Triple X clean-sweep southern Porsche podium

Porsche powered Triple X Motorsport have won the fourth round of the 2008/09 GT3 Cup Challenge with their third consecutive podium lock-out following the race weekend held near Invercargill (16-18 January).

Held at the world’s most southern race circuit, the weekend reinforced the team’s championship superiority with the race podium dominated by three of the six-car team.

Following last night’s dramatic 30-lap twilight race held after a ninety minute interlude for heavy rain, Queensland based Kiwi Craig Baird (Barrons RV Taupo – ZM – Porsche 997) continued his winning streak to secure a further win and second place from the race weekend. A close second, Melbourne’s David Reynolds (Placemakers – Hampsta – Porsche 997) snapped at Baird’s heels during the Saturday evening race, to finally up-stage the defending champion in the Sunday afternoon finale for victory.

With Baird starting from position five and Reynolds to his right in position six for the 16-lap top-six reverse grid race, Reynolds got the better start to snatch the advantage under more settled weather conditions.

“When you win a round it’s pointless trying to dive-bomb your team-mate,” described Baird of Reynolds taking the final race victory. “With the round win and a good championship lead it was pointless taking any risks – I peeled a tyre early in the race so just had to stroke it home.”

“So a good weekend for us – a testing weekend - more so for the crew than for us with the weather conditions,” said the defending Porsche GT3 Cup Champion. “One minute it’s dry, one minute it’s wet, one minute it’s sunny, one minute it’s cold. The conditions kept changing and the boys did a fantastic job to present us with a car ready to cope with those changes – a real team effort.”

Continually mixing in the leading battle, Auckland’s Daniel Gaunt (Beef and Lamb – Radio Sport – Trinity Media Group – Porsche 997) and Sydney’s Rodney Forbes (Hampsta - MPD Dairy Products – Porsche 997) shared a third place each, with Gaunt taking the better placed finish in the final race to secure the remaining round podium position.

The team’s third successive championship podium lock-out, the Baird, Reynolds and Gaunt trio are extending their margin on the rest of the 14-car field, with Forbes closing for the fourth place position.

As the weather ever-changed, Sunday’s cooler conditions did little to stifle the on-track pace with Reynolds bettering the new lap record he set on the Saturday evening. Further lowering the mark during the morning 12-lap race, he said the 58.341s mark around the 2.61km circuit proved he had the pace for victory.

“Being the fastest car for the weekend I should have more race wins – at least two out of the three – however I made a few errors,” conceded the 23-year old.

Bailed out of the Saturday evening race, Auckland rookie Courtney Letica (Altherm - Porsche 997) finished ninth and tenth in the Sunday races.

Team principal Shane McKillen (VnC Cocktails Porsche 997) benefited from a consistent weekend to finish seventh in the endurance race, tenth and 12th in the finale.

Following the two successive race weekends in the South Island, the team now have the long journey back to their Auckland workshop where all six cars will be rebuilt for the final two rounds in the championship season.
The team will next race at Manfeild late in February (27 February – 1 March).

Ends.

Southern 200 – Teretonga (17-18 January 2009).
Race results - provisional

Race one - 30 laps (top-five)
1 Craig Baird 30m22.096s
2 David Reynolds +0.372s
3 Daniel Gaunt +9.220s
4 Rodney Forbes +51.700s
5 Darryn Henderson +1 Lap

Race two - 12 laps (top-five)
1 Craig Baird 11m50.346s
2 David Reynolds +7.176s
3 Rodney Forbes +7.613s
4 Jody Vincent +7.772s
5 Daniel Gaunt +8.194s

Race three – 16 laps (top-five)
1 David Reynolds 15min48.363sec
2 Craig Baird +1.640s
3 Jody Vincent +8.306s
4 Daniel Gaunt +8.893s
5 Mark Russ +9.732s

2008/09 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge – championship points after round four (of six)
Pos Name Hometown Total
1 Craig Baird – Triple X - Queensland 845
2 David Reynolds – Triple X - Melbourne 777
3 Daniel Gaunt – Triple X - Auckland 632
4 Jono Lester Auckland 568
5 Rodney Forbes – Triple X Sydney 516
6 Jody Vincent Auckland 485
7 Darryn Henderson Wellington 466
8 Mark Russ Auckland 458
9 Anthony Pedersen Rotorua 433
10 Shane McKillen - Triple X - Auckland 398
11 Courtney Letica - Triple X Auckland 352