Christchurch’s Anna Collins and Rotorua’s Brett Willis shared the wins on the first day of racing in the 2026/27 MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series at Feilding’s Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon today.
Collins converted pole position into a comfortable win in the morning’s opening race in the McRae GM1 004. Willis then charged through the field in his Lola T332 to win the afternoon’s handicap race.
The only thing bigger than the crowd at Manfeild was the noise of the thundering F5000 cars, as the sun turned up the heat on the track action. The popularity of the 40th running of the MG Classic meeting has forced a re-shuffle of the weekend’s programme, putting two of the three F5000 races on the Saturday and leaving a single race to settle the round on Sunday.
Collins had set the tone in Friday’s qualifying session, taking pole with a 1:04.007 lap that left her almost a second clear of Blenheim’s Michael Hey in the McRae GM1 001, with Te Kauwhata’s Tony Galbraith third in his Lola T332. It was the result the reigning B Class series winner had come for.
“We were hoping we’d set pole for the weekend,” she said.
“We had the car ready, I was ready, and we knew we were competitive off the back of last season, so we were pleased with the result for sure.”
The first race of the season was filled with twists and turns before it even started, with the McLaren M22 of Feilding’s Tim Rush suffering a mechanical issue on the warm-up lap and returning to the pits, his weekend over.
When the lights went out, Collins led the field into and out of Turn 1 and immediately began to open a gap. Behind her, a spin on entry to the hairpin dropped the McRae GM1 of Dunedin’s Steve Ross down the order.
The returning Hey, meanwhile, kept the Lola T332s of Feilding’s Kevin Ingram and Clevedon’s Glenn Richards at bay until he could find some breathing space on the straights.
On the third lap, Willis out-braked himself at the back ‘Higgins’ corner, attempting to follow the wider line of the car in front, and slid from the track into the gravel. The Safety Car retrieved the Lola, and Willis rejoined to complete the final laps, two laps down.
The re-start brought the race to life. Ross created an opportunity to swing inside both Richards and Ingram and lift himself to third, only to spin on the run to ‘Splash’, forcing those he had just passed to take evasive action.
Immediately after, second-placed Hey spun mid-corner at the hairpin and dropped to sixth, promoting Galbraith to second and Ingram to third, the pair separated by less than half a second at the flag.
Ross recovered to fourth ahead of Richards and Hey, with Hāwera’s Toby Annabell seventh and first of the A Class runners in his McLaren M10B.
None of it troubled Collins, who took the first win of the season by a comfortable 10 seconds.
“We were hoping for a nice clean run in the race, and we got that,” she said.
“Being positioned from P1, I got the drive ahead while watching the chaos unfold behind me.”
The afternoon’s handicap race turned the order on its head, with Annabell’s McLaren M10B (400-7) fronting the field and the morning’s winner starting from the back. Annabell held the lead until the third lap, when local driver Ingram went by.
Ingram in turn stayed in front until the seventh lap, when a returning-to-form Willis took over at the head of the field and was not seen again. Ross made sure he wasn’t forgotten, passing Ingram in the closing laps to finish second, 4.4 seconds behind the winner, with Ingram third and Richards fourth.
Hey and Collins crossed the line together in fifth and sixth after working their way up from the rear of the field.
For Willis, who set the fastest lap of the race on his way to the win, it was a reward after a difficult morning. “I had to work for that,” he said.
“It has been a while since I’ve been in the car, and while we’ve had a couple of issues, I’m working through things and a bit rusty, but enjoying it. It is good to be back. I’ve got to be more consistent. Our times are as good as the front guys, and I like to chase cars down and race with the right people.”
Sunday’s one-and-only race for the F5000 cars, over 10 laps, will be held just before the lunch break. Collins again starts from pole with Hey alongside her on the front row, while Ross and Galbraith share the second row ahead of Richards and Ingram.
Saturday’s handicap winner Willis lines up seventh with Annabell beside him, leaving the Rotorua driver with exactly the kind of chase he says he enjoys.
RESULTS: MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series, Round 1 – MG Classic, Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon, Feilding
Qualifying (Friday 13 November)
- 1. Anna Collins (McRae GM1) 1:04.007
- 2. Michael Hey (McRae GM1) 1:04.992
- 3. Tony Galbraith (Lola T332) 1:05.453
- 4. Glenn Richards (Lola T332) 1:05.986
- 5. Brett Willis (Lola T332) 1:06.986
- 6. Kevin Ingram (Lola T332) 1:07.233
- 7. Steve Ross (McRae GM1) 1:07.750
- 8. Toby Annabell (McLaren M10B, A Class) 1:09.911
- 9. Tim Rush (McLaren M22) 1:10.258
Race 1 (10 laps – Saturday 14 November)
- 1. Anna Collins (McRae GM1) 13:14.327
- 2. Tony Galbraith (Lola T332) +10.152
- 3. Kevin Ingram (Lola T332) +10.577
- 4. Steve Ross (McRae GM1) +13.733
- 5. Glenn Richards (Lola T332) +22.087
- 6. Michael Hey (McRae GM1) +26.479
- 7. Toby Annabell (McLaren M10B, A Class) +31.932
- 8. Brett Willis (Lola T332) +2 laps
- DNS. Tim Rush (McLaren M22)
- Fastest lap: Anna Collins, 1:05.170
Race 2, handicap (10 laps – Saturday 14 November)
- 1. Brett Willis (Lola T332) 11:17.311
- 2. Steve Ross (McRae GM1) +4.461
- 3. Kevin Ingram (Lola T332) +5.132
- 4. Glenn Richards (Lola T332) +7.037
- 5. Michael Hey (McRae GM1) +22.545
- 6. Anna Collins (McRae GM1) +22.669
- 7. Tony Galbraith (Lola T332) +33.808
- 8. Toby Annabell (McLaren M10B, A Class) +49.355
- Fastest lap: Brett Willis, 1:05.140
Grid for Sunday’s race (10 laps – 15 November)
- 1. Anna Collins
- 2. Michael Hey
- 3. Steve Ross
- 4. Tony Galbraith
- 5. Glenn Richards
- 6. Kevin Ingram
- 7. Brett Willis
- 8. Toby Annabell
Header Photo: Jarod Carruthers
