Top Action at Southernmost Round of NZV8 Touring Cars

Media release: 8th January 2014

NZV8 Touring Cars
www.nzv8touringcars.co.nz

Top Action at Southernmost Round of NZV8 Touring Cars

Invercargill's iconic motor racing venue will come to life this weekend when the NZV8 Touring Cars adorn the Teretonga Park circuit with the roar of V8 power and screech of high performance slick tyres.

With a trans-Tasman battle already well underway in the series between Australia's Jason Bargwanna and Kiwi Nick Ross, the action is assured along with a tightly knit field of young up and coming drivers seeking to  make a name for themselves in a prestigious series.

Toyota driver Bargwanna and Ross in his Holden went bumper to bumper at the opening round at Pukekohe Park Raceway with both combatants leaving no room for the other and coming away with two race wins to one respectively and claiming the two top slots on the championship table closely followed by Ford driver Shaun Varney.

Lower hutt based James McLaughlin originally from New Plymouth took out the TL class also with two race wins to one against Hamilton's Ian Booth both in Holdens.

Stellar performances were given by the pair at the season's opener in Pukekohe but it was the storming young up and coming McLaughlin on 217 points who dealt it to Booth over the weekend leaving him on 184 points ahead of Invercargill's Grant Molloy on 154.

Of all importance to the people of Invercargill and Southland are the local drivers Grant Molloy, Nathan Pilcher (Winton) and of course young up and coming local driver by the name of Liam MacDonald who at just 16 years old has entered this tough, aggressive competition.

With Molloy currently holding third place in the NZV8TC TL Championship and MacDonald being so young there is much giving cause for huge expectation of a great weekend to come.

MacDonald born and bred in Invercargill and a student at James Hargest High School will be competing in a Ford Falcon in the TL class of the NZV8TC and will go up against some tough competition such as leading contestants McLaughlin, Booth plus fellow Invercargill racer and Ford driver Grant Molloy.

In the faster NZV8TC TLX class defending champion Jason Bargwanna leads the series with 217 points to 198 ahead of Nick Ross and Shaun Varney on 175 after a rip-roaring start to the season at Pukekohe Park Raceway in November.

With three makes of race cars in the series at present the score is well spread with the trio driving Toyota, Holden and Ford respectively.

With the weather over Teretonga Park expected to be unsettled this weekend the tempers will continue to flare unabated as the Ford, Holden and Toyota drivers go at it sun, rain, hail or snow and will be an event not to be missed by all motorsport fans.

With two drivers from Invercargill, Pilcher from Winton and Ross Cameron from Dunedin, Southland and Otago will be very well represented in the large field of TL cars and full complement of New Generation NZV8TC TLX cars inlcuding Holden Commodores, Ford Falcon and Toyota Camrys.

The on-track action gets underway this Saturday the 11th January with qualifying and a top 10 shootout to determine the start order for the weekend's first race that afternoon.

On Sunday the action heats up with two more races during the day including a reverse grid start for race two where anything can happen when the field of NZV8 Touring Cars enter the famous Teretonga Park's first turn where much history has been made.

More on the NZV8 Touring Cars

The NZV8 Touring Cars' season roared into action after a very exciting first round held at the Thunder in the Park event at Pukekohe Park Raceway in November 2013.

Jason Bargwanna drove his Toyota Camry to claim two race victories and the TLX class win ahead of Holden Commodore driver Nick Ross with one race win followed by Shaun Varney in third with his Ford Falcon.

Holden Commodore driver James McLaughlin took out the TL class win ahead of another Holden driver Ian Booth followed by Grant Molloy in a Ford Falcon.

The NZV8 Touring Cars season comes back to life at Invercargill's Teretonga Park over the weekend of 11 to 12th January.

Back to back rounds sees the field head to Timaru International Motor Raceway the following weekend of the 18 to 19th January.

The NZV8 Touring Cars compete at Manfeild 8-9 February and Taupo 8-9 March before both the NZV8 Touring Cars and the V8 Supertourers will be included as support classes for the Australian V8 Supercars event at Pukekohe Park Raceway on the 25 to 27th of April 2014.

NZV8 Touring Cars Calendar
Rd 1    Pukekohe Park Raceway            16-17 November 2013 (completed)
Rd 2       Teretonga Park, Invercargill                                       11-12 January 2014
Rd 3       Timaru International Motor Raceway                      18-19 January 2014
Rd 4       Manfeild, Feilding (NZ Grand Prix)                           08-09 February 2014
Rd 5       Taupo Motorsport Park                                              08-09 March 2014
Rd 6       Pukekohe Park (V8 Supercars)                                  25-27 April 2014 (ANZAC Weekend)

NZV8 Touring Cars supports the “KID IN CARS CHARITY TRUST”

ENDS

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