Sim Racing NZ Rundown September 2012

SIMRACING NZ

MONTHLY SIM RACING PUBLICATION

ISSUE 6 - SEPTEMBER 2012

PLUS : MIDGETS, SUPERSTOCKS, NASCAR, LATE MODELS

sim racing

nz

SHOOTOUT series

NASCAR

SUPERSTOCKS

Round 2 - Charlotte 9/8

Round 1 - Palmerston 22/8

Round 3 - Martinsville 16/8

Round 2 - Te Marua 29/8

Round 4 - Watkins Glen 23/8

Round 3 - Stratford 05/9

Round 5 - Iowa 30/8

Round 4 - Meeanee 12/9

Round 6 - Chicagoland 6/9

Round 5 - Palmerston 19/9

Round 7 - Talladega 13/9

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CREDITS Editors

Bryce Harding Jamie Hall

Designer

Mitch Keys

Writers

Corey Skurr Jamie Hall Matthew Pluck Mitch Keys

Photographers

Jamie Hall Mitch Keys Mitch Harris

SRNZ Crew Chiefs

SRNZ Pit Crew

Hayden Kirk Jamie Hall Mitch Keys Peter May Anton Bowen Ayrton Smith Bryce Harding Matthew Pluck Tony Drake Nick Eichler Vaughn Hutton

Cars/tracks by

Boz Racing UK SOM/Freew67 Dirt Late Model Sim Dirtshop Creations Inc Kiwi Sim Racing Sim Pro Racing VHR Racing Image Space Incorporated

supported by

Castrol Edge Go Fast Energy Drink Macgors SkyDiveZone

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SERIES SPOTLIGHT

CONTENTS 01 05 07 11 15 17 21 25 29 35 39 43 47 51 55 59

SMITH LIMPS TO VICTORY Royal Rampage Round 11

TIGERS TOO TOUGH to tame Royal Rampage Teams Roundup

SUPERSTOCK CENTRAL

Superstock Shootout Round 1

TE MARUA TERROR

Superstock Shootout Round 2

37r KEn Hunter

Replica Skin of the Month

WESTERN SPRINGS

Midget Car Downunder Tour Round 1

WAIKARAKA PARK

Midget Car Downunder Tour Round 2

HUNTLY SPEEDWAY

Midget Car Downunder Tour Round 3

California Dreamin’ NASCAR Shootout Round 1

Charlotte Chaos

NASCAR Shootout Round 2

Martinsville Mayhem NASCAR Shootout Round 3

Watkins Glen Shakeup NASCAR Shootout Round 4

American invasion

Dirt Late Model Tri-Series Round 1

Racin’ rough

Dirt Late Model Tri-Series Round 2

Bullring Blast

Dirt Late Model Tri-Series Round 3

KSR HISTORIX LEAGUE SRNZ on the Road

SUPERSTOCKS

Smith limps to victory Words: Jamie Hall

Photography: Jamie Hall

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Coventry Motor Speedway was the host of the 11th and final round of the 2012 Royal Rampage. Over the previous 10 rounds, 9 drivers had put themselves within reach of the series glory. At the forefront of the charge was defending champion 64gb Ayrton “Smithers 164” Smith and 18r Mitch Keys. While there was the glory of winning the longest Kiwi Superstock race in the 2012 season, many drivers entered the round solely to assist one or more of those in for a shot at the series title.

Surprisingly, only 2 of the 9 drivers in contention managed to secure points in the final so any movement at the top of the table came from the little points secured during the heats. The top 3 remained the same as going into the round: 1st Smith, 2nd Keys, and 3rd Azza Humble.

Smith was gridded on the inside column behind Kyle George for the final. As soon as the green flag dropped, George was on the brakes. This forced Smith to go right into the cars coming up the outside and so Smith ping ponged back towards

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the infield. By the time Smith reached turn 1, he was down in 17th. This was a teaser of things to come as Smith was piled into the corner wall lap after lap by the likes of George, 1nz Bryce “Harding Jr” Harding, 46h Josh Humble, and others. Smith gave up on lap 31, having achieved a highest position of 10th, and waited out the remainder of the race shortly before the start/finish line. He crossed in 13th at race end.

