Beirne victorious in the opening ENZED V8 Ute Challenge

16 APRIL 2011

JUNIOR BURNER TASTES VICTORY IN HAMILTON

Christchurch driver Simon Beirne was victorious in the opening ENZED V8 Ute Challenge race on the streets of Hamilton today.

It was a convincing win in treacherous conditions as rain made the surface of the difficult street circuit extremely slippery. 'Jnr Burner' brought the Team McDonald's Falcon across the line well ahead of the rest of the field as he made the race his own.

"We have worked all season for this," said Simon. "Race 1 wins are hard to get and I couldn't wish for a better birthday present for my wife." Beirne's wife Hayley celebrates her birthday tomorrow.

'Junior' had lined up fifth on the grid for the start of this mornings race. He was fortunate to avoid a clash between fellow title contenders Chris Pither and Caine Lobb at the opening corner, continuing on to take the lead at the beginning of the second lap. From that point on he was totally dominant, driving away from the field in an impressive display in extremely tricky conditions. When the chequered flag came out he was more than 17 seconds ahead of Pither.

"The ute just came to me," said a delighted Beirne after the race. "Richard Knowles had done an amazing job on car preparation and I have done a lot of fitness work, mainly rowing in preparation for this weekend. I am very happy. McDonald's have been very loyal to us and it is great to win in front of thousands of fans here in Hamilton. Winning at the V8 Supercar round at Hamilton ticks another box for us. We just have our fingers crossed that we can follow it up tomorrow. It wasn't easy out there. I felt out the track on the first couple of laps. I had to be real smooth, doing everything a bit earlier and not applying the accelerator quickly - just being completely smooth. Andy Neale reminded me before the race that hitting the wall probably means $15-$20,000 in repairs."

With Caine Lobb not finishing todays race the battle for the championship is now an extremely close three way affair between Pither, Lobb and Simon. "The championship is anybodys but we want it to be ours," said Simon.

Simon's father, Graham 'Snr Burner' Beirne, completed a great day for the family when he brought the John Jones Steel Falcon home in fifth place today.

The second race of the round will get underway at 8.45am tomorrow with the third race, the last of the series timed to start at 11.45am.

In addition to the support of major partners McDonald's and John Jones Steel in conjunction with Simon Beirne Limited, “Integrity in Vehicle Brokering,” the team also has support from Bruce Raxworthy Panel & Paint, Chevron Quality Cars - Driving Excellence, Business IT Software Management Systems, Mag & Turbo Warehouse, NZVD Transport, Lets Get Graphic, DJ Hewitt Builders Ltd and Vehicle Safety Systems {VSS} And Compliance.

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