The 2023 South Island Endurance Series springs into action this weekend with a massive 40-car grid opening the meet at Ruapuna in the Class 4 & 5 1-Hour.
Ayrton Hodson and Brett Sullivan lead the way in the New Zealand Endurance Championship Class 4 & 5 title, the duo coming into this weekend with form on their side after claiming the equivalent title in their BMW Z4 in the Golden Homes North Island Endurance Series.
Chris Wall returns to action minus second driver, having claimed Class 5 honours in the north, as he sets about retaining his place atop the New Zealand Endurance Championship leaderboard.
A large number of TCRs makes picking a favourite no easy task, with the three Hyundai i30N TCRs of Rhys Gould, Pel Arnott and Scott O’Donnell joined by the Volkswagen Golf TCRs of Cole Askew/Grant Askew, Barry Moore and Mike Hall as well as the Golf Cup of Tim Mackersy. Warren Black, Matthew O’Donnell and Denzil Travers also bring Audi RS3 LMS TCRs to the event.
Robert Gjaja adds some further diversity to the Class 4 field in the #505 Lotus Exige, as does Paul Martin in the #14 Honda S2000, Russell McKenzie in the #68 BMW M3 and Vin Schelp in the #155 BMW 320i.
There’s also a solid Mazda RX8 presence, with Sam Wallace/Harri Judd joined by Flyn Mitchell, Bradley Dawson, Michael Court, Ben McConchie/Jared Pyke, Cory Stewart and Ash McConchie.
The Subaru Impreza of Mark Neville and Seat Supercopa of Peter Bennetts further diversify the manufacturers on display, shaping a field where the race is anyone’s for the taking.
In Class 5, Cormac Murphy and Brooklyn Horan return to the track, having competed in the North Island Endurance Series, and are joined down south by Jordyn Wallace, Steve Parker/Mark Leonard, Saxon Sheehan and Tayler Bryant in a six-strong Toyota 86 contingent.
Honda Civics are also well-represented, with Wall joined by Donovan Isted, James Mitchell and Jarred Morgan.
Mark Meadows (Lotus Elise), Arthur Markus/Jamie Duff (Toyota Starlet), Will Taylor (Honda Integra), Marc Denton (BMW 320i) and Jamie Wilson/Tai Tapu (Toyota Trueno) round out the Class 5 field.
Competitors will take to the track for three practice sessions today before returning on Saturday morning for qualifying at 9.00 am. The Class 4 & 5 1-Hour begins at 10.20 am and will be live-streamed by The Pits Media.
South Island Endurance Series Class 4 & 5 1-Hour grid
| Driver 1 | Driver 2 | Car |
| Rhys Gould | – | Hyundai i30N TCR |
| Brett Sullivan | Ayrton Hodson | BMW Z4 |
| Donovan Isted | – | Honda Civic |
| Sam Wallace | Harri Judd | Mazda RX8 |
| Paul Martin | – | Honda S2000 |
| Mark Meadows | – | Lotus Elise |
| Pel Arnott | – | Hyundai i30N TCR |
| Flyn Mitchell | – | Mazda RX8 |
| Jordyn Wallace | – | Toyota 86 |
| Steve Parker | Mark Leonard | Toyota 86 |
| Saxon Sheehan | – | Toyota 86 |
| James Mitchell | – | Honda Civic |
| Bradley Dawson | – | Mazda RX8 |
| Arthur Markus | Jamie Duff | Toyota Starlet |
| Cole Askew | Grant Askew | Volkswagen Golf TCR |
| Russell McKenzie | – | BMW M3 |
| Tayler Bryant | – | Toyota 86 |
| Rhys Turner | – | Honda Civic |
| Barry Moore | – | Volkswagon Golf TCR |
| Michael Court | – | Mazda RX8 |
| Warren Black | – | Audi RS3 LMS TCR |
| Brooklyn Horan | – | Toyota 86 |
| Will Taylor | – | Honda Integra |
| Chrill Wall | – | Honda Civic |
| Cormac Murphy | – | Toyota 86 |
| Matthew O’Donnell | – | Audi RS3 LMS TCR |
| Mike Hall | – | Volkswagon Golf TCR |
| Jarred Morgan | – | Honda Civic |
| Mark Neville | – | Subaru Impreza |
| Peter Bennetts | – | Seat Supercopa |
| Vin Schelp | – | BMW 32oI |
| David McLean | – | Honda Integra |
| Marc Denton | – | BMW 320I |
| Scott O’Donnell | – | Hyundai i30N TCR |
| Ben McConchie | Jared Pyke | Mazda RX8 |
| Denzil Travers | – | Audi RS3 LMS TCR |
| Cory Stewart | – | Mazda RX8 |
| Tim Mackersy | – | Volkswagon Golf Cup |
| Ash McConchie | – | Mazda RX8 |
| Robert Gjaja | – | Lotus Exige |
| Jamie Wilson | Max Wilson | Toyota Trueno |
Header Image: Matthew O’Donnell testing in the #111 Audi RS3 LMS TCR. Image: Neville Bailey
