2010-11 NZ V8 Ute Championship #1

A very trying start to the season due to a number of mechanical issues from round 1-4 made for an exciting final round!  Going into the round 71points adrift of series leader Caine Lobb I knew I had my work cut out but it was an achievable goal to win.  My whole team - as always - went to Hamilton with the positive attitude which has carried us through the season with the aim to win.  A clean sweep was what we needed to give us any chance of victory.   It was an awesome event last year at Hamilton racing for the Kiwis in the V8 Ute Trans Tasman Challenge.  I enjoyed success at that which gave me extra confidence for the weekend ahead.  I love the Hamilton 400 street circuit and I knew the Gallagher/ENZED Falcon would be fast as it had been all season… when it was holding together!

After getting dialled in during practice one I stopped to pressure the tyres and went out to find clear track with enough time for one flying lap.  The Ute felt good, so I got up it and posted a reasonable lap to see us at the top of the session and in good stead heading into Qualifying.

We have our Qualifying routine down pat and it went smoothly.  The Ute was 100% and we comfortably topped the session and gained full points.  This was a perfect start to the weekend and brought the points gap back to 56 to the championship leader.  On Friday afternoon we also had the marble draw to determine the grid for race one.  Lady luck was on my side and I pulled number 1 from the hat!  This was good since the weather forecast was for rain so hopefully I was in front of all the carnage!

Race one on Saturday was wet as forecast.  I got away cleanly from grid one but copped a hit exiting turn one putting my Ute sideways exiting the corner and another hit in the left rear quater sent me towards the inside wall.  The contact did some damage but I pressed on as much as possible with a rubbing guard and a bit of extra toe out in the front.  After dropping back to 6th I made my way back through the front pack to finish 2nd.   We collected more valuable points and our main competition DNF as a result of the damage inflicted from the earlier crash.  More solid points put me ahead in the championship by 11 for the first time this season.

Since I started from pole in race one, I started last in race 2.  The track was damp but there was a surprising amount of grip in some parts of the lap.  I took my time to make passes and was somewhat surprised when Jake told me I was in p4 with 5 laps to run.  As the opportunities presented themselves I moved past the Utes ahead and pulled a healthy buffer once leading.  Since Caine Lobb DNF again and I gained maximum points, this I sealed the 2010-11 Championship with the final race to run!  After such a challenging season it was a relief to be in front again and win back to back championship.  The Western Motor Group crew did an awesome job all year and although we only lead the championship with 2 races to run, they were the races that counted.

The 3rd and final race on Sunday was in damp but drying conditions so I pressed on and had some fun sliding the Gallagher/ENZED Ute to win the final race of the season.  We showed the speed we had all year by pulling a 12second lead.

It was a great feeling for myself and everyone involved to retain #1 for another year and this result puts me another step closer to getting back into V8 Supercars.  Thanks to everyone who has supported me this season especially Gallagher - www.gallagher.co.nz, ENZED - www.enzed.co.nz, Cairns Bins - www.cairnsgroup.co.nz, KD Training - www.kdtraining.com, also Cranium Signage Solutions, ALRO Truck Smash Repairs and Ash Cairns for making this possible.