Daniel Gaunt is New Zealand's latest Crown Lift Trucks Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge champion after an emphatic lights-to-flag win in the final race of the 2010/11 season at Taupo over the weekend.
Heading into the final series round the 25-year-old Auckland-based international had a 25 point lead over fellow former single-seater star Jonny Reid with defending series champion Craig Baird a further 13 points adrift.
But after following Baird and Reid home in the first race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon, then sacrificing a leading position in the second race (in which he finished fifth) to guarantee a front row starting position in the final, Gaunt actually lost his long-held series points lead to Triple X teammate Baird before the trio headed for the grid for the 14-lap reverse top six grid final.
That meant the pressure was well and truly on him in the final, but responding the only way he knew how, Gaunt lead the race from start to finish to make the 2010/11 title his with 1042 points, five more than Baird and 42 more than an unlucky Jonny Reid.
The decision to stake the title on the reverse top six grid final was not taken lightly. And Gaunt didn't mind admitting afterwards that he had his doubts.
"I was definitely sceptical, but it was a team decision and I have to say it was incredible how it played out. Normally with these things you plan it in motorsport and it goes completely the opposite of what you anticipate. But not this time and for that I'd like to sincerely thank Michael Morton, Shane McKillen, Todd, Ian, Adam and everyone at Triple X Motorsport for making it happen. It's been a bit of a roller-coaster of a season, you know, three laps into it my car was in the wall at Pukekohe, but each time something has happened we've been able to respond."
Not to take anything away from Gaunt's dominant performance - which included a fastest race lap - in the final, his job was made easier when season-long title rival Jonny Reid, of the International Motorsport team, was forced to pit to replace a punctured left rear tyre before he had completed a lap.
Reid got a blinder of a start from the inside of the third row (beside Baird) and was in third place behind Gaunt and pole man Hugh Gardiner as the field streamed into the first corner. Unfortunately as the 10-strong field sorted itself out Scott Harrison ran into the left-hand rear quarter of Reid's car, the impact ripping the stem out of the tyre's valve.
By limping round to the pits and changing the wheel and tyre Reid was able to salvage 10th place in the race but still lost second place in the championship points chase to Baird, who followed home his Triple X teammate Gaunt in second in the race.
Though obviously disappointed Reid was gracious about the way the cards fell.
"Going into the race it could have gone either way and, this time, it went Daniel's and not our's. But that's motor racing. That's why we do it. We all come together and throw it on the line and at the end of the day we gave it our all and when we come back we will come back better and we will come back stronger."
Consolation for defending and six-time series champion Craig Baird came in the round win, his third out of six this season.
Though Reid was quickest in testing on Friday Baird just pipped him to top the team sheets in qualifying on Saturday morning and won two of the three races, the first - which Reid led early on - from Reid and Gaunt and the second from Reid and Ant Pedersen.
Starting from the outside of the third row of the grid in the final was always going to make a clean sweep difficult. And when Gaunt got away at the start Baird knew the best he could do was keep his Triple X teammate in sight.
“I got boxed in at the start which let Daniel away with a lead I couldn’t catch,” he said. “He played an advantage with his points and tyre situation – making him unbeatable and the new title winner. After being shuffled off during early rounds of the season we’ve come back from being 170 points down to five behind and second overall – that’s a win in its own right.”
Third in the final, meanwhile, was 2010/11 Rookie of The Year Scott Harrison, the young Whangarei driver putting in another strong showing after getting caught up with Reid at the start.
Privateer Hugh Gardiner actually crossed the finish line in third place but was relegated to sixth once a five second time penalty was levied for a jumped start, leaving Ant Pedersen fourth and Mitch Cunningham fifth.
For most of the race Cunningham had shadowed Gardiner with Harrison and Pedersen joining the pair in a high speed four-car freight train but Pedersen got round Harrison and Cunningham on the 10th lap then Harrison put a successful move for third on Pedersen a lap later.
While all this was going on, 996 Cup champion elect Simon McLennan was steadily pulling away from fellow young gun Simon Evans to claim another category victory. It was his second category victory in as many races and after blowing a tyre in the mini-enduro on Saturday the young Wellington driver said it was the perfect end to his second season behind the wheel of his 996.
Race 2 (10 laps)
Though Reid got a better initial launch, pole man Baird recovered quickly enough to lead Sunday morning's 10-lap sprint race from start to finish, edging away from Reid with Gaunt initially third from Pedersen, Gardiner, Cunningham, and Simon Evans in the first of the 996 Cup cars.
