Photo: Tony Quinn Nissan GT-R35The 2011 VIP Petfoods 12 Hour Endurance Series involves two separate events with the first held on the weekend of the 16th and 17th July 2011 at Taupo Motorsport Park and the second on the 12th and 13th August 2011 at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park. The series is organised and run by a joint executive committee of the Taupo Classic Rally Club and the Historic Racing Club.
VIP Petfoods have signed as the Series Sponsor with rights of renewal for future years. This means that we will see Tony Quinn returning to NZ, heading up what is believed will be a strong contingent of Australian competitors – but what car will he choose?
This is a MotorSport NZ Sanctioned Series and will be run under MotorSport NZ Articles and rules. The organisers have created a comprehensive package including Round Sponsors, Radio, Print media and Television Coverage which will deliver 1 hour of viewing time per race meeting.
Taupo Motorsport Park and Hampton Downs represent the newest and perhaps the most exciting circuits in NZ both for the spectators and competitors alike. The attraction of Australian drivers heightens the interest for fans as well as local competitors who can test their skill against international drivers. Not something that happens often and careers have been launched on the strength of a lot less than 24 hours of door to door racing.
Due to limited resource consents, the Taupo event will be run over two days with a 5 hour and 7 hour race punctuated by an overnight Parc Ferme. This allows drivers and teams to get to grips with the reality of what 12 Hour Endurance racing involves with the hardest test at Hampton Downs, a 12 hour “one day event”. Participants in the inaugural 12 Hour Endurance Race at Hampton Downs in 2010 thoroughly enjoyed the event, and are keen to participate in the 2011 series.
Endurance racing and in particular 12 hours are now regarded as being Premier Events. The Bathurst 12 hour is a great example, gaining a huge following and starting to rival the “Great Race” as more and more international drivers and their exotic cars take to the grid. These same competitors are actively seeking new venues and as a MotorSport NZ Sanctioned event the 2011 VIP Petfoods 12 Hour Endurance Series ticks all the boxes.
The organisers, while using the obligatory Schedule A Performance Car formula, have worked to include NZ and Australian Production cars which have always run under different articles. By creating a new “showroom” class this uniquely embraces many of the common Trans-Tasman interpretations. But for the first time we could see in NZ Showroom Class SS V8 Commodores and GT Falcons competing against WRX or EVO’s with V8 Utes snapping at their heels! Diesel Turbo engines have also not been penalised for their Turbochargers either, racing as they do in Europe against normally aspirated petrol engines of the same capacity.
Grids will be limited to 45 vehicles on a first come first served basis. The good news is that we had to wait a bit longer to ensure that neither date clashed with the Australian V8 Supercar Series – they don’t! Now with one or two expressions of interest already suggesting we might just see a “NAME” or even more than two on the entry list, this will inspire some earnest competition – “Competitors, start your engines” and let the racing begin.
