Will Kitching began his quest for the Mazda Racing National Series title in sublime fashion at Teretonga, taking a podium in Saturday’s sole race before winning Sunday’s two outings to take the lead heading into Round 2 this weekend at Highlands.
Kitching, who leads the South Island Series, entered the round as one of several favourites, but faced stern competition from the likes of North Island Series leader Rex Edwards, Canterbury’s Mac Templeton, Paraparaumu’s Stuart Lawton, and Auckland’s Callum Pratt, among others.
It was Templeton who rose to the occasion on Saturday, qualifying on pole just 0.08 seconds to the good of Kitching, with Edwards and Jesse Gould on row two.
Templeton won the start and led away with Kitching in hot pursuit, but the Timaru driver ran wide and onto the grass on the exit of the loop on the first lap, dropping down the order to cross the line at the end of the lap in eighth.
Templeton led from Edwards, Gould, Lawton and Dodd followed by James Black, the placings remaining steady for the opening laps.
Meanwhile Kitching set about making amends as he carved his way back up the order. He was sixth by Lap 4 and fifth a tour later. Mac Berkett had a similar excursion to Kitching’s on Lap 5, recovering without losing a place.
With two laps to go Templeton had opened a margin at the front while Edwards was under attack from Gould and Kitching, now up into fourth place.
Templeton completed a lights-to-flag victory, crossing the line 2.611 seconds ahead of Edwards. Kitching capped his remarkable comeback by snatching third with Lawton, Gould and Dodd next followed by Pratt, James Black, Mac Berkett and Bryan Walker, who completed the top ten.
Templeton was “quite stoked” with the win. Referring to the New Zealand title race of which this is the opening round, “it is early days but this is a good, strong result for my confidence.”
Kitching, reflecting on the first lap incident said, “I had to have a crack. I got loose and it was either go off or spin. It was good fun coming back through the field.”
Sunday morning’s race featured a grid with the top ten from Saturday’s outing in reverse order.
Walker got the best start from pole, but it was Pratt who took the lead out of the loop on the first lap, while Dodd ran wide and lost a few places.
Pratt led at the end of lap one from Mac Berkett, Kitching, Lawton, Templeton, Edwards and Jesse Gould of Raumati Beach.
The race was turned on its head soon after when Edwards made contact with Black at the elbow, the resulting deflection spinning Walker. Walker rejoined, Black retired to the pits, and Edwards parked with damage.
That brought a lengthy safety car period and when racing resumed Kitching pounced and took the lead. Pratt pressured him all the way to the flag while Lawton held off Templeton for third with Gould, Berkett and Andrew French next.
Kitching said, “It was good fun. I avoided the carnage and tried to minimise the mistakes. Callum applied a lot of pressure after I took the lead.”
Pratt said it was a “very good race. I got a good start, then the safety car took up five laps. Will got a good jump at the restart.”
The final race on Sunday afternoon saw Kitching on pole and Templeton alongside. Kitching won the start and led all the way from Templeton, who was never far away and only .549 of a second behind at the end of 10 laps. Lawton was quickly into third and held it until the end.
Edwards and Black were down the grid after their DNF’s earlier in the day but Edwards drove a remarkable first lap from 13th on the grid to be 6th by the time the field was a third of the way around the first lap. However, as he tried to pass Gould on Lap 5, he slid wide and dropped several places, eventually finishing eighth.
Kitching said, “I tried to get a good start and not muck it up,” while Templeton was happy with the points. “It is a long series.”
The series moves to Highlands Motorsport Park this weekend for Round 2 of the New Zealand Series and the final round of the South Island Series.
Header Image: Geoff Ridder
