Two full days of motor racing action presented by Downer will kick off the new season at Teretonga Park in Invercargill this weekend.
Saturday features the opening round of the South Island Endurance Series with both a 3 hour endurance race and a separate 1 hour event while Sunday sees the opening round of the Noel McIntyre Drainage Clubmans Series plus Pro 7 Saloons, Sports & Racing Cars and motorcycles
Saturdays programme commences with the 1 Hour Enduro which is timed to start at 11.30am. The race features an even field and picking a winner is difficult. Last years Class 3 and Class 4 champions, Marc Denton of Christchurch and Jeremy Dawson of Invercargill return to defend their titles in a BMW 320 and Toyota Starlet respectively while other local entries in the race include Bradley Dawson (Toyota Trueno) and Grant Molloy (Mitsubishi Mirage).
The 3 Hour Endurance race will follow at 1.30pm and reigning South Island champions Allan Dippie and Grant Aitken will head a strong line up in their Porsche GT3. However they face some tough competition. Scott O'Donnell of Invercargill forms a strong driver pairing in another Porsche with the current New Zealand Porsche GT3 996 Cup Champion Simon McLennan of Wellington. Last years series runners-up Angus McFarlane and Michael Bushell of Christchurch will be fast in their twin turbo Porsche while also in ultra quick Porsches will be seasoned competitors Paul Kelly and Kevin Bell plus Gary Cliff and Hayden Knighton of Christchurch and last years 1 Hour Champion Mike Baker alongside Seadon Baker.
Scott and Craig McDermid of Blenheim will be a factor in their extremely quick turbocharged Toyota Corolla while Dunedin duo Arron Black and Warren Good in a BMW M3 GTR plus Bruce Davidson and David Garden of Alexandra in their Chev Corvette will also be competitive. The spectacular Dean 'Wildman' Perkins of NZV8 fame will share the wheel of a V8 Falcon with Christchurch driver Grant Silvester.
In recent times the longer endurance races at Teretonga have managed to produce plenty of interesting 'twists' during the time they are on track. The enduros are the opening round of the South Island Endurance Series which also visits Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna in Christchurch and Timaru. The prize pool for the series is the richest in New Zealand motorsport.
Sundays programme will feature quickfire sprint races for several classes. In the Noel McIntyre Drainage Clubmans Saloon races father and son Robert and Anthony Ralston of Invercargill in their Nissans, Brent Cross of Winton in his Mitsubishi EVO plus Darryn Andrews of Lincoln in Canterbury (Nissan Primera) will be the men to beat. One of the most heartening features of the class at this meeting is the number of debutants.
The reigning Southland Sports Car Club Sports & Racing Car Champion Jamie Conroy will be the man to beat in that category in his Reynard although the class always produces a mixture of results.
With the current NZ Champion Jarrod Parmenter of Timaru competing in the enduro rather than the Pro 7 class this weekend NZ2, Jason Corboy of Christchurch, will be one of the favourites.
Admission to Saturdays two endurance races is just $5 while the entry fee for Sundays programme, which begins with qualifying at 10am, is $10. Children under 14 are free on both days.
CALENDAR 2011/2012 SEASON - TERETONGA PARK
24/25 September 2011: Motor Racing presented by Downer - 3 Hour Endurance Race, 1 Hour Endurance Race, Pro 7, Motorcycles, Noel McIntyre Drainage Clubmans, Sports & Racing Cars
30 October 2011: Motor Racing presented by Downer - Noel McIntyre Drainage Clubmans, Sports & Racing Cars, Super 6 Saloons, Pro 7 Saloons, South Island Formula Ford, German Rennsport
3/4 December 2011: Motor Racing presented by Downer - OSCA (including Classic OSCA), Pre 65 Saloons; Mini 7 South, Super 6 Saloons, Noel McIntyre Drainage Clubmans, Sports & Racing Cars
13-15 January 2012: BNT V8s, UDC V8 Utes, Toyota Racing Series; Suzuki Swift Sport Cup, Formula Ford, Sports GT, Production GT
17-19 February 2012: Evolution Motorsport Classic SpeedFest featuring Classic Saloons, Historic Touring Cars, Vintage Cars, Sports Cars, Racing Cars, Pre 65 Saloons, Noel McIntyre Drainage Clubmans
11 March 2012: Motor Racing presented by Downer - Noel McIntyre Drainage Clubmans, Sports & Racing Cars, Motorcycles
