Hall takes lead over night as Langly falters

Pukekohe racer Nick Hall has taken an overnight lead in the he fastest unlimited-class car in the 2010 Asset Finance New Zealand Offroad Racing Championship,

squeezing past Whakatane racer Malcolm Langley with two wins in today’s stadium-style “short course” racing at Prices Road, Manukau.

Hall races in the Autoworld Richmond class five for Super 1300 cars, one of the sport’s “tiddler” classes.  He was second overall on points behind Langley as the day’s racing

began and seemed set to fade out of the title chase when his first two heats netted him a pair of fourth placings.

But Langley took struck trouble, spinning out on a slow corner and failing to finish the first heat for the Southern Lakes Transmissions unlimited class racers.  Hit in the side by Neville Smith’s Cougar Honda Turbo, Langley was out of the race with smashed rear suspension.  He spent much of the day repairing the damage and emerged for the final two heats but then did not finish the last, damaging an oil line.

South Head’s Raana Horan, driving a V8 supercharged Nissan Titan four wheel drive, won three of his four heats but went out of the last with mechanical issues.  He expects to be able to start the endurance race tomorrow.

The big improver today was Christchurch’s Wayne Moriarty, the former championship leader, who won all four of the heats for the BigPosters class three Super 1600 cars.  He has crept closer to Hall, with just 12 points between the two, and could take the title with a clean run  through tomorrow’s 160 km endurance race at Prices Road.

Racing at the final event in the 2010 Asset Finance New Zealand Offroad Racing Championship gets under way tomorrow with qualifying sprints for grid positions at 9.00 am; this is followed by a Bathurst-style top five “shootout” for pole position.  The endurance race starts at 12.30 pm.