Mike ‘Buzz’ Lightfoot is looking to continue his solid run in the UDC Finance V8 Ute series when the series heads for its penultimate round at Manfeild near Palmerston North this weekend.
After two round podium finishes and two race wins at the last two rounds, Lightfoot has closed the gap between himself and the runner-up spot in the series to just 52 points with two rounds remaining, this weekend at Manfeild and the final round at Taupo, stands a good chance of overhauling the defecit.
However Lightfoot will be looking for a better run at the Manawatu track than last year. After contact in the first corner, Lightfoot was twice forced into the pits with a bonnet that refused to stay shut, doing heavy damage to the #96 Buckley Systems Ford Ute when the bonnet hit the windscreen and roof and eventually forced into his only DNF of the 2010/11 season. He held on to record a fourth and a sixth place finish in the two other races.
This season, under the guidance of Jake Stoneman and his Western Motor Group team, Lightfoot has made significant improvements over the course of the season, including taking his debut win at Teretonga and then a further win one week later in Timaru. He will be looking to continue the run of wins this weekend at Manfeild.
“I can’t wait to get on the track at Manfeild, it’s a great track,” says Lightfoot. “I’m on a run of race wins that I want to continue and I’m also hunting down second place in the championship.”
The V8 Utes hit the three kilometre Manfeild circuit twice for test sessions on Friday. Saturday sees qualifying before a marble draw to determine the grids for that afternoon’s opening race. Sunday morning’s race sees a reverse of the marble draw with grids for the final race determined off results across the weekend.
