Photo: Josh HillBob McMurray writes from the Toyota Racing Series.....
Taupo, Saturday 28th January 2012
Sorted!!
Weather fantastic as we get the day under way.
Clear blue skies, warm sun, lake glistening, holiday makers holiday making, engines being warmed up, the smell of warm tyres, E85 fuel, hot coffee and burnt toast with slip, slop, slapping going on all over the place and European pale skinned bodies turning a gentle shade of light strawberry.
Summer racing at Taupo...beautiful!!!...and more to come on Sunday as well apparently.
TRS qualifying for 30 mins this morning (remember race 1 grid today is on straight qualy times, race 2 grid tomorrow is on the average of a driver’s two best qualy times and race 3 grid is determined on the finishing order of race 2 with the top six finishers of that race in reverse order. Got it? It gets easier for me to understand every time I say it) and race 1 this afternoon over 15 laps.
Tomorrow (Sunday) is race 2 over 15 laps and then race 3, The ‘Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy’ is over 20 laps and having just relayed the qualifying procedure it has now changed a little bit.
Race 2 grid is now the finishing order of race 1 with top six reversed and race 3 grid is the average of the driver’s fastest two qualy laps.
This change is in operation for both the Taupo and the Hampton Downs rounds.
Remarkably, and a bit disappointingly, there were no incidents with the drivers in last evening’s jet boating ride.
Nobody fell out of the boat, nobody got wet, well, very wet anyway, and the only thing to show for it was huge grins from all on board.....apart that is from Chris the TV cameraman on board the boat to get some action shots. Apparently he was getting a bit seasick, or river sick or whatever it’s called when you try and hold a big TV camera to your eye when the jet boat you are in is trying to throw the entire contents of the boat and it’s passengers, into the river.
I was looking forward to relaying some unfortunate’s tale but I thought it would be a driver, darn it.
A bit symptomatic of the weekend really, all a bit quiet on the misfortune front which doesn’t make for good tale telling by me.
I’m sure things will brighten up though.
Sam MacNeil is part of the TRS series this year performing the role of driver coach and BBQ operator, as I think I mentioned in a previous epistle.
A very accomplished racing driver in his own right, on Thursday he was also performing the duty of ‘track checker’ and marshal.
Part of that job meant he had to drive around the track, at some speed, before free practice began to ensure the track was clear of any debris or foreign objects that may have hampered the drivers.
To do this job he was driving the Toyota FJ Cruiser (coveted by me as I’m sure you are aware) and on one speedy sweep past the pits the car’s normal guardian, Steve Boyce, was witness to the incredible late braking and cornering of Sam and the FJ.
Steve got on the phone and in very polite terms, made up of essentially single syllable and very short words, informed Sam to take care of his (Steve’s) truck. Sam, I am sure, was smiling from ear to ear.
A little later in the day both Steve and myself had the opportunity to ride with Sam in the car as he checked the track and it was then that I appreciated both the skill of Sam as a driver and the sheer ‘stickability’ of the FJ.
Cruising into turn one at unabated speed and braking at the 50 metre board, Sam hauled the thing around the corner with me expecting the car to wallow like a super tanker but instead it rolled slightly to the right and then just stopped rolling to take the corner almost flat in yaw terms.
I was amazed at just how the car made absolute mincemeat of the corner and simply took it in it’s stride.
My admiration of the FJ (and Sam actually but don’t tell him) has got even higher. I will say this as discreetly as I can as shouting about the FJ in a previous blog has had no affect whatsoever so I will try the opposite tack now.
Nice ride!!!
So, to qualifying.
Very, very exciting with King, Auer, Hill, van Asseldonk and Marciello all putting in a time that we thought was unbeatable for pole position but with King finally coming out on top with a time more than one second below the existing lap record.
Now I know that lap records can only be set during a race but it bodes well for a new one to be set today or over the weekend.
The order was as above with the first twelve drivers not only within one second of the pole time but also under the lap record.
That meant that TRS rookie Jono Lester was actually under the lap record time but still in twelfth position.
A bit galling for him I guess.
One of our TRS number had a small heart problem some while ago and, remarkably enough, his heart surgeon is also an avid photographer and race fan.
He, the surgeon, is here this weekend taking photos and has the proper accreditation and flouro vest so any problems with hearts and we are well taken care of. Not too many series can boast their own specialist in the paddock eh!?
Race 1 got away but finished with a protest but more of that later.
Chris Vlok had a dragging clutch approaching the grid and the car didn’t get away at the start but he got going and joined the fray about half a lap down and Melvin Moh didn’t actually get away on the warm up lap when his car refused to move after a CV joint broke.
A staggering start from Jordan King got him straight into the lead and he was never headed despite some serious attention from Josh Hill who was also coming under some pressure from van Asseldonk who in turn was harried all race long by Marciello.
Lucas Auer had a couple of runs over the dirt through the last complex of turns
Good hard racing from them and that extended all the way down the field.
As always (getting boring that phrase) you can read, and see (on Sky TV next week), the race report elsewhere but suffice to say it started with a three abreast battle behind a two abreast battle all the way around turn 1 and into turn two. Fantastic battles all the way down the field.
I mentioned a protest above but I shall say no more about it as the protest was found to be without merit and the result stands.
King 1st, Hill 2nd and van Asseldonk 3rd.
Electronics man Richard Moss took his usual after practice / qualifying / race walk along pit lane to check if any of the teams have any issues or need any assistance or information and for the first time that he can remember in the eight year that he has been involved with the TRS there were absolutely no issues, complaints, moans or problems...with the electronics anyway!
Incidentally, the lap record set today does not break the old lap record as the track has been changed subtly over the last year by moving the tyre barrier on the last complex of turns.
That means that Mitch Evans ‘old’ lap record still stands and the ‘new’ lap record established today at 1minute 24.444 seconds set by Jordan King is now the lap record for this configuration of track.
More later.
Bob
See also
- Bob's Blog: Taupo testing (Thurs/Fri)
