14 February 2014 - Issue No,16
www.jmr.co.nz
GREEN-LIGHT #16
14 February 2014 - Issue No,16
Wrap on last weekend’s Manfeild round of the V8 SuperTourers. Manfeild is the first racetrack that I remember visiting and the first I ever raced at aged just 13. So it’s my real home circuit and over the years it has been very good to me and JMR. After a very short turn-around after Highlands, it was great to be heading to Manfeild for round two of the V8 SuperTourers championship, with Mark in fifth place overall. With three straights joined by cambered corners Manfeild has a very unique layout, both in NZ and internationally. The catchphrase at Manfeild has always been “seeing is believing” and it is still true today. All of the 3.033km circuit can be seen at the same time from many vantage points. This is not only great for spectators but excellent for a driver coach, to see your car in relevance to the field of other drivers. For the first two rounds the V8 SuperTourer field has been smaller than expected, with up to five cars (teams) not able to make these rounds. Rest assured that during the remainder of the 2014 series the numbers will continue to grow starting at Pukekohe for round three in March. Back to Manfeild: Mark as previously driven here in the Suzukis and the NZV8 and we also had him drive in November on a sponsor hot-lap day in the V8 SuperTourer.
14 February 2014 - Issue No,16
Manfeild continued...
Our plan remained unchanged from Highlands Park: For Mark to keep learning the car, how to get the most out of it and him, whilst scoring valuable overall points. The problem with V8 SuperTourers is that everyone in the field has won a national championship before, in a myriad of different classes. The depth is incredible and the machinery is so close. On Friday we had three practice sessions before qualifying. The weather was overcast but fine. Mark worked into his stride in the first session and was getting comfortable in the car. The circuit is dominated by five major braking zones that set everything up. After the first practice Mark and I discussed the cars and his performance before I drove it “unchanged� for the first part of practice two. I managed three timed laps before handing back to Mark to finish the session. Our plan had worked and we were able to use the data and video from my laps to improve Marks performance. The hardest part of any top circuit racing category is qualifying. In the sprint series we have two qualifying sessions that determine the grid for race one and two. Race three is on combined points. Mark was 11th and 12th in the two qualifying sessions, and as before was just 0.3sec away from being eighth. It can be very frustrating for a driver when this happens, you feel you are on the limit but the lap time is agonisingly behind by a small margin. As at Highlands, Mark drove strongly in all of the races. In Race one on Saturday afternoon he made a great start and moved up to eighth, but had to nearly stop and avoid a spinning car (the leader). He went on to finish tenth, ninth and eighth respectively in each race. These solid results netted us seventh overall for the round and sixth overall for the championship. Mark is top rookie by quite some margin. We again left Manfeild, like Highlands, happy that Mark made all the possible moves he could in the races. He avoided all of the possible incidents and the team provided and excellent and reliable package for him to work with.
2013 2014
Would you like a Blackwoods Protector JMR 2014 calendar? To have one sent to you send your details to stephen.holden@blackwoodsprotector.co.nz
Photographer Geoff Ridder
blackwoodsprotector.co.nz | 0800 660 660
14 February 2014 - Issue No,16
Manfeild memories
14 February 2014 - Issue No,16
Manfeild continued... It was great to see all of the Manfeild fans and sponsors supporting JMR again at my ‘home’ track. We hope to be back again in 2015. We now have a five week break. We will use this time to have another test at our base at the Taupo Motorsport Park, working to get Marks qualifying speed up and continue to tune the race car. After this we will be heading to Pukekohe for round three, a circuit we have a good handle on now and the only circuit we have gone to that Mark has raced at before in the V8ST. See you at Puke and thanks for the support for rounds one and two!
