Photo: Mark GibsonTaupo teenager Mark Gibson is a rookie in the hotly-contested Suzuki Swift Sport Cup, but he nailed his first pole position and his third race victory in this weekend’s championship final being held near Taupo.
Gibson, age 19, made the most of having home-track advantage in his Taupo Motor Company Suzuki, laying down a challenge to the other 17 Suzuki Swift competitors during the morning’s 20-minute qualifying session. Sixteen-year-old AJ Lauder, from Turua, was the closest contender for pole position, but couldn’t post a lap time faster than Gibson.
The still, sunny conditions contrasted with the heated intense on-track action as the eight lap Suzuki race got underway. Lauder got a superb start, scoring a better run into the Taupo circuit’s first lefthander, but had to defer to Gibson and tuck his Toll Racing Suzuki in behind the pole-sitter’s identical car.
The pair tussled for the entire eight laps and despite Lauder often making brave moves to unsettle Gibson, the final positions remained unchanged.
Exciting as the Gibson/Lauder battle was, most attention was on current series leader Dane Fisher who played out a cautious race. With just five points’ advantage over fellow Aucklander Mike Turley coming into this championship final, Fisher would have been watching his mirrors keenly to track Turley’s position from ninth on the starting grid. Turley managed to manoeuvre his Suzuki up to fifth place, pressuring for the spot to behind Fisher, but the gap he needed to make that all-important gain came too late in the race. Instead Turley was forced to defend fifth place against Upper Hutt’s Jamie Gaskin and Rangiora’s Chris Cox.
The chequered flag saw the final order as Gibson, Lauder, Fisher, Hamilton’s Shaun Laurence and Turley. Fisher holds the championship lead going into the final day of competition on Sunday with just two more races to wrap up an outstanding season of one-make racing.
Gibson’s victory reinforced his chances of winning the rookie driver title with the happy young driver saying his third win of the season was hard fought with Lauder pushing him every metre of the way.
“It was a pretty hard race with AJ on my tail the whole time. But to do it in front of my home town crowd makes for a special weekend, and to win, it’s even better. Thanks also to the team – they’ve done a great job,” said Gibson.
Suzuki New Zealand motorsport manager Darren Stevens said he’d been expecting yet another lottery to find the eventual race winner, but that this race was as close as he’d managed all season at picking the actual winner.
“This is a great result for Mark Gibson to win the weekend’s first race in front of his friends and family – the Gibson crew has established a huge presence here this weekend. Then to watch young AJ Lauder hard on Mark’s heels was just as fantastic. In some ways, it distracted us from the real championship chase between Dane Fisher and Mike Turley. It looked like Mike might have made some ground there toward the end, but Dane’s luck and clean game plan really rewarded him this afternoon.”
With Fisher now leading the championship by 16 points to Turley, series co-ordinator Paul Burborough said Sunday’s two races were going to be the hardest of the season for the championship title.
“I’m sure there is going to be a lack of sleep tonight, with the two of them ever so close to that championship title. It’s great for the rest of us and I think it will open new opportunities for other drivers to get in on the action,” said Burborough.
The final two races of the 2010/11 Suzuki Swift Sport Cup are scheduled to run at 10:50am and 2:45pm on Sunday.
Results: Qualifying of Round 6, 2010/11 Suzuki Swift Sport Cup (20 minutes) – Taupo, 12 March 2011.
1, 35, Mark Gibson, Taupo, Suzuki Swift Sport, 1:49.625
2, 87, A.J. Lauder, Thames, Suzuki Swift Sport, +0.204
3, 91, Dane Fisher, Auckland, Suzuki Swift Sport, +0.732
4, 14, Shaun Lawrence, Hamilton, Suzuki Swift Sport, +0.763
5, 4, Simon Evans, Auckland, Suzuki Swift Sport, +0.810
6, 15, Brad Lauder, Thames, Suzuki Swift Sport, +0.940
7, 12, Chris Cox, Rangiora, Suzuki Swift Sport, +0.942
8, 41, Jamie Gaskin, Upper Hutt, Suzuki Swift Sport, +1.027
9, 6, Mike Turley, Auckland, Suzuki Swift Sport, +1.049
10, 5, Rex McCutcheon, Waiuki, Suzuki Swift Sport, +1.178
11, 34, Rob Gibson, Taupo, Suzuki Swift Sport, +1.377
12, 23, Daniel Liemburg, Timaru, Suzuki Swift Sport, +1.599
13, 10, Ben Erickson, Christchurch, Suzuki Swift Sport, +1.750
14, 71, Sam Barry, Takapau, Suzuki Swift Sport, +2.057
15, 11, Grant Ryan, Lower Hutt, Suzuki Swift Sport, +2.160
16, 89, Marc Spring, Auckland, Suzuki Swift Sport, +2.169
17, 22, Amy Vincent, Karaka, Suzuki Swift Sport, +4.057
18, 36, Craig McRae, Geraldine, Suzuki Swift Sport, +4.114
Results: Race 1 of Round 6, 2010/11 Suzuki Swift Sport Cup (8 laps) – Taupo, 12 March 2011.
1, 35, Mark Gibson, Taupo, Suzuki Swift Sport, 14m54.273
2, 87, A.J. Lauder, Thames, Suzuki Swift Sport, +0.226
3, 91, Dane Fisher, Auckland, Suzuki Swift Sport, +1.731
4, 14, Shaun Lawrence, Hamilton, Suzuki Swift Sport, +7.628
5, 6, Mike Turley, Auckland, Suzuki Swift Sport, +7.703
6, 12, Chris Cox, Rangiora, Suzuki Swift Sport, +8.078
7, 41, Jamie Gaskin, Upper Hutt, Suzuki Swift Sport, +8.217
8, 4, Simon Evans, Auckland, Suzuki Swift Sport, +8.677
9, 5, Rex McCutcheon, Waiuki, Suzuki Swift Sport, +14.242
10, 89, Marc Spring, Auckland, Suzuki Swift Sport, +14.707
11, 15, Brad Lauder, Thames, Suzuki Swift Sport, +15.952
12, 71, Sam Barry, Takapau, Suzuki Swift Sport, +20.013
13, 11, Grant Ryan, Lower Hutt, Suzuki Swift Sport, +21.570
14, 34, Rob Gibson, Taupo, Suzuki Swift Sport, +21.985
15, 36, Craig McRae, Geraldine, Suzuki Swift Sport, +28.008
16, 22, Amy Vincent, Karaka, Suzuki Swift Sport, +31.292
17, 23, Daniel Liemburg, Timaru, Suzuki Swift Sport, +32.676
DNF, 10, Ben Erickson, Christchurch, Suzuki Swift Sport, +3laps
