Scott wins from pole in BNT V8s in Timaru

Having set the fastest time during qualifying for the BNT V8s Championship in Timaru this weekend, Hamilton’s Kayne Scott went on to win the first of three races and extend his championship lead over defending champion John McIntyre.

Scott’s qualifying time of 1:06.453 put him in pole position – his second pole in a row – for the fourth of the seven round championship series.

In cool windy conditions, the 25-strong BNT V8s field went through their three-part qualifying with Angus Fogg, John McIntyre, Tim Edgell and Craig Baird setting final qualifying times within just four-hundredths of a second of Scott’s times to make up the top five qualifiers.

With drizzling rain a strong possibility, the BNT V8s completed a relatively incident-free 12-lap race. Scott led from start to finish in the Fujitsu Ford for his third race win of the season, with Fogg in the LG Ford, McIntyre in the Castrol Ford, Baird in the United Video Ford and Edgell in the Chesters Ford completing the top five. Best of the Holdens were AV8 Motorsport garage-mates Andrew Anderson and Andy Booth in sixth and seventh respectively, while Ford drivers Eddie Bell, Dale Williams and Adam Brook wrapped up the top ten positions.

Fogg set a new lap record, his time of 1:06.573 shaving six-hundreds of a second off the record Scott has held since January 2005.

The most intense action took place amongst Nick Ross, Michael Bristow and Dale Williams in one pack and John Penny, Andy Knight in a new-look Milwaukee Ford, Paul Manuell and Andrew Porter in another. Ross had a spin and Porter suffered mechanical issues, but the passion and commitment of competitors in every part of the BNT V8s field is no less whether they’re at the front or further down the field.

“Angus [Fogg] got close to us, closing the gap on us several times,” said Scott. “This track uses tyres – it’s neat to drive, but it’s difficult to pass here; you’re really relying on someone making a mistake, especially when we’re so close at the front of the field.”

“I just wanted to keep nipping at Kayne’s heels,” said Fogg. “We used our car up during the race and that allowed John [McIntyre] to close in.”

McIntyre said his car seemed to get faster towards the end of the race. “We’ve come from nowhere yesterday; we’ve just been off the pace. We had Craig [Baird] on our tail in some parts of the circuit then we were able to start catching Angus. But as the others say, it’s hard to pass here. I got really close to Angus, but if you can’t get enough advantage to pass, it’s not worth the risk of possibly tapping Angus and being penalised.”

“In tomorrow’s reverse grid race, you’ve just got to be careful and pick off the slower cars when you can,” added Fogg.

Scott commented that he’s delighted to see younger drivers doing well in the class. “Guys like Tim Edgell, finishing in the top five. We need those younger guys coming through. And I think you have to acknowledge David Hopper in his debut BNT V8 race – he’s only 17 years old and his father Ken is a real stalwart of this class who’s helped Angus and us [Scott is part of the Mark Petch Motorsport team].”

McIntyre added: “David’s been really courteous on the circuit, giving everyone lots of room to pass during practice, so it’s great he finished his first race.”

Believed to be the youngest-ever driver in the New Zealand V8s series, the Hobsonville-based Hooper finished 22nd amongst 23 finishers.

The BNT V8s contest two races on Sunday – a 16-lapper in the morning and the reverse grid 20-lapper in the afternoon.

Results and news are loaded onto the BNT V8s website, www.nzv8s.co.nz, throughout the weekend.

ENDS/

BNT V8s Championship

Race 1 of 3, Round 4, Timaru

Position, Driver, Hometown, Car, Points earned

1, Kayne Scott, Hamilton, Ford Falcon, 75

2, Angus Fogg, Auckland, Ford Falcon, 67

3, John McIntyre, Nelson, Ford Falcon, 60

4, Craig Baird, Gold Coast, Ford Falcon, 54

5, Tim Edgell, Auckland, Ford Falcon, 49

6, Andrew Anderson, Auckland, Holden Commodore, 45

7, Andy Booth, Auckland, Holden Commodore, 42

8, Eddie Bell, Christchurch, Ford Falcon, 39

9, Dale Williams, Auckland, Ford Falcon, 36

10, Adam Brook, Christchurch, Ford Falcon, 33

11, Michael Bristow, Pukekohe, Ford Falcon, 30

12, Andy Knight, Christchurch, Ford Falcon, 28

13, John Penny, Taupo, Holden Commodore, 26

14, Paul Manuell, Auckland, Holden Commodore, 24

15, Inky Tulloch, Gore, Ford Falcon, 22

16, Mack Peach, Bombay, Ford Falcon, 20

17, Luke Youlden, Melbourne, Ford Falcon, 18

18, John Hepburn, Timaru, Holden Commodore, 16

19, Alan McCarrison, Auckland, Ford Falcon, 14

20, Nick Ross, Cambridge, Holden Commodore, 12

21, Simon Richards, Hamilton, Ford Falcon, 10

22, David Hopper, Auckland, Holden Commodore, 9

23, Paul Pedersen, Rotorua, Ford Falcon, 8

DNF, Andrew, Porter, Auckland, Ford Falcon,

DNF, Chris, Adams, Mosgiel, Holden Commodore,

BNT V8s Championship

Qualifying times for Round 4, Timaru

Position, Driver, Hometown, Car, Qualifying time

1, Kayne Scott, Hamilton, Ford Falcon, 1:06.453

2, Angus Fogg, Auckland, Ford Falcon, 1:06.547

3, John McIntyre, Nelson, Ford Falcon, 1:06.628

4, Tim Edgell, Auckland, Ford Falcon, 1:06.658

5, Craig Baird, Gold Coast, Ford Falcon, 1:06.849

6, Andy Booth, Auckland, Holden Commodore, 1:06.872

7, Andrew Anderson, Auckland, Holden Commodore, 1:07.022

8, Paul Pedersen, Rotorua, Ford Falcon, 1:07.241

9, Eddie Bell, Christchurch, Ford Falcon, 1:07.380

10, Nick Ross, Cambridge, Holden Commodore, 1:07.789

11, John, Penny, Taupo, Holden Commodore, 1:07.553

12, Michael Bristow, Pukekohe, Ford Falcon, 1:07.561

13, Andy Knight, Christchurch, Ford Falcon, 1:07.606

14, Dale Williams, Auckland, Ford Falcon, 1:07.655

15, Andrew Porter, Auckland, Ford Falcon, 1:07.691

16, Paul Manuell, Auckland, Holden Commodore, 1:07.701

17, Adam Brook, Christchurch, Ford Falcon, 1:07.835

18, Inky Tulloch, Gore, Ford Falcon, 1:07.932

19, Mack Peach, Bombay, Ford Falcon, 1:08.561

20, Luke Youlden, Melbourne, Ford Falcon, No time set in second session

21, Simon Richards, Hamilton, Ford Falcon, 1:08.292

22, Alan McCarrison, Auckland, Ford Falcon, 1:08.814

23, John Hepburn, Timaru, Holden Commodore, 1:09.093

24, David Hopper, Auckland, Holden Commodore, 1:09.813

25, Chris Adams, Mosgiel, Holden Commodore, 1:10.624