The opening round of the 2025/26 MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon delivered everything fans expect from the long-running championship: close battles, unpredictable moments and a commanding early statement from McRae front-runner Michael Hey, who completed the weekend with two victories and a perfect score.
The action began on Saturday afternoon in dry, cool and breezy conditions as all nine starters reached the chequered flag in the season’s first 10-lap race.
From pole, Hey made the crucial move of the day, protecting the inside line into the sweeping Turn 1 in his 1972 McRae GM1-004 while team-mate Steve Ross was forced to take the high road around the outside.
Local favourite Kevin Ingram capitalised almost immediately, diving into second place at ‘Splash’ in his Frissbee-Lola T332 HU48 and leaving Ross with the task of fighting back.
Behind the front trio, James Watson showed promising speed in the Gardos OR2, briefly climbing to third before a suspected head-gasket issue robbed him of straight-line pace and left him vulnerable to Ingram’s counters.
Grant Martin also featured in the early exchanges in the 1974 Talon MR1 once raced by Chris Amon, only to take avoiding action on lap four and spin down the order.
Further down the pack, Anna Collins made a strong season debut in the ex-Graeme Lawrence Lola T332 HU28, becoming locked in a mid-race duel with fellow T332 driver Glenn Richards. The pair traded places before Martin recovered to join their battle by the seventh lap.
Out front, Hey managed his advantage to perfection, finishing just 0.8 seconds ahead of Ross, with Ingram a further ten seconds back. The result placed Hey atop the early standings with 40 points.
He credited the victory to the start, admitting that he saw plenty of action in his mirrors and focused on building a buffer. As the tyres began to overheat late in the race, he backed off slightly and braked earlier, but the rhythm remained smooth enough to claim his first win of the season.
Collins, meanwhile, described her run as enjoyable and encouraging, despite spending much of the race managing a minor brake issue. Co-owner Mark Collins later confirmed that the team had also discovered a minor valve-spring problem, both issues expected to be resolved overnight.
In the A-category contest, Tony Roberts made the perfect launch in his 1969 McLaren M10A and held off the faster but slightly delayed Toby Annabell in the 1970 M10B. Roberts admitted the chequered flag couldn’t come soon enough after a demanding warm-up and race distance.
Not everyone enjoyed such fortune, with Feilding local Tim Rush ruled out after the McLaren M22 suffered terminal engine failure in Friday practice, while Bruce Kett’s Lola T332 was absent from the Manfeild entry.
Sunday morning delivered the traditional handicap race, producing one of the tightest and most entertaining conclusions of the weekend. Roberts and Annabell were again central to the script as they settled quickly into a rhythm at the front of the staggered field.
Behind them, Ingram, Collins and Hey began the chase, carving rapidly through the traffic and closing significantly in the final laps.
The closing stages unfolded across three separate battles: the two McLarens fighting for the A-class win, the Collins–Hey duel for mid-race position, and Ingram’s relentless push from his handicap start.
In the end, Roberts clung to the lead by just 0.38 seconds, sealing a dramatic victory over Annabell.
The weekend’s final race, scheduled for 10 laps, became a five-lap sprint after Ingram’s Turn 1 crash prompted a red flag. Up to that point, the race had promised to be the most explosive of the weekend.
Hey started from pole but was beaten off the line by Ross and Ingram, emerging third as the field surged through Turn 1. Ingram immediately applied pressure to Ross at ‘Splash’ and again at the hairpin, while Ross responded strongly on the straights.
On the second lap, Ross ran wide at the hairpin, forcing Ingram to hesitate and briefly make contact, opening the door for Hey to slice past both cars and seize the lead.
Ingram answered with a bold move at the Higgins sweeper to reclaim second. Then he held off Ross down the back straight, but moments later disaster struck as he locked a brake and fired straight into the Turn 1 gravel, coming to rest in the tyre wall.
With recovery required and insufficient time for a restart, the race was declared at five laps, confirming another McRae 1–2 for Hey and Ross, with Martin taking third for Talon.
Hey paid tribute to his crew, acknowledging the extensive off-season work that helped him deliver a second 20-point haul.
Ross admitted he had been on the edge for much of the short race and lost the tail a couple of times, conceding that the younger drivers were continuing to raise the standard at the front.
Richards finished fourth, while Collins secured another assured result in fifth, praising the car’s progress and noting the special feeling of driving a machine still carrying Graeme Lawrence’s original steering wheel and rev counter.
She finished the weekend pleased with three clean results and confident that further minor refinements would bring her into the pace of the leading pack.
In the A-category battle, Annabell reversed the morning’s order and finished ahead of Roberts, later noting how vital it was to be first into the corner, given how evenly matched the pair’s horsepower was.
Adding an extra layer of historical context to the weekend, Australian F5000 great Warwick Brown was among those closely following the racing.
Brown, who once competed against Lawrence in the sister Lola T332 HU27, recalled his last appearance at Manfeild being in December 1974. He also commented on Hey’s impressive lap speed, describing the 01:03:56 time as “really quick.”
The series now heads south for its sole South Island appearance at the SKOPE Classic at Euromarque Motorsport Park in Christchurch on 6–8 February 2026, one of New Zealand’s premier historic motorsport events.
The 2025/26 SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series continues to enjoy strong support from SAS Autoparts, MSC, NZ Express Transport, Bonney’s Specialised Bulk Transport, Mobil Lubricants, Nova Tyres, Webdesign, Exide Batteries and Pacifica Shipping.
Header Image: Chelsea Karl
