The 2023 V8 Utes championship kicked off in thrilling fashion at Taupo International Motorsport Park with Brad Kroef ending the day on a high, topping the morning’s Qualifying then going on to win Race 1 in the afternoon.
Along the way, there were some tense moments.
The scene was set in Qualifying as Brad and Greg Kroef set the early pace, but not far behind them some new stars were starting to shine.
David ‘Shaggy’ Lowe was the big improver of the session, crashing the Kroef party to slot into second fastest. Phil Ross displayed his family’s racing pedigree posting the morning’s fourth best time, while Stu Monteith was fifth fastest. Meanwhile, rookies Simon Macleod and Jeremy Hunt promptly got to grips with manhandling their 400hp beasts around Taupo’s twisty turns.
That meant the afternoon’s Race 1 would be the true test of who was hot – or not. It didn’t disappoint.
As the lights went out, Brad Kroef rocketed ahead. Ross muscled his way between Lowe and Greg Kroef. As they headed three wide into turn 1, something had to give.
It did.
The front bumper of Phil’s Holden connected with Lowe’s Ford – a badly bruised door panel the result, sending Shaggy out wide and dropping him from 2nd to 7th. That mean after the first lap, it was Brad then Greg Kroef first and second, with Ross close behind in third.
As the laps unfolded, a bruised and battered Lowe was on a charge. Relegated to 7th by the end of the first lap, he had work to do. Some aggressive manoeuvres pushed him up to 5th, but Monteith proved a formidable road block and clung onto 4th place.
On his first outing in his Ford BF, RYCO 24•7 New Zealand Manager Macleod suffered a blown fuse, killing the engine and blowing his chance of finishing his first ever V8 Utes race. More experienced racer Brent Main, also in a RYCO 24•7 backed Ford BF, suffered a fluid leak issue relegating him to a DNF as well.
Come the chequered flag, it was the Kroefs comfortably in 1st and 2nd, Ross losing out just behind them.
The stewards later ruled Ross had committed a grid box infringement and slapped him with a 5-second time penalty which advanced Monteith up to 3rd. Nonetheless, it was an outstanding drive from Ross which sets him up for a great season.
During the live commentary, Stephen McIvor captured the appeal of the V8 Utes in a nutshell. “The V8 Utes turn back the clock, keeping the Holden vs Ford rivalry alive.” Former V8 Utes driver Andrew Waite alongside him in commentary said “These V8 Utes are a lot of fun to drive… they’re a beast to throw around.”
The V8 Utes return tomorrow for two further races, the first at 10.30am and the second at 2.30pm.
Both races will be shown live on Sky Sport with the latter also shown free-to-air on CRC Motorsport on TV3.
Header Image: Dillon Photography (Supplied)
