Matt Whittaker (Porsche GT3 Cup 992) has emerged victorious in a thrilling Class 2 & 3 South Island Endurance Series 1-Hour at Ruapuna, taking the front in the final third of the race after Nick Chester (Marc GT) came into contact with lapped traffic while leading.
Ayrton Hodson finished a commendable second in his debut race in the #28 Porsche GT3 Cup 991.1, while Adam Julian (Audi R8 GT3) held off a late challenge from Jarrod Owens to take the final podium place by just 0.185 seconds.
Owens, who had qualified on the pole, was jumped off the line by Chester, who pulled clear down Ruapuna’s straight into Turn 1 with the #13 Porsche GT3 Cup 991.2MR settling in behind.
That set the scene for a thrilling 20-minute battle between Chester and Owens, with the Marc GT pulling clear on the straights but the Porsche GT3 catching up through its cornering speed, lap after lap.
The battle up front also brought Julian into contention as Whittaker made up ground from fourth. He would get past Julian mid-race before slowly eating into the gap of the lead pair, who were still engaged in a tight battle.
Further back, Seb Manson and Jordan Michels were also locked in a fight for fifth, resulting in the two coming together and the Porsche spinning, its momentum carrying it backwards into the rear panel of the Marc Mustang. A Safety Car was called to clear debris, and both Michels and Manson remained out following repairs.
The mid-race caution saw the field come in for their stops, with Chester retaining the lead but in a lot of lapped traffic.
That proved his undoing shortly after, with Chester making contact with Martin Dippie (Porsche GT3 Cup 992) as he tried to move past to put him a lap down. Dippie would spin into the gravel and become stranded, while Chester was forced to limp back to the lane with damage to retire from the race.
Owens would also have a moment through the dirt, which resulted in Whittaker leading the restart ahead of Hodson, who looked at home in the top ten and continued to benefit from the misfortunes of those around with 20 minutes to run.
Whittaker pulled clear over the final stint for a 29.168-second victory, while Hodson fended off Julian, who also came under pressure from Owens late in the race.
Sixteen-year-old Manson should be commended for his drive to fifth despite his earlier spin, managing a late pass on the Porsche GT3 Cup 992 of Steve Brooks and Bill Riding, which settled for sixth.
Heremana Malmezac (Porsche GT3 Cup 991.2MR), Paul Southam (Porsche GT3 Cup 991.2), Joel Giddy (Mercedes Benz AMG GT4) and Marty Neil (Porsche GT3 Cup 991.1) rounded out the top ten.
Southam was the first of the Class 3 competitors, followed by James Paterson (Audi R8 Turbo) and Steve Scoles (Ginetta G56).
There would also be late drama for Michels in the Marc II Mustang, which came back into the lane late in the race and suffered a small fire.
Allan Dippie (Porsche GT3 Cup S) was an unfortunate casualty from qualifying, making contact with the wall and failing to return to the track to set a time. Dippie was taken to the hospital with back pain following the accident, leaving New Zealand motorsport icon Greg Murphy to fill in for him in the 3-Hour.
