Hugh Gardiner has triumphed over Adam Julian and Jordan Michels in a Racers Products South Island Endurance Series Class 2 & 3 1-Hour thriller at Teretonga Park.
Gardiner (Porsche 991.2 MR) hit the front in the final 10 minutes when Julian got loose exiting Turn 7 and pulled to a 2.534-second victory over the Audi R8.
Julian was forced to fend off a late challenge from Michels (Marc II Mustang) to hold second, with the latter recovering from a pit stop delay after a slow puncture put him on the back foot mid-race.
Michels dropped to as low as tenth following the tyre change but charged back through the field to complete the podium.
Julian had earlier qualified on the pole, just 0.059 seconds ahead of Michels, and powered to an early lead when the race began.
Michels slotted into second and kept the pressure on, ahead of Gardiner, who qualified third, Steve Brooks (Porsche 992 GT3 Cup Car), John Goodacre (IRC GT) and Rhys Gould (IRC GT).
There was early drama for the #7 Porsche 996 RSR V8 of Angus McFarland and Michael Bushell, with a high-speed spin. The car returned to running but suffered a second spin 13 minutes in and stranded on the grass, bringing the race’s first Safety Car.
Julian held off Michels on the restart, with the pit window immediately opening and Brooks, Gould and Goodacre all making their stops.
Michels came in on short notice at the 24-minute mark, which cost the team roughly 30 seconds extra and dropped him down the order.
Julian stopped mid-race and returned to the net lead, ahead of Gardiner, who had made back ground in second. Michels, too, was charging forward and set a lap record as he went to make up lost time.
Another spin for the #7 Porsche brought the race’s second Safety Car, as the pit window closed at the 40-minute mark, bringing the field back together.
An 11-minute sprint to the flag followed, with Julian holding the initial advantage but losing the rear of his Audi exiting Turn 7, which allowed Gardiner through for the lead.
Julian kept his car pointing in the right direction and slotted into second but was soon forced to fend off the advances from Michels, who had climbed from seventh to third off the restart.
He did just that to keep his position but was unable to challenge Gardiner, who crossed the line 2.5 seconds ahead.
“It was a very enjoyable race,” Gardiner told The Pits Media. “I don’t know what happened to Adam; he certainly had the measure of me, but I just got him off the bottom of the front straight there.
“What an awesome race. It was great to see all the fans here at Teretonga Park. It’s just a phenomenal event by the South Island Endurance Racing Driver’s Club.
“It’s very hot inside the car. We probably don’t have the outright pace in a straight line as the other cars, but we’re really good on tyres. The Yokohama tyre was unbelievable, and we didn’t really drop any pace across the race.
“The boys did a phenomenal job, as per usual, and we’re very happy.
Julian added, “Every lap, in the rear vision mirror, someone was on my tail. Credit to Hugh, he waited for me to make a mistake, and I made one I didn’t want to make. I was just a little bit anxious and impatient. I should have waited, settled the car and gunned it, but that’s racing.
“As Hugh said, thanks to SIERDC, thanks to Teretonga Park. It’s been a fantastic meeting, and it’s great to have some sun.
Michels was just three-tenths behind Julian at the chequered flag, putting over six seconds on the Steve Brooks/Bill Riding Porsche over the closing stages as he hunted down the leaders.
“What a disaster early on,” the Southland local said. “I’m not really sure what; something went wrong with that tyre set, and we just lost it.
“We were all over first place there for a bit and dropped back. We hung on a green set and pushed pretty hard. The boys did such a great job. I think I gave them one corner notice to put a full set of greens on, and like always, they did a good job.
“Thank you to them and thank you to Peter Williams and his family for the opportunity to drive such a fantastic car, and to the Southland Sportscar Club for putting on the great weather at an awesome facility, and always, the volunteers and everyone here are always fantastic, so thank you.”
Brooks and Riding were fourth home, ahead of Goodacre and Gould.
Paul Kelly (Porsche 992 Cup Car) and the Porsche 992 pairing of Martin and Allan Dippie completed the top eight.
Steve Scoles (Ginetta G56) survived an off-track excursion following the final Safety Car to lead home the James Paterson and Barry Moore pairing (Audi R8) for Class 3 three spoils.
David Rogers (McLaren 570S GT4) completed the Class 3 podium, finishing less than three-tenths behind Paterson.
