First-ever NZV8 round win for Edgell at Manfeild

NZV8 race driver Tim Edgell has achieved a new career best in the tough BNT V8s Championship, taking the round win at Manfeild on 13 February.

Edgell’s round win, scoring more points during the weekend’s three races than former NZV8 champion Kayne Scott, is a significant milestone for the hard-working North Shore-based driver and his team.

“It’s absolutely fantastic to win the round, especially after not being happy with our results in the previous three rounds,” said the #26 Chesters-BNT Falcon driver.

Having qualified second-fastest during Saturday’s top ten shootout to start Sunday’s first 12-lap race from the front row beside Scott, Edgell says he was pretty happy to run at or close to Scott’s pace throughout the first seven laps.

“We were second when the race was red-flagged with John McIntyre having an issue, so that’s where we finished on the official results. This also meant we started from the same position for race two and this time I got a better start than Kayne, basically drag racing him into the first corner. I managed to build up a little buffer for several laps, then Kayne closed in on me and I had to cover my position at the front of the field for the last couple of laps. It’s always great to win another race – it’s a worthy reward for the team and sponsors for all our hard work!”

The weekend’s final reverse grid, 22-lap race saw Edgell start right at the back of the field with Scott, seeing as the pair had equal best points from the first two races.

“From 19th, I got a good run initially to get through the traffic to be roughly mid-field midway through the race, having been able to keep Kayne behind me. The tyres went off a bit and there were a few other competitors to contend with, but right towards the end I was able to make a pass on Andy Knight to finish the race two places in front of Kayne, which gave me the round win!”

While Edgell thought the #26 Chesters-BNT Falcon wasn’t initially the fastest, he said the team kept working at on the car throughout the day.

“And here we are with our first round win. I’m lucky to have, and appreciate very much the support of all our sponsors and our whole team. We can savour this success and look forward to the second-to-last round of the season in Taupo in March now we’ve moved up into sixth position on the championship points-table.”

Tim Edgell and Edgell Performance Racing thanks the following sponsors: Chesters Plumbing and Bathroom, BNT, Marley, Hansen Products, Fuchs, Tru-Test Group, North Harbour Ford, Roca, FujiFilm, Element 82 Ltd, Wurth NZ and Journey on Roadside Solutions.