list of Kiwi racing talent in the new series that now includes Greg Murphy, John McIntyre, Paul Manuell and Andy Booth. The inclusion of these top level drivers has allowed the V8SuperTourer Series organisers to label it the ‘V8 Series Of Champions’.

The new cars will be four door touring cars built on a control race chassis powered by an all-alloy, 7-litre fuel injected engine producing 550 horsepower. The cars will feature a 6-speed sequential gearbox.

Scott had a chance to drive the series prototype at Hampton Downs last month (read news) and is excited at its potential. “While I haven’t had much time at the wheel of the new car it is an exciting prospect. The finish of the car is superb and, from a brief taste in the wet at Hampton Downs recently, I am looking forward to getting to grips with a machine that compares favourably to a V8 Supercar.”

Racing Projects manager Nigel Barclay is equally enthusiastic. “They are pretty cool cars. They look good, sound good and look as though they will be nice to work on. I’m looking forward to getting up and running.” (more…)

LG Motorsport’s Angus Fogg maintains a narrow advantage at the top of the BNT V8s Championship points-table after the sixth and penultimate round of the premier touring car series in Taupo over the weekend.

Fogg, from Auckland’s North Shore, has a lead of just seven points over former NZV8 champion Kayne Scott after a challenging weekend for the LG-ZB Falcon driver.

“In Saturday’s qualifying, there just wasn’t any pace in the car and we weren’t 100% sure what was wrong,” says Fogg, who managed the eleventh fastest qualifying time, just missing the top ten.

Race one and things looked to be going Fogg’s way as the driver got an absolutely brilliant start to leapfrog from 11th to fourth within a few hundred metres of the rolling start.

“I got a good break around the outside over a bunch who were snarling each other up. That was pretty good to hold fourth and take the 54 points. We changed a couple of things with the car, but regrettably the car was pretty average and it was a bit like being a ping pong ball in that second race. The LG-ZB Falcon sustained some damage and eighth was the best we could do.”

The team changed the car’s set-up back to what it had been, giving Fogg a stronger car for the long reverse grid race. “The car was pretty good,” says Fogg. “I was rocketing my way forward through the field pretty well until I flat-spotted a tyre. A lap later the right front tyre was ripped off the rim after I’d gone past the pit lane entry, so had to do a whole lap on a flat tyre. The LG-ZB Falcon crew got the wheel changed and at least got me out to finish the race and score whatever points we could.” (more…)

On this week’s show we head out to the Thunder in the Park event at Pukekohe where we take a good look at some of the muscular metal taking part. We check out Colin Meadow’s C4 Corvette, Graham Barnes’ GT2 V8 Ford Capri and plenty of others. We go onboard in Kayne Scott’s V8 race car, which is now the fastest circuit racing saloon car in New Zealand, and have a scorching hot lap around Pukekohe. From circuit racing to the strip, where we go to Fram Autolite Dragway and catch the action from the NAC Drag Combat. We watch as the best cars from the V8 scene battle against the fastest imports. We take a special look at Wayne Yearbury’s awesome 6-second doorslammer (pictured).

It’s set to be an epic show and not to be missed so don’t forget to tune in this Sunday.

NZV8 TV is on at 2:30 pm, this Sunday on TV1.

Click here to view profiles of this season’s presenters.

If you missed the first six episodes of this season’s NZV8 TV, no worries, click here to view them online.

To view Episode 7, click on the video boxes below.

Part 1.

Part 2.

Veteran racer Craig Baird MNZM has high expectations at defending his maiden NZ V8s title as the Gold Coast based Kiwi eyes steering the #1 Ford Falcon in to the record books.

Contested over seven rounds starting at Pukekohe this weekend (6-7 November 2010), Baird will conclude the title chase at the Hamilton V8 Supercar weekend mid-April 2011.

“I’m out for the double double,” said the racer veteran who secured both the 2009/2010 NZ V8s title and Porsche Cup Challenge last summer.

“Winning two premier race championships in the same season hasn’t been done before so if I can double my double will make it very hard for anyone to repeat.”

Fresh from championship competition in Asia, Baird says being continually behind the wheel is a real advantage when it comes to being sharp from the start.  That’s despite not having driven the car since seizing the NZ V8s title at Taupo earlier this year.  Using the same United Video Ford Falcon, he says its preparation for the coming season is nothing short of perfect.  Father-in-law Garry Pedersen is principally involved at ensuring it’s ready for what will be the third season with Baird behind the wheel.

