The Suzuki Swift Sport Cup field completed its South Island tour recently at Timaru’s Levels Raceway, and for Hamilton driver Shaun Lawrence the long trip South was rewarded with yet another podium finish.
Just one week after his maiden victory, Lawrence and the Liquorland Racing team went into the Championships fourth round on a high, buoyed with the knowledge that they had a fast car and an excellent set up to start the weekend with.
After a strong qualifying effort which had Lawrence starting from the third row, Race One got off to a flyer and after settling in to fourth position, was turned around by another competitor and rejoined the race at the very back of the eighteen car field. In a one-make class known for its close racing, Lawrence did an outstanding job to get back up into tenth position as the race came to a close.
Race Two was largely uneventful. Starting from Row 5 (in the tenth position he finished the previous race), Lawrence was able to climb up to finish in eighth place, however with the final race of the weekend set to be another “reverse grid” start, Lawrence was more determined than ever to finish strongly and continue his climb up the Championship points ladder.
“Sometimes you’ve really got to remind yourself that it’s a season-long Championship. It gets pretty frustrating when you’re driving well and all of a sudden you get taken out by someone, but that’s the nature of circuit racing” Lawrence explained. “It’s as much a mental game as anything else. I know that we’ve got a good fast car, and you just have to tell yourself to keep positive. There’s always another race to make amends”, he added.
Race Three got underway and Lawrence quickly made his way to the front of the field, all was looking good for another potential win when he ran wide as a result of hitting oil, which was rapidly parting company with AJ Lauders engine. The time lost was minimal however, and as the chequered flag dropped to signal the end of the final Southern race, Lawrence came home a strong third and found himself back on the podium.
As the Championship heads back to the North Island, Lawrence sits in eighth place on the table, however there is only a 40-point gap up to third overall, so it’s a case of “maximum attack” for the final two rounds in Manfield and Taupo in the coming weeks.