Mitch Keys failed to get on track for the first heat and performed poorly in the next two heats with a 16th and a DNF respectively. This form carried over to the final where he reached lap 13 before retiring with heavy suspension damage. Keys faced blocking action mostly from 264gb Mika “Mika 264” Smith and 85h Logan “Buddie” Peat both blockers affiliated with Keys Team GB team mate Smith. Having only three races under his belt from the 2012 Go Fast New Zealand Championship Series Final qualifying, Keys transitioned well into the Royal Rampage superstocks from an open wheel and tarmac background.

Azza Humble didn’t even make it to double digit laps. A spectacular roll by 91c Harley “KDSR_Harley” Robb saw Azza Humble go skybound in seemlingly the same direction as NASA’s Curiosity. No points were scored all round by Azza Humble but he was still successful in retaining the third position. This experiance will likely be drawn upon as he seeks his first championship win in the remainder of the 2012 season, the Shootout and New Zealand Spring Series.

Final race leads were shared between 3nz Jamie “The Game” Hall, 16s Taylor Patene, 711g Shaun Kingi, 46h Josh Humble, and 77c Matt Sherlock. The racing had settled down by the time the laps hit lap 16. The top 3 standings were frozen from lap 16 on to lap 72 as Patene lead followed by Hall and 15w Sam Gray. All three drivers finished on the same lap although Patene did get himself up a lap at times only to drop back. The trio finished 11th, 16th, and 15th respectively in the series.

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SUPERSTOCKS

Words: Matt Pluck

Photography: Mitch Keys

tigers too tough to tame Another year, another UK Holiday, and another hard fought teams series touring around the UK Tracks.

Eight teams made the journey over to the UK to compete in this years championship, which took place at the same tracks as the Individual racing did for that week. The 8 teams soon became 7 though, with the Smokin’ Aces withdrawing due to rage, tantrum and anger control issues, lead by our resident rage quitter here at SRNZ Kyle George.

For the rest of the teams though, they fought hard throughout the Round Robin to set themselves up well for the finals series. At the end of the round robin, Metallicars took out the minor premiership, with the Eastern State Hurricanes, The Outlaw Gunners and Nelson Tigers all looking strong and proving favourites at the bookies. The finals series started off, and the teams were slowly eliminated. First out was the Tasman Thunder, who were a young team with potential but lacking a little direction. Joining them on the sidelines was the Rotorua Rebels and one of the favourites, The Outlaw Gunners.

The final four teams consisted of Metallicars, Nelson, Hurricanes and Team Great Britain on home soil.

After the play offs, it ended up being a Metallicars final hosting the Nelson Tigers, and Hurricanes and Team GB Fighting for minor placings.

The final proved to be a hard fought series, and with Metallicars previously beating Nelson twice

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previously and being unbeaten since the very first round, were full of confidence heading into the battle at Coventry. However, practise and organisation from the Nelson team showed they were there to race, and preparation and team work showing their intent. Hard fought over the seven races, though, it wasn’t as close as expected - but was a bit of a shock to some of the fans at the track. The Nelson team proved very strong on the night, dominating the Metallicars in 5 out of 7 races to take out the title comfortably with a very strong and convincing win. Whilst not having some of the star drivers of other teams, they showed great teamwork to work together to single out and isolate the Metallicars drivers.

Nelson enjoyed their champagne spoils, whilst the Metallicars showed to be gracious losers, with the captains of the two teams congratulating each other for the battle that had been. Whilst in the minor placings, The Hurricanes proved to be a very strong team and one to look out for in the future, whilst Team Great Britain has been rumour to have internal problems which will be entertaining to see how it unfolds in the future. Next series is shaping up to be great, with many teams seeking redemption, new teams being formed, former teams falling apart, and can anyone stop the Nelson Tigers?

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SUPERSTOCKS

Words: Corey Skurr

P

SUPER

CENTRAL CENT

SUPER

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Photography: Mitch Keys

UPERSTOCK

TRAL

RSTOCK

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Palmerston North Speedway got the 2012 Shootout Series off to a great start . The Kiwi Superstock portion is part of a joint Shootout Series with the NASCAR series. A field of 31 drivers participated in the opening five-race round to score points for both the superstock series and the overall Shootout series.

