Christina Excited About Favourite Circuit

A rewarding test session held prior to this weekend's round of the BNTV8s has Christina Orr feeling secure in the handling of the team's Holden Commodore leading up to racing at her favourite circuit.

This weekend the BNTV8 Championship heads to Manfeild Autocourse in Feilding for the fifth of six rounds before wrapping up in Taupo next month.

"We had a very successful test and have ironed out some of the issues we have had and are looking good for the weekend." said the Whakatane driver.

"This is the first time I haven't had the car oversteering on me and have it handling the way I like it so I am really excited about Manfeild now." said Orr.

Orr considers Manfeild Autocourse to be her favourite circuit on the BNTV8s calendar and held the Formula First lap record for five years.

Orr entered the country's toughest motor racing class this season for the first time and is currently second placed rookie behind Formula Ford champion John Whelan.

She has had limited time in the car so far this season with little opportunity to test and the tough series has offered her a very steep learning curve each round.

Even so, she has still been right on the pace with the field of male drivers and achieved her best result of 12th place last month at Invercargill's Teretonga Park.

"It's been crazy how much I have had to learn and soak in, just to keep up with everyone and even to be 25th on the grid - it's amazing just how hard and competitive it is in the BNTV8s." she says.

After some time spent in the car testing at Taupo and coming away satisfied with it being set up the way she likes it, Orr heads to her favourite circuit feeling confident of a good, enjoyable weekend.

But with limited time driving the heavy V8 tourer in the wet how could a rainy weekend affect her chances and will her experience on the Manfeild circuit help her if she needs to drive defensively as in Teretonga when she started from the front row?

"I hadn't raced the car in the wet before Timaru but now we know which way we need to go with setting it up if it does rain this weekend and we will have a pretty strong car wet or dry."

"Manfeild has always been one of those tracks where if you know how to drive it nobody is ever going to get past you. Unfortunately in the V8s all they normally do is give you a tap (in the corner) to unsettle you and there they go - especially when they see they are being beaten by a girl." she says.

Although new to the BNTV8s and touring cars, 22 year old Christina Orr has many years of experience with a career which began at the age of six. She has come through karting, Formula First, Formula Fords in New Zealand and has raced in Australia including competing enduros at Bathurst and has raced in the USA in the Indy Lights Series.

With Manfeild being her favourite circuit her chances of an excellent result are looking favourable but Orr is playing down her chances in a somewhat superstitious manner.

"I'm not going to brag about my chances this weekend too much because everytime I do that things don't go well... so I'm saying I'll be useless there, absolutely terrible!" she laughs.

Round five action begins this weekend with practice and qualification sessions including the top 10 shootout this Saturday the 13th and all three races held Sunday the 14th February 2010.

Shaun Summerfield along with 2002-3 NZV8 champion Mark Pederson and the legendary Greg Murphy present coverage of the top 10 shootout and all three races Sunday the 14th February on TV3.

ENDS

© Scoop Media