Timaru next for BNT V8s as Scott and McIntyre top points table

Timaru next for BNT V8s as Scott and McIntyre top points table
Competitors in the ever-popular BNT V8s Championship are spending their
Christmas holidays preparing to race in Timaru and then Invercargill early
in January.

But that's no hardship for these professional teams looking to have their
Ford and Holden V8s in the best possible racing condition for the fourth and
fifth rounds of the fiercely contested BNT V8s series. Round four takes
place at the Timaru International Motor Raceway from 9 to 11 January 2009
and then a week later, round five will be held at Teretonga Park outside
Invercargill over the weekend of 16-18 January, with both events being
sub-branded the Southern 200.

Hamilton's Kayne Scott and Nelson's John McIntyre top the championship
points' table with Scott's total of 533 points giving him a slim four point
advantage over McIntyre.

The duelling Ford duo have swapped positions at the top of the leader-board
more than once already this season and Scott's narrow lead could be gone -
or extended - as the 24-strong field of BNT V8s look forward to two
weekend's of racing on the popular South Island race circuits.

There's a gap of just over 100 points back to third placed Aucklander Andy
Booth, the best of the Holden drivers, with 416 points.

Scott, McIntyre and Booth have consistently been the top drivers in the BNT
V8s for the past few seasons. Booth took the 2003-04 and 2004-05
championships with Scott the 2005-06 champion. McIntyre has won the last two
titles and aims to score a record-making three consecutive championships
this season.

Craig Baird, the many-time race champion New Zealander who lives on the Gold
Coast, moved into fourth place overall after three very strong races at
Powerbuilt Tools Raceway in November. Another former champion Paul Pedersen,
from Rotorua, holds fifth place following three very consistent rounds so
far this season, a result which will please the long-time V8 campaigner who
returns to the series after a break away last season.

Success in this series comes from preparation and consistency, says the
31-year-old McIntyre, whose current workload typifies the level of
commitment needed to succeed in New Zealand's premier saloon car race
series.

"The whole John McIntyre Racing team has been extremely busy since our last
round in November. We've had virtually the entire car apart to track down
some of the issues which caused a relative lack of pace on the tight and
twisty Ruapuna circuit - we've found and resolved a number of the things
which weren't helping. Our engine builder, Marsh Motorsport, has also
rebuilt our number one engine - this counts as our first engine change [each
team is allowed two, before a penalty system applies for the third and
subsequent engine changes], which was always part of our plan," says
McIntyre.

The job list for McIntyre's Protector Safety-backed Ford includes taking the
engine and gearbox out, replacing worn parts, checking the differential,
replacing shock absorbers with a fresh set, testing previous shocks as
spares, fitting new front brake calipers, replacing the power steering rack,
doing development work on the brakes and suspension, refitting the engine
and gearbox, and replacing or replenishing all Castol fluids for the engine,
brakes, gearbox and differential.

"We have prepared the suspension set-up for the Timaru circuit which is
measured on electronic scales and gauges based on previous racing on this
circuit. We can then fine-tune the set-up during Friday's official testing
sessions on 9 January," explains McIntyre. "Then we pack the car and truck
for the long-haul south from our Hasting workshop, and that's our Christmas
period finished."

Like McIntyre, Booth says the AV8 Motorsport team has been making further
refinements to the handling of the Big Ben Pies Commodore, and the ORIX
Holden run by Booth's team-mate Paul Manuell who is currently sixth in the
championship standings.

Booth set a pole position time of 1:14.640 at Timaru last season and won the
first race, so he's looking forward to repeating the success in 2009. "After
a showing such a good turn of speed at what has (for me) been our worst
track for the last few years [Ruapuna], I'm itching to get to Timaru and
Invercargill where I've been on the front row for the last two seasons and
capitalise on the improving pace from the AV8 Motorsport cars," says Booth.

Amongst the 24-strong field, South Canterbury race fans will be watching
their local driver, John Hepburn, with keen interest. Hepburn's motorcycle
experience is extensive and includes off-road, street circuits and the
British super-bike championship and the famous Isle of Man TT race. Back in
New Zealand the 43-year-old turned to four large wheels, winning the 2007
Super Truck championship before tackling the V8s development series the same
year. This is his first year in the premier V8 class, the BNT V8s, and so
far he's achieving his goal of some top ten and top fifteen places in his
John Hepburn Racing Holden.