711g Shaun Kingi was one of the top drivers throughout the night along with the Top Gear pair of 18r Mitch Keys and 1nzg Bryce “Harding Jr” Harding. The trio earned good positions in the opening races.

Throughout the final races, the 1p machine of Daniel Huia was in the blocking role, seeking first on points Kingi. Huia brought Kingi’s car to a stop causing Kingi to place 20th.

The battle for first position changed a number of times during the last race. It was the 21w car of MMJ who picked up the final win but would not give him enough points to pick up the round win over Keys. Sitting behind Keys on overall points, was Bryce Harding, Josh Humble, Shaun Kingi and Azza Humble to round out the top 5.

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SUPERSTOCKS

u r a m e t 11

r o r r e t a u Words:

Corey Skurr

: Mitch Keys

Photography

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The Kiwi Superstock Shootout Series circus headed slightly north and into the windy city. With 28 cars on hand, the crowd was in for a treat as the wall at Te Marua always provides plenty of thrills and spills.

Over the first 4 races, winners included the likes of 1nzg Bryce Harding, Rabbit, Shaun Kingi and Hayden Kirk.

Going into the final race of the evening, it was Bryce Harding and Shaun Kingi topping the nights overall points so far. Current 1nz Bryce Harding had a big target on his back, but he managed to chop through the field to finish highest on points unofficially for the evening, over Sam Gray and Shaun Kingi.

Next up, the Shootout series heads to Statford Speedway, located in the heart of Tarakaki. With the series wide open, there is plenty to play for!

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KIWI SUPERSTOCK REPLICA SKIN OF THE MONTH

37r Ken Hunter (2011-2012)

by Mitch Keys and Shane Gray

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MIDGETS

WESTERN SPRINGS

Midget Car Downunder Tour Round 1 Words: Mitch Keys

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Photography: Mitch Harris

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MIDGETS

Western Springs Speedway was the battlefield for the opening round of the 2012 USAC Midget Car Downunder Tour. A quality field of drivers were on hand all fighting it out for open wheel glory.

Two-lap time trials was headed by Ty Burnett in the Xbox 360 Spike/Esslinger. Tyler is more known in the sim racing community as one of the leaders in Sim broadcasting. After putting in countless hours behind the mic over the past few years, Tyler decided to slide his helmet back on and get back behind the wheel as DSTV takes a temporary hiatus.

Utilising the standard Speedway NZ Championship format, drivers received a front, middle and back grid. Race one was led to the green by quick timer of the night Ty Burnett alongside Australian ace Jay Waugh. The pair got off to a good start, but was immediately under attack from the charging pack behind them.

As lap traffic came into play, Waugh and Burnett got collected by lap cars, along with a number of other lead cars. After 25 hard fought laps Dale Grotherr emerged as the race 1 winner. Second to the line was Beau Breunig and third went to Western Australia’s Mitch Harris.

Rolling of the front row for Race 2 was James Selwyn, alongside Mitch Harris. Harris got the jump and ran away from the field picking off lap cars one by one. The hard charging American of Beau Breunig started 21st, and made his way up to 8th, while up front it was all Mitch Harris. Running 2nd midway through the race was Aaron Hodgson.

Helmets were flying as Hodgson chose to use his

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midget car as a battering ram rather than an open wheel race car.

At the checkers it was Mitch Harris, from Aaron Hodgson, Cam Ginns, James Selwyn and Kieren Johansen to round out the top 5.

The final 25 lap race for the evening rolled around eagerly awaiting the green flag. Mitch Keys got the jump on the start and immediately started building a gap over the field. Phillip Davis who started a row back from Keys had other intentions, slowly reeling the kiwi in and then engaging in an epic battle for the lead.

As the duo got into heavy lap traffic, Dale Grotherr who started in the rear, was on an absolute tear.

Grotherr had made his way all the way into the top 5, and wasn’t stopping there. Davis had now taken a controlling lead over Keys, but into turns 3 and 4 Keys put a huge slider on the American and managed to pull it off to take home his first race win in the series. A close second was Davis, followed by Grotherr, Jeffries and Skurr to round out the top 5.

