Lightfoot Makes Strong Recovery At Hampton Downs

Lightfoot Makes Strong Recovery At Hampton Downs

NZV8 Ute driver Mike ‘Buzz’ Lightfoot has recovered well after a difficult couple of opening days at the opening round of the series, held at Hampton Downs over the weekend.

Returning for another season with a new Ute, Lightfoot was unable to test beforehand but still managed to record the sixth fastest time.

With new tyres on, the following days qualifying session was going well for Lightfoot, who was as high as second early in the session but a slowly deflating tyre discovered after the session meant he slipped to sixth by the time the chequered flag dropped.

New regulations allow only ten minutes between qualifying and the start of the first race and although the team was able to change tyres on the Precision Racing Falcon, they were unable to get a correct tyre pressure in it and after gaining a place, slipped back two to seventh after another attempted pass, which would be his eventual finishing position.

Race two saw Lightfoot draw ninth on the grid and he was working his way through the field in rapid time. But an incident that saw another car lose control and hit Lightfoot before spinning saw ‘Buzz’ landed with an unjustified drive-through penalty, ruining his race and leaving him to take a lonely eleventh place.

A new day saw a change of fortune in race three for Lightfoot and the reverse of the marble draw saw him start from grid four for the eight lap race. He moved into third early and with second placed Rob Gibson judged to have jumped the start, Lightfoot claimed a comfortable and solid second place after holding off a challenge from Chris Hanley.

The fourth and final race of the weekend saw Lightfoot start from grid six as a result of the previous races and despite a wild ride through turn one after being hit by another competitor, maintained his place to claim fifth place.

Lightfoot now heads to round two of the series, which runs at Ruapuna Raceway near Christchurch on 9-10 March.

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