Phil Quaife competing in the British Carrera Cup
Hot on the heels of the world-first introduction of the 2008 model 997 Cup Car late last year, New Zealand's Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge has received a further boost in the run-up to the big A1GP World Cup of Motorsport meeting at Taupo in ten days time.
For the first time in the series' four year history the field will include a current Porsche Mobil1 Supercup driver, Phil Quaife. And with Jody Vincent upgrading from a 996, and top NZV8s privateer Darryn Henderson joining the series in a 997, all 12 997 Cup Cars air-freighted here in time for the 2007/08 Challenge championship will be on the grid.
"We said when we launched the new 997 that we were going to take the Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge to a new level and this is just one of the ways," Grant Smith, the General Manager of Porsche importer and series organiser European Motors said in announcing the additions to the field today.
Though defending champion Craig Baird remains unbeaten after the first two rounds of the 2007/08 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge championship, the arrival of British driver Phil Quaife adds a whole new dimension to the third round.
The 21-year-old finished fifth overall and won the Pro-Am Cup (for non-professional drivers) in his debut year in his home series, Carrera Cup Great Britain in 2006, and had a best qualifying performance of fifth and a best race finish of ninth to finish 16th overall in his debut year in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship-supporting Porsche Mobil1 SuperCup championship in 2007. He also finished 10th equal in the FIA GT3 sportscar championship in 2007.
Last season's Battery Town runner-up Jody Vincent is also expected to impress in his debut drive in one of the new 997s. The 24-year-old from Pukekohe was the revelation of the 2006/07 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup, finishing on the podium at five of the seven rounds to split series professionals Craig Baird and Matt Halliday in the final points standings.
This season, after two rounds driving the same 996 model he used last season, Vincent currently heads the Hard Charger category which rewards drivers for the number of cars they pass in each race. That's a category that Darryn Henderson will also be keen to do well in, having finished twelfth overall last season in only his second full year in the Parker ENZED NZV8s championship. Wellington businessman Henderson brings an interesting background to the Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, having excelled in Motocross, Triathlon and Mountain Bike racing before his move to four wheels.
For several years he competed on the World Downhill Mountain Bike circuit, and it was only after he decided to return home and focus on his business interests in the Wellington area that he was able to contemplate racing cars. While doing so the 43-year-old has maintained a close involvement in both Motocross and Mountain Biking, in particular acting as a mentor to good friend, former World 500cc Motocross champion, Shayne King.
The move from the now NZ Truth-sponsored NZV8s championship to International Motorsport's Porsche GT3 Cup squad was a considered one, the increasingly professional nature of that series making it harder and harder for a privateer running his own team to be competitive. "The V8s are great but unless you have a fulltime professional workshop and a lot of experience you can't compete with the Foggs and the Scotts," he said.
Christchurch businessman Paul Kelly currently leads the Tissot Carrera Challenge for drivers over 30 years of age who do not make their living racing cars and Henderson's RadioSport and Samsung-backed 997 will add extra spice to the spirited early season battle which has developed between Kelly and Australian driver Rodney Forbes.
Jody Vincent's move to a 997 has also provided talented young kart-turned-car driver Richard Moore the opportunity to graduate to the Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge category. Moore, 17, made his tin-top debut in the MINI Challenge last season but was faced with a dilemma when he wrote his MINI off in a high-speed accident at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway late last year. With plans to graduate to the Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge next season anyway, Moore and his family-based team jumped at the chance to buy Vincent's 996 and learn the car and category ahead of a full 2008/09 season.
The addition of Quaife, Henderson and Moore brings to 19 the number of entrants for the Battery Town Porsche GT3 Challenge category at the Taupo meeting.
With the A1 World Cup of Motorsport joining New Zealand's premier categories at the meeting Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup action is spreads over three days with qualifying and the first 8 lap race of the weekend on Friday January 18, a second eight lap race on Saturday and the final 12 lap top six reverse grid feature on Sunday.
Having won all six races so far contested, defending champion Craig Baird heads into the meeting with favourite status but last season Matt Halliday turned the tables on Baird at the meeting and there is nothing stopping him doing the same this time around.
There will also be a lot of interest in Quaife, Vincent, leading series rookie Daniel Gaunt and local young guns Ant Pedersen, 19, and Jono Lester, 17.
Pedersen, from just down the road in Rotorua, and Taupo driver Lester joined Baird on the podium at the first round of the 2007/08 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge at Pukekohe and currently lie fourth (Pedersen) and fifth (Lester) in the series points standings while two-time New Zealand Toyota Racing Series champion Gaunt shared the podium with Baird and Halliday at the second round in Christchurch.