Heading out of Western Springs, Dale Grotherr has the series lead, closely followed by Beau Breunig and Hayden Kirk rounding out the podium.

The series now heads 20 minutes south to the second stop on the tour - Waikaraka Speedway.

With a number of stars shining at the Springs, and a few having bad nights, all drivers will be eager to get after it!

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MIDGETS

WAIKARAKA SPEEDWAY Midget Car Downunder Tour Round 2 Words: Mitch Keys

Photography: Mitch Harris

Words: Mitch Keys

Photography: Mitch Harris

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Next on tap for the 2012 USAC Midget Car Downunder Tour was round two, which was just down the road from Western Springs. Waikaraka Speedway - a fast, flat quarter mile bullring which was the next hurdle for the teams. The dry slick surface would add a completely different element as to what we saw at Round 1 Time trials was headed by the Western Australian driver Mitch Harris. Harris timed in with a 15.958 lap, with Mitch Keys timing in second quick and Ayrton Smith qualifying third quick.

Keys and Harris paced the field around as the drivers awaited the start. Harris got the immediate jump on the start and took the lead early. Keys was doing all he could to keep pace with Harris, but Harris was just too strong. Aaron Hodgson was absolutely flying, cutting his way up into second and began to reel in Harris. After battling hard with Harris for a number of laps, Hodgson managed to

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get the win in race one, from Mitch Harris, Mitch Keys, Corey McCullagh and Josh Lockett.

Race 2 was set up to be a thriller. With a number of fast cars in the rear, and a mixed bag of drivers up front it was going to get spectacular. Dale Grotherr got the lead on the start, and immediately pulled a small lead over the field. One of the more impressive drivers so far in the series, Corey Skurr was on a charge making his way into the lead from 5th. Skurr would take the eventual race win from Azza Humble and Mitch Keys who picked up another top 3.

Race three was going to be sure to mix the results up. Race 2 winner Corey Skurr started 15th and made an amazing run up to the lead and would take the final race win. Second to Skurr was Ayrton Smith and in third was Khan Hema. Next on tap for the series will be Round 3 at Huntly Speedway.

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MIDGETS

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HUNTLY SPEEDWAY

Midget Car Downunder Tour Round 3 Words: Mitch Keys

Photography: Mitch Harris

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Huntly Speedway - 80km south of Auckland was the scene for round 3 of the 2012 USAC Midget Car Downunder Tour.

Race one was led to the green by Quick timer of the night Mitch Harris. Harris got off to a good start, with Mitch Keys applying the blowtorch from the get go in second. After a mega battle, the pair came out of turn 4 on the final lap side by side with wheels in the air and on the gas. Harris edged Keys to take the with by 6 hundredths of a second, from Ayrton Smith in third and Khan Hema coming home forth.

Young kiwi, Corey Skurr was again lightning fast driving the lead in race two, and never looking back. Second across the line was Beau Breunig and third was Mitch Keys.

The final race of the night was won by James Selwyn. Selwyn started off the front and made next to no errors on route to the victory, from a hard charging Mitch Keys and Corey Skurr in third.

Picking up the round honors for the second week in a row was Mitch Keys. He now leads the series by 9 points over Skurr in second.

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NASCAR

Words: Mitch Keys

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Photography: Mitch Keys

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Stock car racing of a different form returned to Sim Racing New Zealand in September. California was the scene for the opening round of the Nascar Shootout Series, in conjunction with the Kiwi Superstock Shootout Series.

Not only will there be a NASCAR champion, there will be a Shootout champion - with points from both the NASCAR and Superstock racing going towards and overall championship.

Michael Kemp pipped Mitch Keys in qualifying, and in turn started race 1 from pole position.

After dueling with Kemp for a few laps, Keys took the lead and ran away with race 1.

Second home was Michael Kemp, and filling the podium was Callum Quin who put in a great drive.

