Will Kitching has dominated Round 2 of the Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing South Island Series at his home circuit, Timaru International Motor Raceway, over the weekend.
Kitching qualified fastest on Saturday before going on to win the first race over ten laps that afternoon.
On Sunday morning he came from the rear of the grid to take second place behind Matt Dodd in the top ten reverse grid race over 12 laps before leading Dodd home in Sunday afternoon’s 10-lap contest.
The results gave Kitching the round win from Dodd, with Nelson’s Mac Berkett third and first rookie for the round. Auckland driver, Ant Tork, took Masters honours (Over 50).
Kitching, who set the fastest lap in each of the three races, leads the South Island Series from Dodd and Berkett.
Kitching set the pace in qualifying to take pole for race one with a lap of 1m 10.504s, 0.536s ahead of Mac Templeton, with Dalan Price, Dodd, Berkett, Michael Court, Bryan Walker, Andrew French and Tork next. Christchurch’s Marc Denton was a non-starter following a mechanical issue in Friday testing.
Kitching led all the way in the first race to win by 2.890 seconds from Templeton, Price, and then Court. French got past Berkett early to finish fifth followed by Berkett, Tork, Walker and Dodd, who ran fourth until Lap 5 when a throttle issue forced him to restart the car, dropping him to the rear of the field.
On Sunday Dodd built a healthy lead in the reverse grid race until Templeton clipped a kerb and ended at ninety degrees across the track where Price could not avoid him. The resulting incident left both cars extensively damaged. Tork was second at the time after a superb example of defending his spot.
After the restart Kitching managed to get by him to take second behind Dodd. He also set the best lap with a 1.10.850. Tork maintained third from Berkett, French, Court and Walker.
Kitching again led all the way in the finale to win by just over 16 seconds from Dodd, setting the best lap time again, this time with a 1.10.291, just shy of the lap record. Tork held third until late in the race when he dropped several places with a minor mechanical issue leaving Berkett to take third from Court, French, Walker and Tork.
The South Island Series takes a break now before two rounds at Teretonga Park and Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell in February. These events will also be part of the Nexen Tyre Mazda Racing Series National Series and will conclude the South Island title race.
Before then Round 2 of the North Island Series will take place at Taupō Motorsport Park over the weekend of 23/24 November at the opening round of the NextGen NZ Motorsport Championship.
Interest continues to grow in the South Island Series with a number of new cars on the way and a lease car available for drivers to compete in.
