BNT V8s prepare for South Island rounds

With three races this coming weekend in Timaru and another three equally
competitive races the following weekend in Invercargill, competitors in the
BNT V8s Championship are looking forward to two weeks of top class racing in
the South Island.

The BNT V8s form the headline act in the premier summer motor racing series
which visits Timaru over the weekend of 9-11 January and then the
southern-most racing circuit in the world, Teretonga near Invercargill from
16 to 18 January; the events being sub-branded the Southern 200.

While Kayne Scott, from Hamilton, and John McIntyre, from Nelson, are very
close the top of the championship points' table, further down the field a
number of significant changes are expected at Timaru.

Former Toyota Racing Series champion Andy Knight, who is racing in the BNT
V8s for the first time this season, has made some changes to his
Christchurch-based Milwaukee Ford team over the Christmas break. The
22-year-old has changed cars and some personnel in an effort to improve his
overall championship standings.

"We don't want to dwell on what wasn't working the way we wanted it to,"
says Knight who has qualified within the top ten in two of three rounds
already contested this season, but hasn't finished as well as he, or others,
would have expected from a driver with his established talent.

"Essentially our team remains the same, but we're now pleased to have the
assistance of a very experienced V8s campaigner in Mark Petch whose Mark
Petch Motorsport team has won many championships with their lead driver
Kayne Scott. Kayne is currently leading the BNT V8s series so we feel this
is a very positive way forward for the Milwaukee Ford team and we're all
looking for some improved results," says Knight as he prepares to undertake
a shakedown run in the Ford recently purchased from International
Motorsport. "We're looking forward to our first decent run in this
competitive car during Friday's official testing sessions at Timaru."

The SCG Racing team, from Taupo, will again run a two-car operation in the
South Island. Joining Dale Williams will be a second driver, Mack Peach. The
26-year-old from Bombay, South Auckland, will drive the SCG Racing Ford
previously contested by Australian V8 Supercar driver David Besnard. Peach
competed in the New Zealand V8s several years ago and is currently competing
in the ENZED V8 Utes series, holding second place overall.

The well-established Tracer Motorsport team, which runs the HPM Ford, has
elected not to run at the two January South Island meetings. After the
team's original driver Paul Radisich was injured in a crash at Bathurst last
October, the team ran another V8 Supercar driver Steve Owen at the Pukekohe
and Christchurch rounds. However Owen has no experience on either the Timaru
or Teretonga circuits and as he had to start from the back of the grid for
the first Timaru due to an over-accumulation of driver demerit points, the
team has weighed up the value versus the cost of having Owen compete.
However the team's management confirms that they will contest the remaining
rounds of the series in 2009.

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.

In Timaru, the South Canterbury Car Club has organised a BNT V8s shadow car
and NZ Super Truck parade through the central city from 5:30pm on Friday
evening starting at Timaru Motors, followed by an autograph singing session
with drivers at Caroline Bay.

The Southern 200 premier motor race meetings also includes the Porsche GT3
Cup Series, Toyota Racing Series, New Zealand Production Racing
Championship, the MTA Formula Fords, the Super Trucks (Timaru only) and the
Mini Challenge for full weekends of racing.

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/
Attached:
- Entry list for Timaru (Teretonga the same)
- Race schedule for Timaru, 9-11 January
- Race schedule for Teretonga, 16-19 January

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