A near perfect pre-season campaign saw the Shaun Lawrence Racing team head to the Pukekohe Raceway on a high as the Motorsport NZ Premier Race Championship got under way last weekend. The Suzuki Swift Sport Cup driver immediately translated that confidence into fastest outright times throughout Fridays practice sessions.
A small mechanical glitch put pay to Lawrence’s qualifying efforts, ultimately starting the first race from the fourth row. After dropping back to tenth early in the race, Lawrence went on a charge and with just a few laps remaining had climbed back up to fifth when the large crowd witnessed one of the biggest crashes in the classes history.
As the cars snaked their way through the esses at the end of the front straight, a large plume of smoke signalled an engine failure for Grant Ryan. With oil now spread over the track, cars were essentially left going full speed with absolutely no traction, the end result of which was catastrophic for Lawrence.
The immaculate Liquorland Suzuki took a hit from behind, the impact spearing the car across the track at extremely high speed. Things then took a turn for the worse as the car was catapulted into a series of violent rolls, all-but destroying the now very second hand looking Swift.
Lawrence miraculously walked away unscathed from the wreck which had eventually come to rest back on its wheels. The race was duly stopped as the safety teams cleared debris from trackside.
“It all just happened so fast” said Lawrence. “The fact that I was able to walk away is testament to just how good the roll cages are in the cars, and the equipment that the drivers have to wear. I’m just gutted for the team and family of sponsors that this happened in the first race of the season” he despondently added.
Lawrence had just been cleared from the Medical team when he was approached by series Coordinator Paul Burborough of Winger Suzuki and was generously offered another car to drive in the remaining two races throughout the weekend, ultimately keeping Lawrences title aspirations alive, coming away with a valuable points haul.
Round two of the Championship is in three weeks as the field heads to the Ruapuna circuit near Christchurch.
