Ten of the South Island’s best motor racing classes are on the programme at Teretonga Park in Invercargill this weekend.
The headline act is the OSCA Super Saloons, with reigning champion Cameron Jones of Palmerston North in his turbo-charged Mazda RX7 leading an impressive field.
He will face tough opposition from Steve Ross of Dunedin in his Jaguar TraNZam. When they last met at Teretonga Park, it was Ross who prevailed, winning two of the four races and taking the round victory by just one point from Jones.
The Pre 78 Classic Saloons feature Mark McGuinness of Wellington in his Alfa Romeo GTV, and a trio of Dunedin drivers in Triumph cars – Barry Dorking in a Dolomite, Paul Coghill in a Vitesse and Gavin Jackson in a Triumph 2500, plus a range of other cars ranging from a Ford Capri to a Fiat 850.
Seb Manson of Auckland leads the South Island Formula Ford South Island Championship and will face stiff opposition from both Dylan Petch and Caleb Byers of Rolleston, while former champion Jack Noble-Adams is also in the field. Rookie Izaak Fletcher of Tai Tapu near Christchurch has made an impressive start as a rookie in the championship. Jacob Begg of Winton, a great-nephew of George Begg, is currently second in Class 2.
The Noel McIntyre Drainage Club Saloons will feature top local drivers Jordan Michels in his Marc II Mustang against Liam MacDonald in his Falcon, while brothers Dion and Kyle Dawson in a Saker SVS and Nissan Skyline, respectively, will be quick.
Jared Pyke of Rangiora was one of the best last time the Mazda Pro 8 Saloons came to Teretonga Park, while local drivers Bradley and Jeremy Dawson plus Jeremy Skeggs lined up as well.
Garry Price of Cromwell in his Chevy Nova SS was the round winner in the last appearance of Pre 65 Saloons, while Corey Ross of Rolleston in a Mustang and local driver John Smolenski in his XP Falcon are also very competitive.
The 2K Cup South Island visits for the first time as a championship round, and they bring south a tremendous field of thirty-two cars led by Greg Barclay of Woodend in his Toyota MR2.
SS Cup is another class with a large field of 22 cars with a wide variety of marques among them.
Justin Neill of Christchurch leads the Mini 7 South Series as it arrives at this, their third round of the season, with Justin Ashwell of Lyttleton second and Daniel Lamb of Kaiapoi third. Neill was the man to beat at Teretonga last season, while Adam Box of Rolleston and Lamb were also prominent.
The NZ Six Saloons will feature Cody Welch of Omakau and David Worgan of Methven in Falcons and Mike McCarthy of Dunedin in a Commodore. Mick Ross of Dunedin in a Commodore and Tony Herbert of Omakau in a Falcon will also be ones to watch.
On-track, action starts from 9.30 am on Saturday, with qualifying from 10.55 am. There are nine races on Saturday from 2.00 pm with every class on track at least once. Sunday’s programme gets underway at 9.00 am with twenty-three races throughout the day.
Words & Images: Supplied
