Taupō turned it on for the Central Muscle Cars today as the thunderous V8s took to the circuit in support of the 2025 Supercars Championship round.
Amid the rumble of big horsepower and classic Kiwi rivalry, it was Angus Fogg who stood tall in Race 1 after an intense battle with polesitter Andy Knight.
Qualifying –
Andy Knight was the man to beat in qualifying, laying down a scorching lap on his second flying lap to secure pole position ahead of seasoned campaigner Fogg and Nick Ross. Knight clearly means business at Taupō.
However, it wasn’t smooth sailing for everyone. Shane Holland, showing a strong early pace in the Mustang, was forced to retire with smoke billowing from the car’s rear. This ended his qualifying session and any chances of a strong start in the weekend’s first race.
Race 1 –
The weekend’s first race didn’t disappoint, serving up a classic duel between two heavyweights of the category. Fogg launched perfectly off the line to snatch the lead, only to have Knight counter and regain the top spot after a few laps. Knight stretched a slight lead, but Fogg was relentless—methodically reeling him back in.
With just a handful of laps remaining, Foggy made his move, muscling past Knight to reclaim the lead and cruise to a hard-fought victory. Despite missing out on the win, Knight clocked the fastest lap of the race with a 1:34.4922, narrowly bettering Fogg’s best of 1:34.5269.
“Yeah, my car is usually quite good on its tyres, and that’s really all it was. I got the jump at the start, and then Andy powered past, and I just kept nibbling and pushing him. The track is still very slippery, so it was a bit of a dance, but it was a good dance, and it’s cool to have the win in front of the home crowd.
“The only problem was when I went out on the grid, my throttle spring broke, so it was sorta stuck at a minimum of 5000rpm, so as you were going into the corner you had to clutch it; otherwise, it kept driving into the corner, so it was an added little bonus,” said Fogg.
Continuing to battle mechanical gremlins, Shane Holland opted to retire from the race while sitting in a strong third position. With oil leaking from the car, Holland brought the Mustang into the pit lane to address the issue—prioritizing the rest of the weekend over one result.
Ross rounded out the podium in third, while Nathan Anderson and Grant Crosby completed the top five.
Further back, the championship contenders had mixed fortunes. Craig Boote led the trio with a 6th-place finish, while Rodney Heads and Clarke Hopkins finished 9th and 13th, respectively.
It’s a jam-packed weekend for Fogg, who’s pulling double duty across both the Central Muscle Cars and Super V8 classes. Fogg qualified for tomorrow’s first Super V8 race in P11.But if today’s result is anything to go by, Foggy’s not just coping—he’s thriving and will be one to watch out for.
Fogg’s first Super V8 race is tomorrow at 9:50 a.m., followed by back-to-back races in the afternoon: Super V8 Race 2 at 2:30 p.m. and Central Muscle Cars Race 2 at 3 p.m.
With more racing over the next two days, Taupō promises plenty more action from Central Muscle Cars, Super V8s, the Toyota GR86 Championship, and, of course, Supercars.
Header Image: Chelsea Karl / C.K Photography
