Bob McMurray writes....
Teretonga PArk, 14th January 2012
Not so much rain, well not all the time anyway, but lots of strong wind gusts today with heavy rain overnight. In fact Barrie Thomlinson and some of the crew were still in the paddock after midnight trying to secure the tented paddock village against the strong winds and rain.
So strong were they in fact that the car of Damon Leitch’s younger brother Brendan, was blown off the stands in his garage area overnight and ended up on it’s side.
The day ended (for some) yesterday with a performance by ‘Sunny’ (he plays the guitar) and the ‘Te Whano To Tuko’ Kapa Haka group.
They performed a Powhiri as the tangata whenua (hosts) to formally greet the manuhiri (visitors). Part of this involved the ‘Wero’ - the challenge - which Jono Lester was elected to accept on behalf of the international and local drivers.
I have seen it all a hundred times and it still scares me!
By the looks on some of the driver’s faces it had the same effect on them as well.
Some of the paddock ladies, including Italian driver Michela Cerruti, were then schooled in the art of the ‘Poi’ before the male drivers were taught the finer points of the ‘Haka’.
Perhaps they wouldn’t have scared the All Blacks but they looked as if they meant it with a lot of tongue action going on.
Returning driver Josh Hill, who was a bit like a possum in the headlights during this operation last year, was fully into it and had his fierce face on.
So, now the TRS has it’s own performing artists group with perhaps Josh leading the way!!
Just before all this took place Nathanael Berthon, who had just arrived in Invercargill fresh off an international flight, went out (with special dispensation) to get in just five exploratory laps.
The conditions were at their worst and with no experience of the car, the track or the wind and rain here, and with no other cars on track to give him a sighter or two, he managed to get down to 1m 5 seconds.
Game on then!
Well not really ‘game on’ to be fair.
The qualifying was a bit of a joke with no less than five red flags caused by, in order, Leitch, Cerruti, Siddiqi, Sendin and finally Bonifacio.
All three incurring penalties of three grid positions for interrupting qualifying.
The session was eventually timed out and brought to a close with the last red flag. Unfortunate really as the track had started to dry out somewhat and if the drivers had been perhaps a little less eager to get pole position then they would have all benefitted from the improving conditions.
Ah well, the first qualifying of the year I guess.
Auer, King, Marciello, Hill, Lester and Cassidy were the top six at the final count.
Nathanael Berthon was easing himself into the situation and getting the car to his liking but he was unable to complete his planned 30 minutes due to the red flags.
Also, it appears he and his baggage arrived safely in New Zealand but his racing boots did not, having disappeared from his bags on the journey so he had to complete his laps of the track on Friday evening wearing his sneakers.
Perhaps a little predictably, one or two of the drivers who expected to be higher in the standing than they actually finished up thought their engines were down on power.
I do believe this is excuse number seven in the book of driver excuses.
All the engines started off the same and remain the same and this was demonstrated to those concerned drivers and teams. The set up of the car in these blustery conditions can make a considerable difference and there the difference was found. Funny that!!!
The TRS two seater car was due to take to the track on Friday but conditions did not permit that to happen so today was the first opportunity for a passenger to get on to the track and that passenger was two wheel speedster Alison Shanks.
Such a nice person I have to say.
She also brought along her racing bicycle which weighs just on an amazing seven kgs.
I am not so sure I would be such a nice person if I had to ride that bike round and round on the saddle she uses. It looked nothing less than a light, high tech, composite form of physical torture apparatus.
Clearly I, or at least my derriere, is not built for such things and frankly if I sat on it the thing might get lost!
The two seater car is looked after by Adam, who does the seat fitting, helmet fitting and seat belts for the passengers. All I can say is that sometimes that little job has it’s benefits.
To the race. The first of the 2012 season.
The cars lined up on the grid in dry weather and dry (slick) race tyres on.
Some of the grid ‘girls’ looked a bit odd and self conscious standing in front of the cars holding the number boards. They were actually the mechanics performing a role that they were not really used to and resolutely refused to wear any form of miniskirt.
The race was about to start when a short shower came over the circuit. Nick Cassidy, who’s radio was not working, decided to come into the pits to change to wet weather tyres but the team waved him out and he started from the pit lane.
A costly decision on his part.
Although the track remained fairly dry the headlong rush to the first corner saw three cars hurl themselves into the weeds but managed to get back on track, unlike leader Lucas Auer who spun but remained on track and as his car rolled back the car of Marciello, in trying to avoid Auer, was just clipped sending him into the tyre barrier.
The clipping of Auer’s car was hard enough, and at an acute angle enough, to break not only the bell housing on his car but the engine as well.
The Giles team went to work immediately but it will be a late night for them yet again.
Auer and Marciello were out of the race on the spot with the race just a few hundred metres old. All this brought out the safety car which then prompted a red flag and the race hadn’t really got underway.
Testosterone rules.
On the restart the racing got even more fierce and after a few more laps the Lexus safety car, which at this rate is going to clock up a fair few kilometres over the season, was activated again after Melvin Moh slid into the gravel at the last turn. His car was retrieved with no damage apart from the obligatory gravel rash.
Another restart then and this one turned into a real battle heading towards turn 1 with pole man Hill ending up as the filling in a van Asseldonk / Jordan King sandwich.
There was never any real likelihood of all three getting round turn 1 together and as they entered the corner Hill’s front left wing endplate just touched King’s right rear tyre, immediately puncturing it.
King tried to hold the car going into the corner but it squirreled and drifted wide taking the car of van Asseldonk with it.
Lots of gesticulating and arm waving followed and of course the Lexus appeared on track yet again.
By the time the debris was cleared the race had run it’s scheduled number of laps with Hill sailing through serenely to take the win under a waved yellow and behind the Lexus.
Last year at this race hill had more spins than the magic roundabout but this year drove like a determined professional. Exactly what he has turned into.
Kiwi drivers Leitch and Lester were second and third.
So ETEC Motorsport were very happy with a win and a third for the first race of 2012.
Team principal Trevor Sheumach was heard to mention that it may be the first time he has ever wheeled all of his cars back into the garage relatively unscathed.
A full race report and the full results can be seen on the TRS website.
A few drivers were a tad upset after the race with the antics of a few other drivers but I am not sure when it has ever been different.
There was some frantic action all the way down the lower positions and I think some of these eager pilots need to calm down a bit and try some race craft.
They will I am sure, as they always do, and they will provide some very good racing tomorrow and in the weeks ahead.
We have got off to a great start. Well, most of us anyway!
More later...........
Bob
See also
- Bob's Blog: Second day of TRS practice
