Action Motorsport hopes the latest addition to their fleet – a Lamborghini Reiter R-EX GT3 – can challenge for this year’s South Island Endurance Series title.
A former State championship-winning car in the hands of Australian racer Peter Major, the Raging Bull was purchased by Kiwi Scott Smith earlier this year.
The car then arrived on New Zealand shores in early July.
Action Motorsport team principal Shaun Hayes says the car is in ship-shape condition and ready to race.
The only thing the car hasn’t done yet is hit a Kiwi race track.
“It’s not even turned a wheel,” Hayes told Velocity News.
“With all the lockdowns and we’ve been busying on other things, we haven’t had time to test the car on the track.
“But we have been making sure that everything else is covered and 100 per cent. It is all ready to go.”
The car is a genuine 2016 R-EX GT3 model, up-to-date with the latest factory GT3 specifications.
Only the restrictors have been removed, keeping it in line with the South Island series’ regulations.
Defending Toyota 86 champion Rowan Shepherd is taking the lead reins of the car and will share driving duties with Smith this season.
All these factors are what Hayes says will give the team a competitive chance of winning.
“I think [the car] will be reasonably competitive.
“Rowan is a quick, reliable and safe driver. He has a clean head on him and will play the long game to win.
“But if the door is open, he will go for it.
“We have got as good of a chance as anyone as long as we can get both our guys on the pace in every race.”
Hayes hopes he and the team can find some time before the first race to take the car through its paces in a test session.
However, being an Auckland-based outfit currently means they are clamped in lockdown, and testing is off-limits.
It may also mean that they could miss the opening race at Highlands Motorsport Park next month if Auckland doesn’t soon reduce its lockdown restrictions.
“We would like to get a few tests in, and we will try our best to do that.
“But we might have to miss the first race purely because of time constraints.
“Even if Auckland is level 3, we still can’t travel out of the province. So, we are hoping we go to level 2 soon.”
As for the Lambo, this year may be the sole season it competes with Action Motorsport.
“[Smith] was sort of humming and harring at different GT3s when he was buying one. But I think he always wanted a Lambo.
“It is a good place to start and we will look to upgrade to something else in a season or two.”
Alongside their endurance commitments, Action Motorsport will be running four cars in this summer’s Toyota 86 championship.
The South Island Endurance Series begins at Highlands on October 2.
Main Image: Dirk Klynsmith