Bob McMurray writes from the Toyota Racing Series - NZ Grand Prix day....
Manfeild Sunday 12th February 2012
A big day today and not for the obvious reasons.
It’s the Headmaster’s birthday.
TRS technical manager and the man who the drivers have to answer to when they have transgressed some rule or another, His Serene Highness, Lord of the Rings (tyres that is) and the gentlest grouch you will ever meet, Ian Snellgrove, passes yet another birthday day, in his long history of passing birthday days, with one that is between 55 and 85. I am plumping for something around the seventh decade.
Anyhow...HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LORD.
One thing the ‘Snellie’ did not win today was the economy run that three of us have been involved in. Me, Snellie and ‘Robbo’ (Graham Robertson, the Race Director).
We all three drive Toyota Camry HyBrid vehicles and the challenge was to drive the entire season (nearly 6000kms in my case) at the lowest possible litres per 100 kms as indicated on the dash computer.
Well, Robbo, who must have been driving everywhere at 50kph in neutral, managed an unbelievable 5.5 at one stage but ended up with 6.1 litres/100 kms.
I clocked in a 6.3 (with a fair amount of hard driving and many, many mountains under my belt and Snellie finished with 6.7! Boy racer that he is.
Next year my friends...next year!
Last evening was also the end of season Michelin inter team ten pin bowling match with a beautifully made trophy featuring ‘Bibendum’, (The Michelin Man) up for grabs.
There were bowling balls in the gutters, flying through the air, going backwards and the occasional one actually hit a pin or two.
In actual fact the team put together by the ETEC team principal and Michelin tyre supplier to the TRS, Trevor Sheumack, won the evening, and the trophy.
Trevor was the instigator of the whole thing and as he said afterwards “I was never going to choose and activity for the challenge that I wasn’t actually good at, was I ?”
Next year my friend...next year!
The TRS also had the end of term team photo this morning.
A bit like herding cats to be honest but a bright and sunny bunch they all were.
Talking of bright and sunny it is a beautiful clear, warm and sunny sky and that is the expectation for the rest of the day as well.
The day was also enhanced by the breakfast available for the teams at the Hospo unit this morning.
Fried eggs, bacon, home made hash browns, cereals, toast, pastries, and more.
Only the second time in the eight year history of the TRS that the whole truckies heart stopper breakfast has been there.
It was absolutely delicious and I have to thank all of the people at the entire hospo area for making sure that I will now have to spend the entire ‘off’ season on the rowing machine and in the gym so that I may reclaim by svelt, athletic figure.
So to race 2 of the weekend.
FELIX SERRALES won.
Great news for him and he was mighty pleased as well.
Mitch Evans got away to a blinding start from grid place six on the reverse top six grid and was in third going into the first corner and second by the end of the first lap.
He pushed Felix as hard as he could but couldn’t pressure him into a mistake although he very nearly outbraked himself, and into Felix, on the first corner of the last lap.
Josh Hill in third position put some pressure on Mitch but couldn’t get quite close enough and that was the podium settled.
A good race from Serralles and a good start to his day.
Van Asseldonk had a coming together with somebody on the first lap and suffered a puncture to the rear right tyre and some body damage as well and that ‘DNF’ from him meant that Cassidy, finishing in fifth behind Lukas Auer, wins the 2012 TRS championship (barring any investigations or protests so the placings are provisional as I write this).
Sir Colin Giltrap, visiting with sons Richard and Michael, was good enough to present the podium prizes.
Sam MacNeil, on TRS two seater driving duties, reported that for the first time he could hear his rear seat passenger actually screaming on the hot lap. This, above the engine and wind noise. So congratulations to Rene Clayton of Resene, a guest of Post Haste this weekend, for establishing a record and being the first.
Interesting comment from Josh Hill to my friend Eric Thompson that he (Josh) was absolutely made up about the fact that he was racing, or at least in the same race, as a man that his Grandfather Graham raced against all those years ago...Kenny Smith.
That must be some sort of record, especially for a Grand Prix.
The Grand Prix happened and it was full of happenings.
Frankly more than I can write here so a read of the race reports would be good.
But..........
Evans got away to a good start as did Cassidy but Evans won the first corner and was never headed. He proceeded to drive away from the pack and had the race totally under control....until just 7 laps from the end of the race he came past the pits with the engine sounding very rough. Electrics or mechanical I don’t know but just after turn 1 he pulled off, bitterly disappointed.
Cassidy had a battle on his hands with van Asseldonk but eventually crossed the line first for an emotional win.
Van Asseldonk second and Lukas Auer third.
Raffele Marciello had a series of offs and then back ons but he pulled in to the pits and did not come out again.
Jordan King spun and parked the car.
Damon Leitch went off and regained the track a lap or two later.
Josh Hill drove into the pits with a problem and stayed there.
The safety car came out twice.
There you have it.
I spoke with Mitch after the race and he was still very, very disappointed.
The round winners were...3rd Felix Serralles, 2nd Lucas Auer, 1st, Nick Cassidy.
Nick also won the Dorothy Smith Memorial Trophy, presented by Kenny himself.
OH yes, and the winner of the Miss new Zealand Grand Prix title 2012 is Hayley Robinson.
More later....a bit later than normal !!!
Bob
See also
- Bob's Blog: It's a full on GP weekend! (Saturday)
