Classic duel unfolds as leaders distance the field

Wayne Moriarty and Dennis Andreassend fought a classic regional duel at the opening race of the second round of the 2008 Asset Finance New Zealand Offroad Racing National Championship.

Moriarty, of Christchurch, lined up alongside long-time rival Dennis Andreassend of Nelson, third and fourth fastest in qualifying for the 150 km Mainland Challenge endurance race today at Swannanoa, north of Christchurch.

Pole man Dave Taylor in a supercharged Suzuki V6 ThunderTruck was quickly overtaken by the agile Leader Super 1600 class cars of Moriarty and Andreassend, while Daniel Powell had managed to put his American Jimco V6 second on the grid but was likewise dropped by the leading pair.

Andreassend chased Moriarty for several laps, but Moriarty’s car gradually pulled away to establish a lead he did not relinquish. He was lapping the fast 5.1 km farm-based course in a consistent four minutes and completed the 30 laps of the race in 2 hours 18 minutes.

Once able to dictate the race from the front, Moriarty set out to lap the entire field.

Andreassend was finding the course physically testing, his car’s steering kicking back over jumps and in fast corners. He never gave up, and finished the race one minute 23 seconds and one lap behind Moriarty.

As the lead pair drew away, the field began to spread out. Daniel Powell pitted the big Jimco, surrendering third overall; he would later suffer a flat tyre and spend more time in the pits, driving against race traffic to do so. He completed 26 laps of 30 and was the only finisher in the Race Shock Specialists unlimited class.

Stepping up to third overall and first in the hotly contested Workshop Super 1300s was another Christchurch driver, Ryan Densem.

He was fighting off the attentions of rookie driver Haydn Andreassend, son of Dennis. Just 16 years old and a new convert from the crash and bash world of stock cars, Andreassend junior was turning in what many tipped as the drive of the race.

Otago’s Donald McMillan completed the top five in another Super 1300, the smaller cars proving unexpectedly competitive on such a fast course.

In the Camco ThunderTrucks, Dave Taylor’s lead was secure, though behind him Bryan Chang had made good speed in the early laps at the 150 kilometre endurance race, but overshot a corner and bent a wheel, forcing a slow drive back to the pits for repairs.

That dropped Chang to third, letting new arrival Mark French in his Land Rover V8 through to second in class. Their positions would remain unchanged until the race end.

At the chequered flag, Moriarty and Andreassend confirmed their race-long dominance with Moriarty also taking maximum Super 1600 points, while Ryan Densem took third, one lap clear of Haydn Andreassend. Densem won the Super 1300 class.

Dave Taylor had damaged his transmission but won the ThunderTruck class while the other truck classes were won by Mick Mitchell and Neil Stuart.

Though his car developed a chronic misfire in the later half of the race, Scott Campbell won the VW Spares Challenger class.

Racing at the Cruzin Limousines Mainland Challenge resumes tomorrow with short course (stadium) competition at the Canterbury Off Road Club’s West Melton race track. At West Melton, the championship racing is by class in a series of three heats, starting at 11.00 am.

The combined points tally from the enduro and the short course count toward each racer’s championship position.

-End-

Cruzin Limousines Mainland Challenge
Endurance race 10 May 2008
Top ten finishers (provisional)

1 Wayne Moriarty, Christchurch (Leader Products Super 1600 class winner)
2 Dennis Andreassend, Nelson
3 Ryan Densem, Christchurch (Workshop Super 1300 class winner)
4 Haydn Andreassend, Nelson
5 Donald McMillan, Otago
6 Daniel Powell, Christchurch (Race Shock Specialists class one winner)
7 Christopher Morrell, Otago
8 Bruce Rolls, Christchurch
9 Scott Campbell, Christchurch (VW Spares Challenger class winner)
10 Mick Mitchell, Christchurch (Camco class four winner)