The UDC V8 Utes are making their long-awaited journey across the Cook Strait for their two South Island rounds, beginning this weekend at Levels Raceway in Timaru.
The series joins a stacked lineup at the ‘Trust Aoraki Thunder Down Under meet, held in conjunction with NZ Super Trucks.
From there, they will head south for a round at Teretonga in Invercargill in March.
Thunder Down Under will not only be the first time in almost a decade that South Island fans will have the opportunity to see the V8 Utes in action. It promises to be an epic event, having attracted around 180 entrants across 9 categories, ranging from Super Trucks to Formula Fords.
At the mid-point of what has been a bumper season, a total of eleven Holden & Ford utes will be competing in the South Island rounds.
Glen Collinson leads the series after the first two events at Manfeild and Hampton Downs in 2024. Just a few points behind him is Brad Kroef, the V8 Utes champion for the past two seasons. His father, Greg Kroef, is third. All three are driving Ford Falcon utes.
Yet, it’s not simply a battle of drivers.
The UDC V8 Utes keep alive the tribal Ford vs Holden rivalry that’s been a hallmark of motor racing on both sides of the Tasman for decades.
While there are two makes running three different engines, V8 Utes are category-controlled to have the same power output and the same weight, resulting in close, competitive racing.
The weekend’s action at Timaru kicks off with practice sessions at 10.50 am and 1.50 pm on Friday, 24th January.
There’s a 20-minute Qualifying session on Saturday morning followed by Race 1 later in the afternoon. Race 2 will be a reverse grid format on Sunday morning with the final 10-lap Race 3 in the afternoon, all weekend races being 10-laps.