Race two was headed by Mad Marty and Nick Eichler. Marty got the jump and began to drive away from the field in the lead. Race 1 winner Mitch Keys started 11th, and within a few laps had made his way into second. He now began to cut into Marty’s lead, and as the field took the white flag it was bumper to bumper. Marty was able to withstand the charge and hold onto his first win in NASCAR. The third and final race was led to the green by Dayne Powell, alongside race 2 winner Mad Marty. Marty again got the jump on the start and ran away from the field. This time it was Callum Quin carving his way through the field, with Mitch Keys in pursuit. At the line it was Marty picking up his second straight win in the series, from Callum Quin and Mitch Keys.

Coming out of California Mitch Keys carries the points lead from MadMarty and Callum in 3rd.

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NASCAR

Charlotte chaos NASCAR Shootout Round 2 Words: Mitch Keys

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Photography: Mitch Keys

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Round 2 of the 2012 NASCAR Shootout Series was held in the hometown of all the NASCAR teams Charlotte, North Carolina. A solid field of cars were on hand to fight it out for stock car glory!

with Keys. The two drove away and left the field for dead. At the line it was George over Keys, with The Game driving to a third place finish, with Marty and 4finga close behind.

Race 1 was hard fought between the likes of Mitch Keys, Aaron Hodgson and Kyle George. The trio exchanged the lead on a number of occasions putting on a great show up front. Midway through race 1, George and Aaron Hodgson got into each other spearing the two off the track and gifting Mitch Keys an easy win. Second across the line went to Callum Quin, third went to Nick Eichler and forth went to Brett Wheeler.

The final race of the night had a feeling of tention heading into it. George and Hodgson were firing at each other before the cars even got onto the race track. The pack took the green flag and immediately it was Kyle George vs Aaron Hodgson. After a number of attempts, the pair took themselves out, and were sent to the NASCAR officials hauler for a wrist slap. Mitch Keys had worked his way into the top 3 after starting deep in the field but ran out of fuel on the final lap which resulted in a costly DNF. Nick Eichler went on to take the race win over Mad Marty, 4finga, The Game and Brett Wheeler to round of the top 5.

4finga would go on and take a popular round win!

Race two saw the quick cars down the back, and a few inexperienced drivers up front. The field took the green and everyone fought to get up front.

George quickly made a charge to the front, along

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NASCAR

Martinsville mayhem NASCAR Shootout Round 3 Words: Mitch Keys

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Photography: Mitch Keys

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Martinsville Speedway, otherwise known as the ‘paper clip’ was the location for the 3rd round of the 2012 NASCAR Shootout Series. If history at this track was anything to go by, conserving the brakes would be the main priority for all drivers.

The first race was a 15 lapper. The field got off to a relatively clean getaway but as the pack settled into thier own races, the brakes started to fade. One by one everyone’s brakes started to let go causing what looked more to be bumper cars rather than NASCAR racing. At the checkers it was Kyle George who picked up the first race win from a beat up and battered Mitch Keys.

Races 2 and three were similar to the first - all drivers struggling to keep the brake temps down and in turn cars were dropping like flies. Martinsville sure will be a memorable round for many. Next on the schedule for the series the twisty turns of Watkins Glen, where drivers will have to turn right for the first time in the series.

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NASCAR

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n r u T t h g Ri

d4 n u o R t u o t o o h S R A NASC Photography: Mitch Keys tch Keys Words: Mi

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Round 4 of the 2012 NASCAR Shootout Series was held on the twisty turns of Watkins Glen, in upstate New York. With a stout lineup of cars on hand, it was anyone’s for the taking. Practice speeds showed some surprizes all the way down the field.

Qualifying was taken out by Ryan Nolly, who would in turn start off pole for Race 1. After a number of daring moves and consistent laps, it was Sam Gray who won his first career NASCAR race, from Khan Hema and a struggling Mitch Keys in third.

Races two and three were then won by Sam Gray and Khan Hema. The pair being first time winners, while tarmac ‘expert’ Kyle George struggled with overall grip throughout the night.

Dayne Powell impressed many, picking up a top 5 and beating some very experienced drivers!

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L AT E M O D E L S

american 47

invasion Words: Mitch Keys

Photography: Mitch Keys

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The 2012 Dirt Late Model Tri-Nations event kicked off early September. Twenty Six cars were on hand at Round 1 held at the Volusia Raceway Park.

