Mitchell To Make History At Pukekohe

Mitchell To Make History At Pukekohe

A little bit of Australasian motor racing history will be made at the big Boost Mobile V8 Supercar meeting at Pukekohe next weekend when Ohaupo (Waikato) race car constructor Derek Mitchell debuts his new 7.0 litre SuperGT-spec Holden Monaro CV8 in the first SuperGT/TranZam support race.

Holden has developed its own 7.0 litre (in their case Nations Cup-spec) Monaro CV8 race car but it is not due to hit the track until the inaugural Bathurst 24 Hour race - the weekend AFTER the Boost Mobile meeting.

Mitchell says it wasn't his intention to steal Holden Australia's thunder, rather, he just wanted to have the car ready for the big Boost Mobile meeting.

"I've always been a Holden fan and when I saw the pictures of the new Monaro, that was it, I was going to build one. The fact that it's ready for the Boost Mobile meeting is just a coincidence. It's not a round of our series as such but when I heard that we were going to race with the TranZams I sat down with the boys and said, we've got to be there!"

New Zealand's SuperGT class pits cars like Mitchell's new Monaro against exotic European sports cars like Porsche 911s and TVR Tuscans, booming American muscle cars like Chevrolet Camaros, Ford Mustangs and Dodge Vipers, and 'Fast & Furious' turbocharged Japanese cars like Nissan Skylines and Subaru WRX Imprezas.

Only cars capable of lapping Pukekohe in under 1 minute 8 seconds were considered for the combined SuperGT/TranZam races at Pukekohe yet New Zealand SuperGT series coordinator Vern Reeve had no trouble finding 30!

And with several new cars still in build at least 40 are expected at the first round of the 2002/03 New Zealand series at Pukekohe at the end of the month.

Included in the entry list this weekend is a veritable who's who of SuperGT racing in this country, with the Lighting Direct Le Mans Turbo Porsches of Owen Evans and father and son duo Bill and Dean Fulford, the CRC/Pit Stop Porsche of 2002 New Zealand SuperGT series champion 'Racing' Ray Williams and the Malcove-sponsored TVR Tuscan V8 of Whangarei's Carl Hansen.

Joining them at the pointy end of the grid will be Mitchell in his new Monaro, former Sprint Car star John Rae in a Mitchell-built 7 litre Chevrolet Camaro and Rotorua businessman Phillip Mules in his McDonalds-backed 10 litre Dodge Viper.

Add the V8-Supercar-spec Holden Commodore V8s of Peter Van Breugel and Mike Eady, the Nissan Skyline of Adrien De Croy, Subaru WRX Imprezas of Ross Rutherford, David Gunson and Michael Crowley, and the Nissan 300 ZX of David Glasson, not to mention the classic 7 litre '72 Chevrolet Camaro of Wayne Anderson, the XA Falcon coupe of Phil Schubert and the Walkinshaw replica VL Holden Commodore of Haydn McKenzie and you have a fascinating combination of fast, exciting cars set to quicken the pulse of any race fan.

Mix in the purpose-built TranZam V8s of Mark Porter, P.G. Knight, Grant Sylvester and Kayne Scott and you have the makings of a classic 'battle of the classes.'

There will be two SuperGT/TranZam races at the Boost Mobile V8 Supercar meeting, one on Saturday and one on Sunday.

Joining the SuperGTs and TranZams on the support class roster will be Enzed New Zealand V8 Touring Cars, Talleys Formula Fords and Bridgestone Porsches.

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