NZV8 Touring Cars Are Back On Track

NZV8 Touring Cars Are Back On Track

With the new season about to kick off and after the excellent turnout of 28 cars at the V8 Super Car event back in April, the future for NZV8 Touring Cars bodes well for the future of V8 racing in NZ.

This year’s first round for the NZV8TC will be at the GT Radial’s “Thunder in the Park” race meeting at the Pukekohe Park Raceway on the 16th and 17th November. This is one of NZ’s largest race meetings which include V8 Muscle Cars, GT1 – GT2 Tranz Am, NZGT, Porsche Club, Pre 65, Formula Ford, Mazda Pro – 7, SS2000, NZ Six and Super Mini Challenge.

Like many sports, the NZV8 class has struggled over the past couple of years but since a new team of board and committee members were elected back in March this year, the class seems to be back on track and gathering momentum. The main focus for the class is to bring some fun, get youth back into the sport and make the class affordable. On top of the regular drivers such as Nick Ross and Kevin Williams, there’s a growing list of new and exciting young drivers looking to join the V8 field such as Matt Booth, Bronson Porter, Shaun Varney and James McLaughlin. Drivers with a little more experience who have previously raced in other classes and have now purchased NZV8 cars include Ian Booth (NZGT/Pre 65), Brock Cooley (NZGT), Glen Pelham (BMW), Lance Hughes (BMW). With such a mix of “more mature (older) and younger drivers”, this year’s racing is shaping up as been an exciting one.

Other notable names spotted at a recent NZV8TC test track day at Pukekohe was the very successful ex-Super Bike rider Andrew Stroud, as well as Glenn Inkster (Rally), Mitch Cunningham (ST) and Simon Richards (NZV8).  Hopefully we will see these guys added to the list of drivers for this year’s NZV8TC Championship.

When interviewed, Ian Booth, Chairman for NZV8TC told us that there’s been over 60 NZV8’s built over the many years that the NZV8’s have been a MSNZ Championship class in NZ, so this means there’s cars out there sitting in sheds and workshops.  These cars are so affordable these days which makes getting into this top level racing very appealing to many up and coming drivers. After a couple of years competing in the older “TL” cars, they can then step up into the new “Car of the Future” TLX.

The new TLX car was launched at the beginning of last season and offers the opportunity for new car brands to get involved with V8 racing here in NZ. Currently the new TLX class has 2 x Holden Commodores, 1 x Ford Falcons and 2 x Toyota Camry’s racing in the new TLX class as well as another Holden Commodore and  the new Nissan Altima currently been built. The new TLX cars are built on a NZ designed new space frame chassis and run the brand’s/manufacturer’s V8 engine. The new TLX class ensures the future of V8 racing in NZ and makes it affordable for young up and coming New Zealanders.

To show that NZV8 Touring Cars appreciates the support they have been getting from the general public and with the support of “The Radio Network”, they will be giving away some Hot Laps at each round. They also want to encourage supporters to visit them in the pits to see firsthand what goes on behind the sense of V8 racing.

Season 2013-14

Rd 1       Pukekohe Park (Thunder in the Park)            16-17 November 2013

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;

ENDS

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