Joe Stornetta out of Napa Valley, California set quick time in qualifying over Nick Cooper, Jared Mogard, Steve Lagace and Jordin Mitchell. The top 8 in qualifying being dominated by American drivers!

With the format for the series including twin features, drivers prepared for the first 25 lapper which would be lined up heads up from time trials. Nick Cooper got the jump on the race start over fellow American Joe Stornetta. As the pair began to drive away from the field, the biggest mover was Kyle George. George had moved

from deep in the field all the way into the top 5.

Midway through the race Stornetta got tangled up with a lap car and was forced out of the race.

This allowed Nick Cooper to run away with the win, from Jared Mogard, James Ringo, Kyle George and Cory Wentzel rounding out the top 5.

Race two was a full invert from the finishing order of race one, which meant a number of stars would be starting deep. After a wild race start, Cooper immediately began to charge through the field, picking off a number of cars per lap. Fellow American James Ringo was also following Coopers tracks, and the pair made their way into the lead.

At the checkers it was Nick Cooper taking a commanding win over James Ringo & Mitch Keys.

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L AT E M O D E L S

Racin’ rough Words: Mitch Keys

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Photography: Mitch Keys

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The stars of the 2012 Dirt Late Model Tri-Nations made the 14,000km trip to Perth, Western Australia. The Perth Motorplex had served up one of the roughest tracks seen in a long time. A number of teams elected to pull out of the event in an effort to save their equipment.

There was however a championship to be decided, and nine cars braved the conditions and took to the track for time trials. Kyle George set fast time in qualifying over Ryan Nolly, Peter Kirk and Aaron Hodgson.

The first feature race was lined up with Kyle George and Ryan Nolly on the front row. George got the immediate jump on the race start, as Nolly took chase. Mitch Keys, who qualifyed very poorly had avoided some early race carnage had made his way into 3rd, and as Nolly succumbed to a lap car moved into 2nd.

At the finish, it was Kyle George from Mitch Keys - who closed the margin at the end of the race making it an exciting finish. Third was Peter Kirk, forth was Hayden Kirk and in fifth was Ryan Nolly.

Feature race 2 was headed by Brett Wheeler, alongside Michael Kemp. The pair got up to speed, but shortly dropped off the pace after getting caught up in a messy start. After everything had settled down, it was again Kyle George who had found himself leading. Jordin Mitchell was on a charge, but got caught up late in the race to end up on the infield.

First across the line was Kyle George, who picked up the clean sweep in Perth. Second again was Mitch Keys, followed by Ryan Nolly, Jordin Midget and Hayden Kirk.

The final stop for the Tri-Series is at the Kihkihi Speedway.

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L AT E M O D E L S

bull

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lring blast Words: Mitch Keys

Photography: Mitch Keys

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A small field was on hand in New Zealand at the Kihikihi Speedway. A number of teams did not make the trip downunder due to lack of funding and/or schedule conflicts.

Qualifying was headed by Ryan Nolly. Nolly has been a star of the series, showing great car control over the past few weeks.

Both races were swept by Ryan Nolly, in a last ditch effort to win the championship.

With Kyle George failing to start at Kihikihi, the series was wide open, and with a low car count it seemed to be in the hands of Mitch Keys.

After all was said and done, Mitch Keys had indeed won the poitns race, over Hayden Kirk and Peter Kirk filling the podium.

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www.electricdesigns.co.nz

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srnz road on the

By Matthew Pluck

KiwiSimRacing and InSPire.Net are following up there successful V8 Series with a bit of a blast from the past. The series takes a bit of travel back in time, with car’s primarily from the late 60’s and 70’s being the drivers forte this round. With 5 rather different vehicles to choose from, by manufacturer’s Ferrari (Dino), Alfa Romeo (GTA 2000), BMW (2800CS & 2002 TII) and Porsche (911 2.4T) car selection and performance are guaranteed to be a major factor on each of the tracks this round.

Track choice also has a great variety, from the opening round of Essington in the UK, to the land’s of Kyalami and Montjuich, to familiar territory here at Teretonga and Kiwi Park. Each round will prove to have variety, with different vehicles being stronger on different tracks, and even more so have varying strengths on different sections of the track. Drivers will have to show resolve, ability and

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patience to emerge victorious in this league, with drivers having to make the most of their strengths and opportunities whilst fighting hard during their weak sections.

