Sitting second in the NZV8 Series points standings, is Tauranga racer Rob Wallace who is having an excellent season with the revised technical regulations and new race formats.
“In the off season when we found out what our new format was we basically got the race car tuned for BP 98 fuel and put it up to 100% throttle, also turned on downshift blip so no clutch is required apart from leaving the pit,” says Wallace.
“Apart from that its SuperTourer spec, just slightly more grunt – 630hp and 770 torque at the wheels.”
Wallace says he’s enjoying the new race formats for the season where it rewards consistent lap times and not necessarily having the fastest or most powerful car on the grid.
“The new format for this season is good. The two sprint races are more to just get a good feel for the track and car as it’s the fastest car wins type of race so it’s not too much of a big deal for us where we end up in those races.
“The longer feature race is fantastic. This is an ‘anybody can win’ race. We are finding that you just have to be consistent, have a good pit stop and try not to stuff up too many laps.
“The longer race can be won by anyone and doesn’t matter how fast or slow you are. It’s all about consistent laps and a good pit stop and a good team on the radio. I do really enjoy the longer races as I have to concentrate and put good lap times down every lap.
“At the moment the longer race is tiring due to not being really race fit, especially on the more technical tracks but I really love having the time on the track and will get fitter as we progress.”
A true V8 racer at heart, Wallace says it’ll be hard for him to stray away from V8 racing, and though it took him a while to get into the class, he can’t see himself going anywhere else.
“The noise and the power of a v8 will always be hard to beat. I’ve always loved v8’s and have always wanted to race one in a NZV8 series since I was young.
“Unfortunately, circuit racing was a bit expensive so I did drag racing for a bit until an opportunity came up to buy an old TL V8. Now here we are and loving it, driving Greg Murphy’s old SuperTourer.”
Doing all of the service and maintenance work on the car himself, Wallace has been receiving some invaluable set-up advice from renowned race engineer, Stephen Giles.
“I have had a lot of help to get to this point and am very grateful for it. In between rounds I chuck the car on the hoist to do an oil change on the driveline and engine and a full nut and bolt check.
“If we are very lucky I’m able to give the car to Stephen Giles and he does a full setup for us if he’s not too busy with TRS.
“Stephen has definitely been one of the key factors in the speed in the car. I’m slowly getting there but pretty happy with how I’m going due to the limited time I’ve been circuit racing and the very talented drivers we are up against.”
The next round of the NZV8 Series will be at Manfeild, February 12-14.
