Danny Stutterd has won this afternoon’s Highlands 10th Anniversary 1-Hour Enduro in a Marc (IRC) GT, the first victory for the car in New Zealand.
Jordan Michels converted pole position into a podium finish in his Marc (IRC) II Mustang, while Rick Armstrong rounded out the podium in his new Porsche 992 Cup Car.
“It was awesome. The traffic was good, and all were well-behaved,” Studderd said following the race.
“I’ve got to thank Sam McKenzie and Mark (Petch) for letting me drive the car; it was great fun. It’s really cool [to drive]. It’s so predictable, so I hopped in and pushed the limits straight away. It’s a really nice car.
“I’ve got to give all credit to Tony and the crew. It’s the most magnificent track. We were here for the first race, and I couldn’t wait to get back. It lives up to all expectations. It’s awesome.”
Having qualified second, Studderd powered away off the front row at the green flag, pulling clear into Turn 1, only briefly relinquishing the position during the pit window.
The race’s sole Safety Car came just minutes before the compulsory pit stop window opened when the left rear of the Toyota 86 of Kynan Yu and Cormac Murphy came loose.
Stutterd, who had already raced to a significant lead, found the field close behind because of this, as competitors made the most of the caution to box en masse. He ultimately returned to the lead once everyone had stopped.
Michels, who had qualified on pole by an impressive six-tenths, was quick to slot into second off the start and dropped behind Armstrong during the congested pit cycle, retaking the position as the race entered its second half-hour.
The two would pull clear of the field in the later stages, with the gap between the pair fluctuating but gradually increasing lap-on-lap as they battled traffic.
Studderd would come home 12.4 seconds clear for the win, with Armstrong 7.4 seconds behind in third.
Ayrton Hodson continues to make waves in the New Zealand endurance racing scene, finishing fourth in a Porsche 991.1, the same position in which he had qualified. Hodson ran a tidy race for the result, briefly looking set for a podium in the early stages until Armstrong was able to work through.
A first corner incident cost Jarrod Owens, who spun into the chicane and had a door to the Porsche GT3 Cup MR SP-Pro open on contact with a bollard.
Dropping to the rear of the field, Owens moved forward throughout the race, coming home a commendable fifth after overturning a 15-second gap with 13 minutes remaining and hunting down the Steve Brooks/Bill Riding Porsche 992 Cup for a final-lap pass.
He would ultimately run out of time to make a move on Hodson, who finished just 0.434 seconds ahead.
Glenn Brazier drove the #34 Porsche 992 Cup to seventh as the last car on the lead lap.
Garry Derrick (Porsche 911) was eighth, ahead of the first Supertourer, the #97 Ford of Hamish Wilton.
Wilton had relived the Ford versus Holden rivalry through an early battle with Brad Rule, who had dropped down the order following a spin five minutes in.
Rule recovered from that but later found difficulty when passing the McLaren 570s GT4 of Lindsay O’Donnell in traffic, clipping its right front with his left rear, resulting in tyre damage that saw him lose further ground.
O’Donnell was less lucky, with the contact damaging the radiator and bringing about its retirement.
Breanna Morris did well to avoid the incident in the Dayle ITM Mercedes AMG GT4 and finished as the second GT4 home, in 11th overall, behind Joel Giddy.
Giddy kept Morris at bay over the closing stages and was rewarded with a top-ten finish, 2.1 seconds clear of his rival.
Highlands Motorsport Park’s 10th Anniversary celebrations continue on Sunday, with the headlining 6-Hour Enduro beginning at 11.00 am.
Live coverage begins at 8.30 am on Sky Sport.
Header Image: Mark Petch