“Garry and Dennis (Huijser) supply me a very good tool to work with — as they know the car so well.  And being our third year I think it will be a little bit easier; I’ve got two years under my belt, won some races, got a few pole positions, won a championship — so I don’t have to prove anything to people, just get out there and do what I do.”

Another point Baird hammers home as pivotal to success: consistency within the team.

“I think it means a lot to any driver — having the same guys, who are obviously at the top of their game, on your team.  While it’s similar for the likes of John McIntyre, and Kayne Scott too in some ways, knowing everyone and what they do gives confidence in knowing exactly what I have and need to do.”

Also contesting the Porsche Cup Challenge with Triple X Motorsport, Baird says the two cars are worlds apart, but changes to the brake package available to the NZ V8s cars should help make it a more precision tool.

(more…)

Three wins from three races for John McIntyre during the New Zealand V8 touring car races at the ITM 400 V8 Supercar event in Hamilton topped off the final weekend of the 2009/10 season for the two-time NZV8 champion and his team.

McIntyre racked up his 50th race victory in an NZV8 during the weekend’s second race and topped that with his 51st NZV8 win on the final afternoon of action. John McIntyre Racing, the team formed by McIntyre in 2006, secured their 30th NZV8 win as a team, an achievement of which McIntyre is particularly proud.

“It’s a huge achievement to do well in this series, and particularly in Hamilton. Not only do you need a quick car, you need a car that can hold together for 16 laps of absolute punishment. The circuit’s incredibly hard on the car and our team can be enormously proud of their efforts — not just here this weekend — but all season with the phenomenal car preparation and team-work,” says the Nelson-based driver.

The weekend’s non-championship races for McIntyre and the NZV8 field started on Friday when the three scheduled qualifying sessions were cut short by officials. Having been fastest during testing and the first qualifying session, McIntyre was third fastest in the second session. With the sudden announcement that the top ten shootout was being cancelled, there wasn’t much McIntyre could do except make the best of the situation. “That’s why you aim to be quickest in every qualifying session.”

Saturday and race one, scheduled to be 12 laps in length but shortened to nine, saw McIntyre pushed back into fourth on the first corner but eventually he was able to get back past Andy Knight and then catch up with Tim Edgell and Kayne Scott. This put McIntyre in the perfect position to take advantage of Edgell’s brake issue and Scott leaving a gap, and pass both to take the lead and the race victory.

Starting from pole for race two on Sunday morning, 12 laps, McIntyre says he missed second gear during the rolling start.

(more…)

With the New Zealand summer championship motor racing series now completed for another season, all eyes turn to Hamilton this coming weekend where the BNT V8s will contest their annual Trophy Round as main support to the Australian V8 Supercars at the ITM 400. As usual this will be the only opportunity for New Zealand’s premier motor racing category to showcase their skills on a purpose built “street circuit” the nature of which is now a familiar format for the V8 Supercars.

Not only will this be an opportunity for the BNT V8 drivers to taste the technical and high risk environment of street course racing but it is also their chance to impress visiting team managers who may be scouting for drivers to contest either the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Development series or even the endurance races later in the season. Similarly, several high profile international journalists will also be in attendance and looking to identify standout drivers.

One aspect of the Trophy Round which proves so exciting is the fact that no points are on offer so it becomes a hard charging win at all cost contest. Add into the mix the fact drivers are racing in front of their biggest spectator crowd of the season together with a huge TV audience and the rewards for winning are obvious.

Early indications are that the pace setters for weekend will be former champions John McIntyre (Talleys Falcon) and Kayne Scott (Fujitsu Heat Pumps Falcon) who both featured prominently in last years Hamilton races. McIntyre finished runner up ahead of Scott in the recent BNT V8s Championship and was most impressive in his one-off appearance in the Adelaide V8 Supercar Development races last month. Both drivers have also made appearances at Bathurst so experience will definitely be on their side.

Behind the two favourites, the outlook becomes more complicated as a group of nine drivers are in a position to cause a sensation. Top of that list would be Tim Edgell (Chesters Falcon) who not only performed with distinction at last year’s ITM 400 but was the big mover in the BNT V8s Championship by taking 4th place outright including his first pole position and race win of his V8 career. There would also be no surprise if Angus Fogg (LG / Newstalk ZB Falcon) was to steal the limelight especially considering his qualifying ability and the fact he was again a race winner in the recent Championship.

