I Can Do This Says Christina

Chrisitna Orr heads to Powerbuilt International Raceway Ruapuna this weekend for round two of BNTV8s
Christina Orr is staring down her most formidable challenge yet by entering the male dominated, highly aggressive and competitive BNTV8s for the 2009-10 season.

The Whakatane driver is well known in motorsport circles after an already impressive career spanning 16 years in open wheeled race cars including Formula First, Formula Ford and the Toyota Racing Series.

She has also exhibited her talents in Australia competing in Formula Holden and earlier this year racing a Subaru Impreza at the Bathurst 12 hour joining forces with two other female drivers.

Further afield 22 year old Orr has most recently competed on the international playing field of the Indy Lights in the USA.

Back at home the BNTV8s attract not only the best drivers from around New Zealand but also regulars in the Australian V8 Supercar Championship including Paul Radisich, Craig Baird, David Besnard, Luke Youlden, Steve Owen, Dean Canto and of course two time BNTV8 champions apiece Kayne Scott and John McIntyre.

It was a comment made in passing by Concept Motorsport's Mike Ross which sparked an interest inside of Orr to make the jump from open wheelers to the tin-tops.

"I was talking to Mike who said he wanted to see me in a V8; dad rang him the following Monday and that was that." she says.

Several months later the idea became reality when the Orr family chose to lease Concept Motorsport's second Commodore for the 2009-10 season, a major career move and decision not made lightly by Christina Orr.

"It was really hard to let go but in that first race I thought 'yeah I can do this', I'll sink all my hopes and dreams into the V8s now and will let my single seater career go and if it goes well in the tin tops I'm hoping to get over to Australia and have a go there." she says.

Translating her years driving open-wheeled and wings-and-slicks racecars into piloting the big heavy V8 tourers will prove to be a challenge from the outset however, but not one that can't be overcome with some more time in the car.

"We had some problems leading up to the first round which left me with hardly any time in the car before the first round at Pukekohe."

"I'm finding that my single seater lines that I would normally take aren't much good in the Commodore; Nick (Ross) has been giving me advice and has told me what I can and can't do in the car but I bet when I get close to his times the help will stop!" she laughs.

The first round at Pukekohe went well for the young driver from the East Coast with the team happy to leave the circuit with some respectable times and relatively little damage from a BNTV8s meeting.

"My times were good, if I had picked up five tenths or so I would have been tenth on the grid the drivers are all so close."

"It was a good first round and a big learning curve, the start to the reverse grid race was like being shot out of a cannon, I found it easier starting from the front than the back it felt safer, off the back you don't know what can happen in front of you."

This weekend's second round at Ruapuna, Christchurch will be her first time racing a heavy BNTV8 at Powerbuilt International Raceway although she has raced there many times in single seated formulas.

"I've been racing for 16 years in single seaters and using single seater lines, it's something I need to watch and look at what the others are doing or maybe follow someone around, my single seater lines may be quick there but I highly doubt it."

Gaining precious track time is high on Orr's list of priorities after starting on the back foot and just the one round's experience in the tourer.

She will be doing her best to set good times and qualify well to set herself up to start the weekend strongly.

Setting her goals high for the first of the three South Island rounds this season she will be looking for the most track time possible.

"I would like to make it into the top 15 but if I can just make it into the second qualification session I will be happy to get the extra time on the track."

She has no reservations over the level of driving in the series and what to expect from the aggressive and experienced touring car drivers.

"The drivers in the V8s will go for a gap which clearly isn't there, at the moment I'm not too much of a threat so they'll leave me alone but I know I will have to watch out when I start to catch up."

The weekend at Powerbuilt International Raceway, Ruapuna gets underway with practice, qualification sessions and top 10 shoot-out on Saturday 28th.

The next day Sunday the 29th the three races will take place which will also be televised on TV3 along with Saturday's shoot-out.