New champion Scott leads BNT V8s at Hamilton

Hamilton driver Kayne Scott lines up on the starting grid in the Hamilton 400 support category BNT V8 races as the BNT V8s champion for 2008-09. There are some minor technical details to sign off the championship standings officially, but Scott earns the honour of carrying the champion’s number one on what was the number 99 Fujitsu Ford.

Scott took out the 2008-09 title on the Pukekohe race circuit just a month ago with a magnificent last minute victory in the last race of the championship season to snatch the title from arch-rival John McIntyre in the BP Ultimate Ford. Scott also won the New Zealand V8 title in 2005-06, adding to his many TraNZam and other racing championship titles.

Twenty BNT V8s, including Scott and McIntyre, are confirmed to compete in a three-race trophy round as part of the hugely-popular V8 Supercar event in Hamilton over the weekend of 17 to 19 April.

At last year’s inaugural Hamilton 400, having clinched his second consecutive V8 title just a few weeks earlier, McIntyre dominated all three New Zealand V8 races on the only street circuit this class uses and he’s excited about racing in Hamilton again.

“So far, I am the only New Zealand V8 driver who has scored pole position, won a race on this circuit [he won all three races in 2008] and I also went into the record books at the end of that first Hamilton 400 as the lap record holder for this class. Having said that, I think the lap record will definitely be broken this year and we will need to be on our game from the first lap,” said McIntyre, who is philosophical about Scott winning this year’s BNT V8 title.

“There’s only one practice session, so every lap counts on this circuit. There’s not a lot of time to tune the car, really just the driver!” adds the driver known as ‘Johnny Mac’ who goes back to using his long-time car number of 47 for the Hamilton races.

For most BNT V8 competitors, the Hamilton 400 event is an excellent opportunity to put on one last good showing for sponsors before the current season ends. However for one young driver, the Hamilton 400 event will be his first-ever drive in a New Zealand V8. Hamilton-based teenager Shannon Coker will drive one of Ken Hopper’s Holden Commodores for the first time on the streets of Hamilton and Hopper says he’s expecting the 18-year-old to be sensible about such a big event.

“Shannon has been racing HQs and super-sixes, and now he’s had some time in the Commodore on the Taupo circuit. I expect he’ll have a bit of fun, but be focused on keeping his nose clean and finishing the races,” say Hopper. “It’s a great experience for a young driver and I’m sure he’ll make the most of it.”

Along with Scott and McIntyre, the top Ford drivers are expected to be Craig Baird, Tim Edgell, Angus Fogg, Dean Perkins, Adam Brook and Michael Bristow. Also enjoying the challenges of street circuit racing in a Ford will be Andrew Porter, Andy Knight, Inky Tulloch and Simon Richards.

Holden followers will undoubtedly be in favour of former champions and long-time Holden drivers Andy Booth and Paul Manuell taking the challenge to the top Ford guys. Other Holden competitors include Andrew Anderson, Nick Ross, John Penny and John Hepburn with Hamilton local Cam Hardy returning to racing after the opening round’s big crash took him out of the rest of the season.

The New Zealand V8s get twenty minutes of testing on Friday morning and an hour of qualifying on Friday afternoon. They contest a 14 lap race on Saturday afternoon, a second 14 lap race on Sunday morning and an 18 lap race on Sunday afternoon as part of the support programme for the Australian V8 Supercar teams. All three races will see the fastest drivers first in the starting line-up, not like the championship rounds which have the third race with a full reverse grid.