The Liquorland Racing Team have come away from Teretonga, Invercargill, with ear-to-ear grins as they secured their first ever race victory in the Suzuki Swift Sport Cup, and driver Shaun Lawrence back in the hunt for the overall title.
After a monumental “come from behind” effort in Race One, the team were always confident of pace, and even a disastrous Race Two which saw Shaun Lawrence punted off the track early, it was the final race of the weekend that everything came good for the team.
Fastest outright throughout Friday’s practise sessions, official qualifying was hampered by a shattered wheel bearing which ultimately meant Lawrence was to start from Grid 12. It only took until the first turn for the action to start, an off-track excursion putting Lawrence to the very back of the field.
In a game where confidence is everything, Lawrence pushed hard and as this was the first ever 30 lap “mini-enduro” for the class, there was always going to be time for a come back. The pit crew did an outstanding job with the compulsory wheel change, elevating Lawrence up to seventh overall. Knowing he had good car speed, the team pushed on and as the chequered flag dropped enough had been done to come home in fourth position, only 2/100th of a second off third and another podium finish.
The less said about Race Two the better, after being hit from behind, Lawrence was sent off track once again, this time through one of the infamous gravel-traps, only narrowly avoiding heavy contact with the tyre wall. In a much shorter ten lap race, it was basically all over before it began.
Race Three saw the weather take a turn for the worse, and the Suzuki’s took to the grid on a now rain soaked Teretonga circuit. Starting from Grid 10, this was to be an all-or-nothing charge and with having raced in the wet here last year, the team knew they had a good car set up. Lawrence made immediate progress up though the field, and with each passing lap moved closer to the front.
On the final corner, on the final lap, Lawrence made a “do or die” outside pass to take the lead from AJ Lauder and as the chequered flag dropped, Lawrence secured his first ever win in the Suzuki Swift Sport Cup. To add to the victory, Lawrence also secured a weekend podium result, coming home third outright for the overall round.
“The whole team have worked extremely hard for this” explained a smiling Lawrence. “We knew we had good car speed and an excellent set up, so I was pretty confident we could have a go. The win is just an awesome way to thank the team, and all of our family of sponsors for their support” he added.
The Championship gets back under way this weekend in Timaru before heading back to the North Island for the final two rounds.