The BNT V8s also welcome a new rookie to the series. David Hopper, the
17-year-old son of race car engineer Ken Hooper, will compete in the Penny
Homes-backed Holden Commodore at both Timaru and Teretonga. The
Hobsonville-based teenager will be the youngest driver to compete in the
premier V8s. Hopper has some experience in these cars already, having
contested four rounds of the development V8s class earlier this year.
January's meeting at Timaru will be his first experience on the 2.4 km
circuit, but he's raced on Teretonga's 2.6 km circuit in the development
V8s. With his father running a Holden for Taupo's John Penny, the duo will
make up a two-car Penny Homes Commodore team for the Southern 200 rounds.

At this stage, the HPM Racing team has not confirmed whether Australian
driver Steve Owens will again replace the injured Paul Radisich in the HPM
Racing Ford, but a decision is expected shortly from the team.

Testing for Timaru's Southern 200 takes place on Friday 9 January, then the
BNT V8s run a three-part qualifying programme from 11:50am on Saturday 10
January. All competitors run in an initial 20-minute qualifying session,
then the fastest 20 run for a 15-minute session, and the top ten effectively
run a top ten shoot-out for another 15 minutes. Race one - 12 laps - is
scheduled for 3:50pm. A 16-lap race starts at 11:15am on Sunday 11 January
and a 20-lap reverse grid race at 3:25pm, all with rolling starts.

The Southern 200 premier motor race meeting also includes the Porsche GT3
Cup Series, Toyota Racing Series, New Zealand Production Racing
Championship, the MTA Formula Fords, the Super Trucks and the Mini Challenge
for a full weekend's race schedule.

The BNT V8s website - www.nzv8s.co.nz - features the latest news, photos,
event information and options to purchase tickets for each of the
championship rounds. Tickets can also be purchased at the gate or from
participating BP petrol stations. Results and news are loaded onto the
website throughout the weekend.
ENDS/

Key facts:
Timaru lap record - Kayne Scott, Holden Commodore, 1:07.25, set January 2006
Teretonga lap record - John McIntyre, Ford Falcon, 1:02.263, set January
2005

BNT V8s Championship - Points after Round 3
Position, driver, hometown, car, provisional championship points
1, Kayne Scott, Hamilton, Ford Falcon, 533
2, John McIntyre, Nelson, Ford Falcon, 529
3, Andy Booth, Auckland, Holden Commodore, 416
4, Craig Baird, Gold Coast, Ford Falcon, 359
5, Paul Pedersen, Rotorua, Ford Falcon, 331
6, Paul Manuell, Auckland, Holden Commodore, 329
7, Eddie Bell, Christchurch, Ford Falcon, 312
8, Angus Fogg, Auckland, Ford Falcon, 306
9, Dale Williams, Auckland, Ford Falcon, 300
10, Andrew Anderson, Auckland, Holden Commodore, 291
11, Michael Bristow, Pukekohe, Ford Falcon, 280
12, Adam Brook, Christchurch, Ford Falcon, 249
13, John Penny, Taupo, Holden Commodore, 235
14, Andrew Porter, Auckland, Ford Falcon, 228
15, Simon Richards, Hamilton, Ford Falcon, 200
16, Paul Radisich, Melbourne, Ford Falcon, 181
17, Tim Edgell, Auckland, Ford Falcon, 170
18, Nick Ross, Cambridge, Holden Commodore, 161
19, Andy Knight, Christchurch, Ford Falcon, 150
20, John Hepburn, Timaru, Holden Commodore, 149
21, Steve Owen, Melbourne, Ford Falcon, 146
22, Inky Tulloch, Gore, Ford Falcon, 140
23, Alan McCarrison, Auckland, Ford Falcon, 129
24, Boyd Norwood, Palmerston North, Ford Falcon, 114
25, Chris Adams, Mosgiel, Holden Commodore, 112
26, David Besnard, Gold Coast, Ford Falcon, 88
27, Cam Hardy, Hamilton, Holden Commodore, 54
28, Julia Huzziff, Auckland, Holden Commodore, 48
29, Dave Stewart, Wellington, Holden Commodore, 26
30, Shaun Turton, Pukekohe, Holden Commodore, 18
31, Dean Perkins, Pukekohe, Ford Falcon, 0