SRNZ Has again entered two teams of drivers into the series, with V8 Series Defending champions Matthew Pluck and Kyle George returning as SRNZ 1 representative drivers to defend their team title, as well as their first (George) and second (Pluck) placings in the previous series. The second team entered consists of Electric Designs designer/driver Mitch Keys, alongside Gisborne’s and current SRNZ V8 Champion Bryce Harding. Albeit the second team have other commitments and probably won’t make the whole season, they should be able to make some guest appearances throughout the season in the second team.

KSR Historix League ROUND 1

The classic “Historix” car regatta started in the UK this week, at Essington’s superb race track.

16 Drivers found their way to the track, with their refreshened cars from their childhood ready to do battle. Early signs in practise showed Omen Racing teammates Craig Hunton and Hugh Jarse setting the pace in their matching BMW 2002tii’s, with the track suiting their car’s perfectly. SRNZ’s team pairing of George and Pluck struggled to get their Alfa’s around the long track, but still placed well on the pace with the rest of the field. Come qualifying time, Hunton put out a perfect lap and left the field in his dust setting a time over .5 faster then second place, which went to his teammate Jarse. Pluck and George filled the second row.

The night featured 3x 12 lap races, and time had come to get the first underway. Hunton got a great start and powered off to an early lead, with Jarse and George in behind. A first corner spin for Pluck, instigated by teammate George saw him tumble down the order, while Gavin Worthy, Kibblewhite and Nicholls all took their opportunities. George couldn’t match the pace of the two BMW’s ahead of him, with the two pulling away a sustainable lead, while Pluck made his way back up through the field. Hunton had too much pace, taking a commanding lead and stamping an early mark on the series taking a dominating win, with teammate Jarse in second. George crossed in third, Worthy fourth and Pluck regained for fifth.

Race 2 featured a reverse grid of Race 1 results, which saw a lot of action in the early stages.

Resident KSR Monster’s Inc driver Growler made the most of his chance getting a great start from the front of the field, while teammate Foster, Rasmussen, Nicholls and Cowan, amongst others, looked to make the most of their chance. SRNZ Pairing Pluck and George started making their way up the field, before an aggressive passing attempt gone wrong from Jarse saw him rear end Pluck and then slide into George, giving Pluck badly damaged L/R Damage and George falling down the order. Pluck eventually spun and struggled to get the car home, whilst George lost all advantage he had. Meanwhile, Hunton quietly made his way through the field, getting to the front again and not looking back to take another convincing victory. Jarse and Worthy crossed over in second and third, with George recollecting

for fourth, whilst Pluck regathered for 7th behind Foster and Kibblewhite.

The last race of the night was gridded off finishing results from Race 2. Hunton again got a great start, with Worthy jumping up to second. Jarse and George fought hard going into T1 with Jarse getting a bad run out, leaving the door open for Pluck entering T2. However, Jarse didn’t realise, and came down on top of him resulting in contact.

Pluck managed to regather, whilst Jarse got collected by the field behind, resulting in damage to his Bath-Tub inspired BMW causing him to pit, and fall down to 14th for the race. Meanwhile, Hunton and Worthy had a hard fought battle up front with the lead switching throughout, but Hunton’s pace again showed through and took the lead. George and Pluck also fought hard, with George ultimately spinning and bending his L/F with just over 3 laps to go, and opted to limped home rather then pit.

Hunton finished his commanding efforts taking out the clean sweep and claiming maximum points, from Worthy in second. Pluck crossed over in third, Kibblewhite and Growler rounding out the 5.

George held on for 11th.

Official Overall Standings: 1st: Craig Hunton - 525 2nd: Gavin Worthy - 462 3rd: Hugh Jarse - 409 4th: Matthew Pluck - 408 5th: Blair Kibblewhite - 399 6th: Kyle George - 393

Teams Standings: 1st: Omen Racing - 934 2nd: SRNZ 1 - 801 3rd: GGB Racing - 696

WWW.SIMRACINGNZ.COM

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