Gaunt Ready to Resume Battle at Brother 350

MEDIA RELEASE 21 May 2013

Gaunt Ready to Resume Battle at Brother 350

Tasman Motorsports Group (TMG) driver Daniel Gaunt says he’s ready to resume the championship battle at the Brother 350, this weekend at Pukekohe - Round 3 of the BNT V8 SuperTourers championship.

Gaunt, driver of the Valvoline Ford comes to Pukekohe on a high having dominated the previous round at Ruapuna where he was the round winner, collecting two wins and a second placing, catapulting him to third in the championship standings.

The TMG Valvoline Ford has recorded some good results at Pukekohe in the past, with Gaunt and co-driver Andrew Waite recording the team’s maiden podium in 2012.

“We got our first podium last year at Pukekohe as a team which was great and I’ve had a lot of success there in the past in Porsche’s especially,” says Gaunt.

“With the weekend panning out the way it did at Ruapuna I think we can take some confidence into this weekend. We have a good base set-up with the car, but at the same time we will need to work hard to fine tune it for the bumps and kerbs to stay competitive.”

The Pukekohe circuit has a new layout for this weekend, which Gaunt says should provide some added passing opportunities for the field, but says the circuit will still have much of its fast and bumpy character.

“The new corners at the end of the back straight should provide more ‘racing’ and a couple of new passing opportunities. But the circuit’s infamous bumps will still be a factor.”

“Pukekohe is a circuit that you have to be ultra committed to in order to get a good lap time. Key areas are braking into turn one and over the top of the hill, both are fifth gear corners over 200km/hr – there isn’t a lot of room for error.”

Gaunt says consistent results are the key to a good championship result in the series.

“Having a good clean weekend and staying out of trouble is key in this series. The races are short, but we race three times in one day. You have to ensure you have a good first race to set-up the rest of your weekend. As we saw at Ruapuna, where a couple of others faltered, it really impacted their weekend.”

“If the guys in front do falter, you have to be there to capitalise.”

The Tasman Motorsports Group Valvoline Ford is supported by IVECO Trucks, Autotrader.co.nz, Midas, BOC and Colin Waite Panel Beaters.

Round 3 of the 2013 BNT V8 SuperTourers Championship will be held this weekend at Pukekohe, May 25/26.

Tasman Motorsports Group driver Daniel Gaunt took the round win at Ruapuna in the Valvoline Ford and looks to continue that form this weekend at Pukekohe.

ENDS

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