The IRC Race Series classes provided some thrilling racing in support of the Toyota Racing Series' NZ Motor Cup event at Hampton Downs over the weekend.
With 15 international drivers from 12 countries taking on the five kiwi hopefuls in the 2012 Toyota Racing Series, fans were eager to see who would hold the competitive advantage at Hampton Downs, leading into the New Zealand Grand Prix event at Manfeild this coming weekend.
Aucklanders Nick Cassidy and Mitch Evans took the challenge to the international drivers, with Evans snatching pole position and the opening race win, and Cassidy the 20-lap New Zealand Motor Cup feature race on Sunday afternoon.
Italian Ferrari Academy driver Rafaelle Marciello took his first TRS race win on Sunday morning, with the chasing pack jostling for position right to the flag.
In the support pits, the IRC racing was just as competitive. The Nitto Tyres NZ Six Series saw three separate Super 6 race winners in Steve Bennenbroek, David Dovey and James McLaughlin. Further back in the HQ Holdens, Darren Swinburne was the pace setter but that didn't stop Brent Cooper taking a race win to prevent a clean sweep of the weekend.
In the Motul Oils SS2000, Ant Te Rito dominated in his Honda Civic with three wins from three races, as did Matt Lockwood in the Toyo Tyres Pro 7 Plus class. In the Pro 7 Series One class, Andy Duffin took two victories with Matt Gibson winning the final race of the weekend.
Bill McKinnon dominated the big banger Pre 65 class with two wins, split by Mike Johnston who won Sunday morning's opening race, and Geoff Short made light work of the NZ Sportscar field in his magnificent Juno sports prototype, sweeping qualifying and all three races, followed in each by David Glasson's Radical SR3.
In the Weldwell Formula Firsts, harnessing the TRS driver talent of tomorrow, an unusual clean sweep of the class by Rowan Shepherd - younger brother of multiple national champion Michael - didn't mean the racing wasn't fierce.
Shepherd's winning margin in all three races was less than a second, and in races one and three just mere thousandths of a second!
The largest Super Mini Challenge field of the season turned out at Hampton Downs with an impressive 20 car grid, headed in qualifying and the opening race by Greg Gordon, with Steve Midgley winning both races on Sunday.
Three winners from three races in the Bridgestone Porsches kept the championship on tenderhooks, with Craig Innes joined by BMW stalwart Aaron Harris, and Kevin Etches in the winner's circle.
The Hampton Downs round was the fifth of a seven round calendar for the 2011/12 IRC Series, which travels from Manfeild to Taupo, and up to Pukekohe and Hampton Downs.
The next round of the IRC Race Series takes place at Manfeild Park on February 25-26.
