NZ Super Trucks and Mainland Muscle cars headline a huge weekend of motorsport when Southern Thunder takes place at Teretonga Park in Invercargill this weekend.
The NZ Super Trucks will battle it out for the Mobil Delvac 1 Trophy, where Alex Little of Lower Hutt will be gunning to win it for the seventh time in his Freightliner Century.
Little has won the trophy every year since 2018, except in 2020, when the event was not held, and in 2024, when Pukekohe driver Dave West interrupted Little’s run of success.
West is also in the field again in his Freightliner Argosy, while Troy Etting of Auckland (Kenworth W924) and Troy Wheeler of Gisborne (Freightliner Century) will be some of Little’s chief rivals.
The Super Trucks also have a Development Race each weekend where alternate drivers step in, and that race will feature Garry Price of Cromwell in Ron Salter’s Scania while Alex Little’s sister Rachael will pilot his truck.
As the Mainland Muscle Cars come south to Teretonga Park, it is Brian Scott of Dunedin who leads the overall points in his Chev Camaro from Brayden Phillips of Christchurch in his Chev Monza. Phillips leads Class A, while Tony Densem of Rangiora in his Torana leads Class B, and Colin Campbell of Tauranga leads Class C in his Torana.
In addition to Chev Camaros, a Chev Monza and Holden Toranas, the field also contains Commodores, Falcons, a Mustang and a Dodge Challenger.
The Pre 78 Classic Saloons have a varied field of cars with Alfa Romeo’s, a Daimler XJ6, a Suzuki SC100, a Vauxhall Viva, a Morris Mini, Datsun 1200s and a range of Fords including Anglias, Escorts, a Capri and a Mustang.
Their feature race is for the Brian Crosbie Memorial Trophy, which honours one of the Southland Sports Car Club’s best-ever saloon-car racing exponents. This is the fourth time the race has been held, and for the first time, a tribute Ford Escort to Brian Crosbie is heading south to be on display at the event. The Escort was a car that Crosbie raced with great success.
Formula First is on the weekend’s programme and is making its first appearance at Teretonga Park since March 1996.
Primarily raced in the North Island, all the top championship runners are coming south for what will be the fifth round of their championship. Leading the points is Chris Symon of Palmerston North, who has won the championship for the past five years, but Taupō driver Liam Nicholson is in hot pursuit.
Renowned for extremely close racing, many of New Zealand’s best drivers have started out in the class – Scott Dixon was the 1993/94 Champion, and drivers such as Shane Van Gisbergen, Mitch Evans, Nick Cassidy and Liam Lawson have all raced in Formula First.
The Club Saloons round out a great weekend of racing with a varied field of cars.
Pre-sale tickets are now available from E Hayes & Sons, Dee Street, Invercargill, and Harrison Supplies, Mersey Street, Gore.
Pre-sale tickets are $40 per adult for a weekend pass, plus any applicable charges (including Friday 13 March), while children 14 and under, accompanied by an adult, are free. Weekend passes at the gate are $50, and day-only passes will be available for $30 per day.
Header Image: Dave Loudon
