Spectacular motor racing, star drivers and plenty of activities and attractions to keep the large crowd entertained. That was the recipe at Teretonga Park in Invercargill today as the legacy of Drummond race car constructor, the late George Begg, was celebrated.
Conditions were damp for the early races before the track dried for the majority of the day.
Many of the star drivers were in the Historic Touring Car class and Kayne Scott of Hamilton was the early leader of their first race in his Ford Sierra, a car not suited to the wet conditions.
He dropped down the order leaving the win to James Penrose of Christchurch in a BMW 318i from four-time Bathurst winner Greg Murphy in a Nissan Primera and Mosgiel driver Arron Black (BMW E30 M3). Scott finished fourth with two-time World Touring Car Champion Paul Radisich fifth after starting down the order while Australian star John Bowe was eighth in his Sierra.
Murphy led early in the second clash but Scott, in conditions more suited to the Sierra, caught and passed him late in the race to win with Black third once again.
A race billed as a Grudge Match between the Supertourers of the 1990s and current TCR cars saw a close race that went the way of a TCR car with the man behind the George Begg Festival, Scott O’Donnell, taking his Hyundai i30N TCR to victory by just .036 of a second from two Supertourers with Radisich in the Mondeo second and Jonny Reid, a past winner of the NZ Grand Prix at Teretonga, third in a Nissan Primera.
Angus Fogg of Albany made the best of the wet conditions in the first Historic & Vintage Racing Association race leading all the way to take a comfortable 16-second win from Mark McGuinness of Wellington in his Ford Falcon Sprint and Leon Hallett of Mosgiel in his Mustang. In a dry handicap race later in the day it was Barry Fairbrass of Prebbleton in a Mustang who ran down Howard Kingsford-Smith of Invercargill in a Mini with Shaun Turner of Dunedin (MGB) third.
The weather was clearing but the track was still damp when the Pre 78 Saloons made their first appearance. Bruce Farley of Nelson in his Vauxhall Viva GT made a great start which proved to be too good and while he drove into the distance to cross the line first, a 10-second penalty dropped him to third behind Ewan MacPherson of Invercargill in a Ford Anglia and fastest qualifier Rodger Cunninghame of Te Anau in a Mustang. In the afternoon’s handicap race, Harrison O’Donnell of Invercargill took a good win in a Ford Capri from Steve Pauling of Nelson in an Escort and the Triumph 2.5 PI of Matthew McLeary of Mosgiel.
Brian Scott of Dunedin in his Porsche 997.2 built a big lead early in the first Pre 2012 GT race to lead home fast finishing, Melbourne-based kiwi Ryan Wood, who had come from the back of the grid with Jonny Reid third. Wood was on the front row for the second contest and there was no catching him, as he crossed the line 22 seconds ahead of Scott with Reid again third.
Brayden Phillips of Christchurch bolted from the outside of the front row in his Falcon to race away in the first Allcomers Saloons/Post 2000 Touring Car race only to go off the track late in the race leaving pole sitter Brad Rule of Queenstown in a Commodore to take the flag from Jason Scott of Queenstown in another Commodore with Harry Wilson of Invercargill in an NZV8 Falcon third.
Rule won the second race from Phillips with Steve Ross of Dunedin in the iconic PDL Mustang third.
Paul Coghill of Dunedin in his Jaguar Special took out the first Vintage Racing Car race in wet conditions from Neil Longman of Invercargill in his Mallock U2 MK8 with early leader Mark Barrett of Christchurch third in his Lotus 23B Replica. Barrett was on the front row for the second outing and led all the way to win from his wife, Tracey, in an identical car with Coghill third.
The Ford Saloon Invitational race had everything from Anglia’s, Escorts, Capri’s, Telstars, Mondeos, Falcons and Mustangs. It was a Falcon that took bragging rights with Harry Wilson taking his to a good win from the Mustangs of Rodger Cunninghame and Leon Hallett.
The Porsche Invitational Race was a cracker with Allan Dippie of Dunedin in a 991 GT3 R winning by the barest of margins from Brian Scott and Scott O’Donnell.
Racing continues from 10 am Sunday with a full day of exciting racing, displays, demonstrations and activities on the programme.
