Winger Suzuki Swift Sport Cup

Winger Suzuki Swift Sport Cup

For immediate release: Sunday 10 March 2013.
Vincent scoops southern journey spoils in Suzuki series

Two race wins by Karaka’s Andrew Vincent earned the young Winger Suzuki Swift Sport Cup driver the spoils in the weekend’s second round held at Christchurch’s Powerbuilt Tools Raceway 9-10 March.

The three races for the series second was punctuated by a number of bruising incidents that made for exciting and nerve wracking moments. Consistency by Vincent, Grant Ryan (Lower Hutt) and series returnee Cody McMaster (Christchurch) placed the trio on the round podium. However series leader Shaun Lawrence recovered from a torrid second race result to hold the overall series top-spot, albeit significantly reduced to a mere 1.5 ahead of Vincent.

Sunday morning’s eight lap race scarred much of the ten car field with the lead swapping numerous times as Takapau’s Sam Barry, Grant Ryan and eventual winner Cody McMaster continually traded places. Chasing cars often had to charge head-first in to dust plumes created by wayward and off-track moves that occurred at the drought ravaged venue. Carried over to the afternoon finale a change to the final standing following a McMaster penalty pushed his winning result down the order – altering the order of the round podium.

Although it was Lawrence who breathed the biggest sigh of relief. Scoring two seconds and a seventh in the ten lap finale, the new vehicle sales consultant was relieved to be ‘only just’ leading.

“Marginal,” said Lawrence. “To come away with the series lead after the dramas of race two this morning left us as a team feeling pretty happy. It didn’t look promising heading in to the final race but we knuckled down and fought back – so to come away with that as a result is a fantastic feeling.”

Another who didn’t have a weekend result that matched his on-track pace was Castrol Scholarship winner Josh Drysdale.
The Palmerston North Boys High School student is now seventh overall in the standings after failing to finish the morning race when he suffered damage to the right-front wheel of his Castrol Suzuki.

Consistently setter of the fastest lap, the 16-year-old rookie lamented at the did-not-finish result and is instead looking ahead to the next round.

“In race two this morning, I went in to the first corner and got caught up in someone else’s crash. The damage was found to be too much once I got back to the pits – which mean I missed valuable points. Luckily it came together in the final race. I started from the back and got up to fourth – with the fastest lap time too,” said Drysdale.

Now with a break of 75 days the six round series returns to the North Island with the mid-point event being contested at Pukekohe’s newly refurbished venue over the weekend 25-26 May.

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2013 Winger Suzuki Swift Sport Cup - results:
Qualifying: http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=2581968
Race one (8 laps) http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=2582040
Race two (8 laps) http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=2582751
Race three (10 laps) http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=2582936

Points: 2013 Winger Suzuki Swift Sport Cup - after round two (of six)
Pos Car No. Name Hometown Total
1 14 Shaun Lawrence Hamilton 185
2 12 Andrew Vincent Karaka 183.5
3 11 Grant Ryan Lower Hutt 174.5
4 71 Sam Barry Takapau 139
5 17 Glen Collinson Hamilton 126
6 63 Blair Robertson Christchurch 118
7 6 Josh Drysdale Palmerston North 108
8 96 Thomas Joyce Hamilton 107
9 2 Cody McMaster Christchurch 81
10 55 Campbell Christie Auckland 64
11 2 Chris Cox Rangiora 50

For further information: www.swiftcup.co.nz
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