(more…)

In an impressive debut for both car and driver Kayne Scott of Hamilton took the new Derin Greenslade Jaguar to a clean sweep at an exciting Round 4 of the GTRNZ Series at Pukekohe Park Raceway, south of Auckland weekend. It was another action packed weekend for the series with great racing and numerous incidents as the huge saloon car fields battled for honours in the three classes.

Scott, the current NZV8 Champion, was having his first outing in the series running in the fastest of the three classes - GT1 - in the Jaguar. The Hamilton driver was the fastest in qualifying on Saturday, won the opening race later that day after a great dice with defending champion Grant Brennan of Tauranga and then won both of Sundays races, coming through the field on both occasions.

After Scott took pole by a substantial margin he and Brennan had a fierce battle in the opening race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon. It was big banger saloon racing at its best as the duo raced side by side disputing the lead. Brennan managed a new lap record of 55.619 seconds during the battle but his race was run when a problem with the left rear hub on his Brennan SB2 Corvette saw him pitched off the circuit and into the barriers.

(more…)

Newly-crowned BNT V8 champion Kayne Scott took three victories to dominate the BNT V8 support races at the Hamilton 400. Scott also set a new lap record in the #1 Fujitsu Ford on the slightly revised circuit to complete an excellent final weekend for the Mark Petch Motor Sport team which has backed Scott for many years.

When asked about the weekend’s result, Scott simply said: “I’m very happy!” which is understandable when he demonstrated such a brilliant run of form on the streets of Hamilton — his hometown — to start his season as defending BNT V8s champion. Although the three Hamilton races are not championship races, Scott’s three race victories also earn him the honour of the trophy round win.

Scott was just pipped for pole position by LG Ford driver Angus Fogg during Friday’s official qualifying and then had to fight hard to win the weekend’s first 14-lap race. But his start-to-finish victories in the other two races in what was obviously a strong-running car secured the trophy.

Second for the weekend was Auckland driver Tim Edgell in the Chesters Ford. Having been unable to set a qualifying time on Friday due to a broken driveshaft, Edgell drove from the rear of the 20-strong starting grid into a well-deserved fifth place in the first race. From there he improved to finish second in race two, but faced a serious challenge from a hard-charging Fogg in race three when Fogg drove through the field from twelfth to snatch second place from Edgell. The second and third places that Edgell secured on the Hamilton street circuit are his best two results all season.

Fogg finished the trophy weekend third overall. Having set his first pole position this season, the LG Ford driver was tangled in a variety of situations — some his own doing, many caused by others. Despite the challenges, North Shore-based ‘Foggy’ secured two second places and a twelfth to complete the final round of the BNT V8s 2008-09 season on the podium.

Dean Perkins made up for not competing in the whole BNT V8s championship with a strong run in Hamilton, putting together fourth, fifth and sixth places in the GT Radial Ford to finish fourth for the weekend.

Taking fifth place for the round former champion John McIntyre said it was just one of these weekends.

“Kayne certainly had the car to beat this weekend and, with rising water temperature in the third race, we simply drove to finish fourth and conserve the engine. You need significant car advantage to pass on this street circuit and particularly to pass under brakes, in the third race when we’re all experiencing worn brakes and tyres,” said the Nelson driver who also competed in three Porsche GT3 races and announced his signing by Stone Brothers Racing as one of the teams endurance drivers in the high profile V8 Supercar events, Philip Island 500 and Bathurst 1000.

“Interestingly, I’ve heard that the TV cameras were largely following the intense battles going on mid-field, so we’ve probably achieved lots of good TV coverage for our sponsors, which is a pretty major reason for running at a high profile event like this.”

The BNT V8s’ season is now complete and while all the details are yet to be finalised, the 2009-10 series looks likely to start in early November 2009 either at Pukekohe or Taupo. The season will include six championship rounds expected to include Powerbuilt Tools Raceway in Christchurch, Teretonga Park outside Invercargill, Levels Raceway outside Timaru, Manfeild in Feilding and a final at either Hampton Downs or Pukekohe. A non-championship round at the Hamilton 400 will complete next season’s racing.