14 February 2014 - Issue No,16
Mark Gibson: Round 2 Manfeild Heading into the second round of my first V8 SuperTourers championship in fifth overall was a good feeling. Round two was at Manfeild, a place that I have had success at in the past, including my first race and round win. Thursday was the set up day and it gave John and I an opportunity to have a walk around the unique Manawatu circuit. Track walks are important for me at each circuit as it enables John to explain how each part of the track will affect the car and also where the best passing spots are situated. Testing started on Friday and it was the first time I had taken the JMR 47 around Manfeild in anger, the results and feedback from the day were positive as we were comfortably in the top 10 throughout the test sessions. The team had progressed the car to where I felt it was a good all round package. Qualifying, once again, was the downfall for the weekend, as I qualified the car 11th and 12th for the first two races. Personally I was gutted with these results but as John assured me, if we took the same approach as we did at round one we would quickly move up the leader board. In race one sure enough this was the case. I got a fantastic start and was up to around seventh out of the first turn but a car spinning in front forced me to take avoiding action and therefore dropped back to the rear of the field. From there I put my head down and moved back up to finish ninth. Race two was a similar affair; I started 12th, kept my nose clean during the race and came home 10th.
Vegetables
The freshest vegetables grown in the fertile soils of the South Island of New Zealand, delivered to you by Talley’s
The fresh name in your freezer.
100%
NZ GROWN AND OWNED
www.talleys.co.nz
14 February 2014 - Issue No,16
Mark Gibson: Round 2 continued... The two top-10 finishes put us ninth in points for the round so that’s where we started in the final 25 lap race. It was a hot day at Manfeild and fortunately I was allowed to use a cool suit for the first time and I think from now on it may be a request in every session. For the final race I had a similar approach to the other races, which was to stay out of trouble and move up the order. This was achieved with only some slight panel damage and we finished the race eighth. This left us seventh for the round and sixth in the championship. To be sitting sixth after two rounds in my first V8 SuperTourer championship is exciting but I am eager to move forward. The team is planning on a test day late March and I know what I personally need to work on before the next round at Pukekohe. Once again I would like to thank the JMR Team, John McIntyre, and my sponsors and support crew for their continued support and hard work. See you at Pukekohe!
14 February 2014 - Issue No,16
2014 BNT V8 SUPERTOURER: DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP Pos 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
Driver Greg Murphy Andre Heimgartner Ant Pedersen Richard Moore Simon Evans Mark Gibson Tim Edgell Morgan Haber Mitch Cunningham Simon McLennan
Round 1 291 228 192 213 131 172 143 158 121 145
Round 2 262 197 226 196 261 133 129 110 115 74
Overall 553 425 418 409 392 305 272 268 236 219
Fastway Couriers An extension of your business
Our vans may not go as fast as the JMR V8 but we do offer a cost effective and reliable courier service, backed by the latest technology. Fastway Couriers are proud supporters of John McIntyre Racing and the ideal choice for your business. • Up to $1,500 coverage* • No re-delivery fees* • Full track & trace
• Online proof of delivery • No hidden costs • National coverage
To find out more contact us: p. w.
0800 4 FASTWAY fastway.co.nz
*Conditions apply. Fastway Couriers (NZ) Ltd. Fastway Couriers is a franchised courier network and its businesses are independently owned.
Longest lasting, less waste™
14 February 2014 - Issue No,16
As seen in the: The Tribune - 5 February
9 February
14 February 2014 - Issue No,16
2014 BNT V8 SuperTourers calendar SPRINT ROUNDS (Sprint portion of Championship) ROUND ONE: January 25/26 Highlands Park, Cromwell, South Island ROUND TWO: February 8/9 Manfeild, Palmerston North ROUND THREE: March 22/23 Pukekohe, Auckland ROUND FOUR: April 25-27 with V8 Supercars, Pukekohe, Auckland ENDURANCE ROUNDS (Endurance portion of Championship) ROUND FIVE: September 6/7 Father’s Day 400 Taupo ROUND SIX: November 1/2 South Island ROUND SEVEN: November 28/29/30 Pukekohe 500, Auckland
14 February 2014 - Issue No,16
Notepad: Next round:
21-23 March 2014 - Pukekohe 250 Pukekohe Tickets from www.v8st.co.nz Follow us on Facebook: John-McIntyre-Racing
Follow us on Twitter: JohnMcIntyreRac
Or email club@jmr.co.nz www.jmr.co.nz
31 January 2014 - Issue No,15
JMR would like to thank our sponsors:
See round two coverage: TV3 Sunday 16 February from 3:00pm