Fogg to push V8 championship lead

Current BNT V8s championship leader Angus Fogg has a long journey ahead as his team and the Radio Sport Ford Falcon V8 head for two successive weekends of racing in the deep south starting with Invercargill from 13-15 January 2012.

After winning the first two rounds of the six round championship, Fogg holds a 56 point lead in the title standings. This weekend’s three race programme at Teretonga south-west of Invercargill is likely to throw up a surprise says the championship favourite.

“I was talking to John Keast, our man down there in Invercargill and he’d been telling of high temperatures and beautiful weather for weeks, So I was looking forward to not using wet tyres this weekend, but maybe we’ll bring the Auckland weather down and the drought will come to an end,” said Fogg from his Birkenhead base.

“So the farmers will love us, but Teretonga in the rain can be worse than Pukekohe. It’s either raining, windy, hailing or scorching hot there. It’s a very changeable sort of place, very challenging and very character building. Maybe that’s why there are so many characters down there?”

Having won two of the six races contested so far in the 2011/2012 season and placed second in the remaining four, Fogg says reliability is a critical part of their race campaign. Deciding to send their car back to Auckland following the last round just before Christmas near Christchurch, Fogg says it was not a decision made lightly.

“We probably didn’t need to bring it home after the last round at Ruapuna, but we did anyway. It’s always better to work in your own workshop where you’ve got your own gear. So while the Radio Sport Falcon came out of the last round in tip-top shape, it was due for its regular maintenance and we decided in case we found something that needed doing it’d be easier to do it at home base.

“So the car and transporter will have seen a lot of the country by the time I get to the track for first practise on Friday.”

With three races on the weekend programme, it’s the repeat a week later near Timaru that has Fogg even more prepared than usual.

“We’ve got a truck full of spares and are very well organised with virtually a complete spare car on board. Plus we’ve got access to a well-equipped workshop, even panel and paint. People from down that way seem only to willing to help out where they can, but yes, a race meeting the week after this is always a bit of a worry.”

At 2.62km in length, Teretonga also holds the title of being the world’s most southern car race circuit and has a few quirks that make it unlike any other in New Zealand adds Fogg: “I guess the circuit is quite unique. It is very fast and flowing; the surface is similar to how Baypark used to be with sand blowing in from the beach, which makes it quite abrasive and/or quite slippery.

“There is not a lot of run-off and the gravel traps appear to like tipping cars on the roof, having been in that position myself down there.

“The good thing about the track is there is every sort of corner. There is a really tight hair-pin, a really fast constant radius sweeper, a series of fast esses, just a good combination of corners. It’s hard to get the car setup to do every turn perfectly so you end up with a compromise at making it go well in some areas and are left lacking in others.”

Starting with a test session late Friday afternoon, the team then have the opportunity to take VIP guests for a hotlap ride of the circuit using the Radio Sport Falcon.

The team takes a serious turn on the Saturday with a morning test session before qualifying for the afternoon 12-lap race.

Sunday starts with a shakedown test before the second race, a 12-lap top-ten reverse grid starting at 1:18pm. The final 20-lap race includes a compulsory wheel-change pit-stop.

The following weekend of racing will be held at Levels Raceway near Timaru: 21-22 January 2012.