The 2025/2026 motor race season kicked off at Teretonga Park in Invercargill at the weekend with two eventful days of action.
Saturday saw Round 2 of the South Island Endurance Series with the 3 Hour race won by sixteen-year-old Matt Day of Auckland and the current Lamborghini Pro-Am Super Trofeo World Champion, Southlander Brendon Leitch, in their Lamborghini Huracan GT3.
Day belied his lack of experience with a great drive in difficult, changeable conditions before Leitch stepped in to produce a classy drive to seal the win.
Post-race, Leitch said the 16-year-old had done an “amazing job.”
Another local driver, Glen Brazier, and his co-driver, Andrew Waite of Auckland, in a similar car, were second. Aucklanders Sam Fillmore and Jonny Reid, in an Audi R8, finished third after a dramatic race that saw two red flag stoppages and two safety car periods.
In the 1 Hour race for Class 1, 2 & 3 competitors, Jordan Michels of Invercargill led for much of the race, only to suffer a gearbox problem. He pulled off the track in his Marc Mustang to reset it, but in the slippery conditions, his re-entry onto the track earned him a drive-through penalty, dropping him to fifth.
Hugh Gardiner of Auckland, who had been chasing Michels in his Porsche 991.2 before the incident, went on to win. The Class 4/5 1-Hour race was won by Dan Kelly of Prebbleton in his BMW M3.
On Sunday, the circuit hosted a day of Club Saloon racing. A highlight came when Dave McLean of Balfour set a new lap record for the 1601-2500cc class in his Honda Integra, breaking the mark set by Rick Michels of Invercargill twenty-one years ago in September 2004.
Michel’s time had been 1 minute 05.530 seconds, and McLean lowered it to 1.05.006. McLean also took a race win in Group A in his Honda Integra, with other victories going to Kyle Dawson of Invercargill (Jaguar XKR) and Brian Scott of Dunedin (Camaro).
In Group B, Porter Stevenson of Mosgiel (Mazda RX8) won on debut with other races going to Invercargill drivers Gregg Cooper (Capri) and Dave Robertson (Buckler Ace). Brian Scott won the marble draw grid start race, while the Flying Farewell went to Kyle Dawson.
The Teams Race was taken out by the combination of Bradley Dawson and Dave Robertson.
The next race meeting at Teretonga Park takes place over the weekend of 6/7 December.
Header Image: Dave Louden
