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BNT V8s ready for qualifying for Taupo

Saturday 4 October 2008, 11:41AM

By The MotorSport Company

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Multiple champion and kiwi racing star Craig Baird starts his first full season in the BNT V8s driving for the United Video Ford team
Multiple champion and kiwi racing star Craig Baird starts his first full season in the BNT V8s driving for the United Video Ford team Credit: Jeff Smith

TAUPO

Twenty-eight BNT V8s have completed their official testing and warm-up sessions as they prepare to race in the first round of the 2008-09 BNT V8s Championship at the Taupo Motorsport Park this weekend.

 

Defending champion John McIntyre set the quickest time in Friday’s second test session, his time of 1:36.531 comfortably under the track record he set for this class of 1:36.928 in January this year when the New Zealand V8s class last raced at Taupo.

 

On Friday, BP Ultimate was announced as the new fuel for the BNT V8s and during recent fuel tests at Taupo, former V8s champion Kayne Scott was setting times more than a second under the lap record. Scott was also quickest during Saturday morning’s warm-up session.

 

The field for this season’s BNT V8s championship has a number of highly-regarded drivers including former V8s champions McIntyre, Scott, Andy Booth and Paul Pedersen. Add in New Zealanders with major international successes to their credit like Paul Radisich and Craig Baird, the sole Australian representative David Besnard, and the competition is expected to be fierce. Up-and-coming younger drivers like Tim Edgell, production racing champion Dale Williams, Toyota Racing Series champion Andy Knight and V8s development series champion Michael Bristow add yet another level of interest to this season’s championship battle.

 

The BNT V8s (formerly the New Zealand V8s) have three races at Taupo this weekend with a three-part qualifying session due to get underway at 11:30 this morning.