Christchurch’s Anna Collins held off Dunedin’s Steve Ross to win a bruising final race of the MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series opener at Feilding’s Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon, today.
Collins took the McRae GM1 004 to her second win of the weekend by 1.5 seconds.
Sunday’s one-and-only race, the last of the morning’s sessions, started with Collins leading the field to the first turn. That was where it all ended. Clevedon’s Glenn Richards had a clean run around the outside of the group in his Lola T332 ‘K3’, the car first raced by Danny Ongais. He took a hit and was spun from the track into the gravel.
The race was stopped, and the cars returned to the grid to await the restart, where the retrieved Lola of Richards re-joined them. Others were bruised from the skirmish. The front wing was scraping on Ross’s McRae GM1 009, a car built in 1973 for Quicksilver Racing. Feilding’s Kevin Ingram detoured to pit lane in his Lola T332 HU48R and sat out the restart.
As the field moved away to begin a new formation lap, Richards found a clutch problem that prevented his car from leaving the grid, and it was recovered to safety.
With the remaining cars taking the green flag, Collins led the field through the first turn again. Ross lay in wait behind her and slipped by Blenheim’s Michael Hey in the McRae GM1 001, McRae’s first chassis. Rotorua’s Brett Willis slotted into third in his Lola T332 HU40.
Each time Ross closed the gap, Collins pulled away. She shut down a move for the lead at the final turn, then put enough distance on Ross to keep him behind on the run to the chequered flag. Her best lap of 1:04.316 was also the fastest of the race.
He got back by Willis on the fourth lap for third place, by then too far adrift to chase down his starting position. Willis came home fourth and was the last of the finishers. Te Kauwhata’s Tony Galbraith stopped after six laps in the Lola T332 HU38, the car Tuck Thomas raced in the 1974 US F5000 series.
Hāwera’s Toby Annabell also called time early in the McLaren M10B 400-7, the car David Good campaigned in the 1970 British Hill Climb Championship. He had a simple explanation as to why he didn’t finish. “To try to get a decent time for the last race, we put minimal fuel in it,” he said.
“Then there was the issue at turn one, and we ended up doing about four more laps than I’d planned, so hence I ran out of juice. Simple.”
For Collins, the weekend closed the way it had opened. “It turned out very favourable for us,” she said.
“I saw Steve Ross coming up behind me, but I knew I had the pace. I just had to manage the lead and drive defensively so I could sit comfortably and get it to the end.”
It was also a weekend that meant more than the results.
“This weekend’s actually a really special weekend for us,” said Collins.
“We’ve got the whole crew here, my dad, and my 88-year-old granddad back with us this weekend. It’s awesome to have a full team on board, as well as Alistair Hey, Michael Hey and Andy, our mechanic who comes along with us.”
“A special thanks to Dad as well,” she added.
“The preparation that’s gone into both of the cars has been massive. To turn up and have the car set up the way that it was, ready to go, gives me the confidence in the car to drive it to its limits.”
Among those at Manfeild to see the cars in action, and Annabell’s McLaren M10B in particular, was Amanda McLaren, daughter of the late Bruce McLaren. “It has been a very special weekend for all of us, having the Amon, Hulme and McLaren families here for this,” she said.
“I enjoy motor racing, but it’s always difficult to get excited about a race if I don’t know the driver or it’s not a particularly relevant car. So having a car like this with the McLaren name on it out there among the Formula 5000s, I really do have someone to cheer for and get excited over.
“It’s just so wonderful to me to see these cars still alive and well, competing out there. The crowd love them because they make so much noise. And no disrespect to some of the saloons and other cars here, these look like proper race cars, you know, slicks and wings. Such fun. I always love seeing the 5000s, and especially ones in this colour with the McLaren name on the side.”
The series now takes a break until 2027, when it joins the Giltrap Group Taupō Historic Grand Prix at Taupō International Motorsport Park on 15–17 January.
RESULTS – MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series, Round 1 – MG Classic, Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon
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
Race 3 (8 laps – Sunday 15 November)
- 1. Anna Collins (McRae GM1) 8:42.428
- 2. Steve Ross (McRae GM1) +1.486
- 3. Michael Hey (McRae GM1) +16.481
- 4. Brett Willis (Lola T332) +25.697
- DNF. Tony Galbraith (Lola T332) 6 laps
- DNF. Toby Annabell (McLaren M10B, A Class) 6 laps
- DNS. Glenn Richards (Lola T332)
- DNS. Kevin Ingram (Lola T332)
- Fastest lap: Anna Collins, 1:04.316
Points after Round 1:
| Class B | ||||||||
| Driver | Entry | Race 1 | Points | Race 2 | Points | Race 3 | Points | Round total |
| #96 Anna Collins – McRae GM1 | 20 | 1 | 20 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 20 | 65 |
| #5 Steve Ross – McRae GM1 | 20 | 4 | 17 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 19 | 65 |
| #19 Brett Willis – Lola T332 | 20 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 17 | 61 |
| #22 Michael Hey – McRae GM1 | 20 | 6 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 18 | 59 |
| #30 Kevin Ingram – Lola T332 | 20 | 3 | 18 | 3 | 8 | DNS | 0 | 46 |
| #88 Tony Galbraith – Lola T332 | 20 | 2 | 19 | 7 | 4 | DNF | 0 | 43 |
| #63 Glenn Richards – Lola T332 | 20 | 5 | 16 | 4 | 7 | DNS | 0 | 43 |
| #20 Tim Rush – McLaren M22 | 20 | DNS | 0 | DNS | 0 | DNS | 0 | 20 |
| Class A | ||||||||
| Driver | Entry | Race 1 | Points | Race 2 | Points | Race 3 | Points | Round total |
| #9 Toby Annabell – McLaren M10B | 20 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 10 | DNF | 0 | 50 |
Header Photo: Lance Hastie