By the end of the first lap, Scott Harrison, who started the race from the back row of the grid after failing to finish Saturday's mini-enduro, was in sixth place and by the end of the second Ant Pedersen had found a way past Daniel Gaunt for third.
With a clear track in front of him Baird continued to build a buffer on Reid who in turn had a good margin on Pedersen, Gaunt and a hard-charging Harrison. Over the next three laps Harrison chipped away at the gap to Gaunt until with just two laps to go he relegated his Triple X teammate to fifth place.
Behind Harrison and Gaunt, Mitch Cunningham remained close but was unable to find a way past Hugh Gardiner while despite a better start Simon Evans was unable to hold out 996 Cup class champion-elect Simon McLennan.
Race 1 (30 lap mini-enduro)
The stage for the weekend's battle for a 2010/11 New Zealand championship title was set on Saturday after defending champion Craig Baird got the better of Jonny Reid near the end of the 30 lap mini-enduro.
Though it was Baird who pipped Reid and Gaunt in qualifying earlier in the day it was Reid who got a better start and Reid who had a quicker pit stop, the former A1GP star looking a likely winner until the Safety Car came out so that Mike Morton's car could be retrieved from one of the circuit sand traps.
Reid again got the jump on Baird once the Safety Car had returned to the pits only to outbrake himself at the end of the back straight.
As races go it was a classic, Reid resolute in his defense of his early race lead with Baird just as determined to find a way - any way - past, and Daniel Gaunt trying to limit the damage in third place in front of weekend teammate Ant Pedersen and Reid's International Motorsport teammate Mitch Cunningham.
That's the way the order stayed until the compulsory pit stop, though there were position changes behind the front bunch as Hugh Gardiner caught and passed Scott Harrison and 996 Cup category champion elect Simon McLennan slowing and pitting with a puncture.
Daniel Gaunt was the first of the front runners to pit for his compulsory stop, quickly followed by Reid and Baird on the same lap. That left Ant Pedersen in the lead until he too pitted, returning the focus at the front of the field to the battle between Reid and Baird with Pedersen in third after leap-frogging Daniel Gaunt in the pits.
Until the Safety Car was deployed it looked like Baird was not going to be able to find a way past Reid. But he did, the order when the chequered flag came out Baird from Reid with Daniel Gaunt third, Pedersen fourth and Mitch Cunningham fifth.
With Simon Evans also forced to pit to replace a punctured tyre, victory in the 996 Cup category went to series newcomer Mark Maddren with Evans second and McLennan third.
Race 1 (30 lap mini-enduro)
1. Craig Baird 48.03.653
2. Jonny Reid +1.282
3. Daniel Gaunt +5.000
4. Ant Pedersen +5.170
5. Mitch Cunningham +5.554
6. Hugh Gardiner +12.396
7. Mark Maddren +1 lap
8. Simon Evans +1 lap
9. Simon McLennan +3 laps
10. Mike Morton + 5 laps
dnf: Scott Harrison dnf
Fastest lap: Craig Baird 1.30.176
Race 2 (10 laps)
1. Craig Baird 15.06.717
2. Jonny Reid +1.089
3. Ant Pedersen +10.453
4. Scott Harrison +25.339
5. Daniel Gaunt +26.394
6. Hugh Gardiner +37.744
7. Mitch Cunningham +38.126
8. Simon McLennan +47.744
9. Simon Evans +51.166
10. Michael Morton +1.00.631
11. Mark Maddren +1 lap
Fastest lap: Craig Baird 1.29.647
Race 3 (14 laps reverse top six grid)
1. Daniel Gaunt 21.25.010
2. Craig Baird +8.293
3. Scott Harrison +17.374
4. Ant Pedersen +19.924
5. Mitch Cunningham +20.182
6. Hugh Gardiner +22.050
7. Simon McLennan +43.839
8. Simon Evans +47.423
9. Mark Maddren +1.30.787
10. Jonny Reid + 1 lap
dnf Michael Morton
Fastest lap: Daniel Gaunt 1.30.871
Final championship points
1. Daniel Gaunt 1042 points
2. Craig Baird 1037
3. Jonny Reid 1000
4. Mitch Cunningham 824
5. Scott Harrison 791
6. Simon McLennan 701
7. Simon Evans 567
8. Shane McKillen 540
9. Paul Kelly 449
10. Ant Pedersen 442
11. Hugh Gardiner 441
12. Mark Maddren 308
13. Mark Whyman 222
14. Michael Morton 220
15. Earl Bamber 169
16. Andrew Bagnall 117.
996 Cup
1. Simon McLennan 1244 points
2. Simon Evans 1022
3. Mark Maddren 557
4. Mark Whyman 441
