A season that has seen close finishes, the rise of some exciting talents and intense doorhandle-to-doorhandle racing is coming to a head at Hampton Downs. This will be the grand finale of a spirited 6-round series for the V8 Utes, fuelled this weekend by Waitomo as part of NZIGP’s Season Finale.
The closeness of competition is reflected in the top four drivers being separated by just 37 points. And with 35 points for a win and 3 races on the card, the final result could hinge on a single missed gear change or off-track excursion. Glen Collinson of Hamilton won the One Hour Enduro late April at Taupo, while Daniel Ludlam, Mitch Sparrow and Brad Kroef have each claimed race victories and won a round this season.
Ford driver Brad Kroef currently leads the series and has two previous V8 Utes titles in his resume. He comes into the weekend with a slim 19-point lead over rival Mitch Sparrow in a Holden ute. Daniel Ludlam sits just 13 points back in third, with reigning title-holder Glen Collinson a mere 5 points behind him.
Don’t discount Greg Kroef in fifth, just 19 points behind Glen, while Phill Ross – who has duelled with Greg all season – is just 7 points in arrears. The midfield battle is just as close, with Paul Fougere and Stu Monteith having battled hammer and tongs all season.
The prospect of all this close racing has inspired Jeremy Hunt to return after a short hiatus. Tuning gremlins look to be all sorted for Blair Gribble-Bowring in the JWB Ford FG, so we could see this talented driver, who set the lap record at Timaru last season, mix it up with the front runners.
The weekend sees ten utes line up on the grid racing once again ahead of the NZ Sixes, making for some classic Holden vs Ford encounters across two categories.
Qualifying for the V8 Utes is the 4th event on Saturday morning, with Race One scheduled for early afternoon. Sunday morning’s reverse-grid race will see some spirited overtaking as the previous race’s front-runners start at the back. Then Race Three and the title decider is the first race after lunch.
| V8 UTES SERIES POINTS AFTER 5 ROUNDS | |||
| DRIVER | UTE | POINTS | |
| 1. | Brad Kroef | #06 Ford | 344 |
| 2. | Mitch Sparrow | #71 Holden | 325 |
| 3. | Daniel Ludlam | #24 Holden | 312 |
| 4. | Glen Collinson | #1 Ford | 307 |
| 5. | Greg Kroef | #23 Ford | 288 |
| 6. | Phill Ross | #700 Holden | 281 |
| 7. | Blair Gribble-Bowring | #14 Ford | 233 |
| 8. | Paul Fougere | #57 Holden | 209 |
| 9. | Geoff Spencer | #22 Holden | 207 |
| 9. | Paul Fougere | #57 Holden | 190 |
| 10. | Stu Monteith | #99 Holden | 152 |
| 11. | Tyler Ward | #117 Holden | 122 |
| 12. | Cam Vernon | #21 Ford | 95 |
| 13. | Jeremy Hunt | #226 Holden | 77 |
| 14. | Peter Ward | #69 Holden | 75 |
| 15. | David Lowe | #82 Ford | 51 |
Header Image: Dillon Photography
