Champ’s Defence Underway with Supercar Round Win

CHAMP’S DEFENCE UNDERWAY WITH SUPERCAR ROUND WIN

Paul Manuell got his Porter Group V8 Ute title defence off to the best possible start at the weekend with a two race wins at the ITM Supercar event at Pukekohe Park, but the round win was not without its challenges.

A crash on Friday left the champ on the back foot and he responded perfectly with a lap record and race win in Race 1. IN Race 2 nobody could touch Brett ‘The Scud’ Rudd for consistency and speed while Manuell had to fight off a flying Matt ‘Stinger’ Spratt to take out Race 3.

RACE 1

Reigning champion Paul 'Auto' Manuell took the first win of the 2016-2017 Porter Group V8 Ute series this morning at the Pukekohe Park ITM Supercar event, but the ORIX Holden driver had to work incredibly hard for it.

Starting from pole position but from a soggier spot on the damp track than fellow front row sitter Matt 'Stinger' Spratt, Manuell was slow away and had to focus on defending from Peter 'Kaos' Ward as Spratt streaked away to a three car length lead into Turn 1. Ward sat it out around the outside and nipped into second at Turn 2 with Manuell having to settle for third as the field surged onto the back straight for the first time.

There was plenty of action behind too, with Jayden 'Sangy D' Dodge failing to get away in his first V8 ute race after a failure in the drivetrain off the start, and Richard 'Danger' Moore also getting a poor getaway from the inside half of the track in the Flex Group Holden and coming under immediate pressure from a fast starting Glen 'Coyote' Collinson in the DNA Custom Paint Ford FG. Two into one wouldn't go up that part of the circuit and Collinson was left with no choice but to back out, allowing several of the field to get by. Brett 'The Scud' Rudd benefitted nicely and settled into fourth ahead of Moore.

At the front Manuell set about an impressive recovery drive, rubbing doors with Ward as he went into second down the inside into Turn 1 and wowing the huge crowd with a mighty pass around the outside of Spratt in the KPH Transport Holden around the outside as the two went full steam into the mountain turn. It was ute racing at its best as the three streaked away, trading fastest laps as behind them Rudd and Moore settled into their own scrap and behind them James 'Huggi' Urquhart and Collinson were engaged in their own battle, as were Nigel 'Hammered' Hanley, Geoff 'SOS' Spencer and Elton 'Toon' Goonan a little further back. An off by Moore compromised his race and he was forced into fight back mode, setting some impressive lap times as he battled his way back into the top half.

As the 12 lap race counted down, it became apparent that Manuell - still carrying the wounds of his practice crash on Friday - was not getting away from Spratt or Ward, and in fact the two were catching him again. Was Manuell protecting his tyres or was there some real trouble for the champ? It turned out to be the latter, with Paul struggling under braking as the race wore on. Spratt's full focus was on pressuring the ORIX driver, and it was a good job he did as Ward was turning in some sensational lap times behind. Particularly spectacular over the mountain in the last few laps, he clocked a 1.16.7 - a new race and official series lap record and comfortably the fastest ute in the field. A few more laps and the story might have been different, but as the top three crossed the line just a few tenths apart, it was Manuell from Spratt and the charging Ward.

Rudd took a lonely fourth in the Yale Loscam Holden, while Moore fought back for a respectable fifth. Collinson took sixth, with Urquhart in seventh and Hanley in eighth. Goonan took an impressive ninth, much happier with the handling of his Hamilton Asphalts/Nautech Ford after adjusting the set up before the race, one place ahead of Geoff Spencer in tenth - who has hampered throughout by a severe vibration in the front of the car. Dave Kernohan beat son Jeff to 11th in the KCL Ford battle, with Simon 'The Bandit' Ussher completing the runners and earning a front row start for Race 2.

RACE 2

Brett 'The Scud' Rudd took the biggest victory of his racing career in front of a packed house at the ITM Supercar event at Pukekohe, coming through from tenth on the grid to win an action-packed second Porter Group V8 Ute race.

The full reverse grid produced endless action throughout its 12 laps, and included a Safety Car period after Nigel 'Hammered' Hanley half spun as he changed down from fifth to fourth gear for the first turn, with Richard 'Danger' Moore hitting the wall hard to avoid him. It was a miracle none of the other ute drivers made contact with either Hanley or the wall and there was a two lap Safety Car period whilst marshals removed Moore's badly damaged Flex Group Holden.

Pole holder Simon 'The Bandit' Ussher made the best start of the lot of them and led initially, before being passed by Geoff 'SOS' Spencer and Jeff' Ripples' Kernohan as the field bunched. Jayden 'Sangy D' Dodge also made a great start and found himself in the top half from last on the grid as the first lap unfolded. Paul 'Auto' Manuell made heavy contact with the rear of James 'Huggi' Urquhart's Mitre 10 Trade Holden at the restart too, further hindering their chances of progress as Spencer made a good getaway.

As the laps counted down, the race lost Jayden Dodge after a spin at the complex. A four car Holden battle with Spencer, Rudd, Manuell and Matt Spratt for the win had the crowd on their feet, but Spencer hit trouble with a vibration in the front end similar to that which he experienced in the first race. This time it was on the right hand side not the left, however, and he had no answer for Rudd's great move down outside of the turn five complex to take the lead with a couple of laps to go. Spencer's defence was strong enough to keep the other two Holden invaders at bay, however, and this in turn was enough to give Rudd the opportunity to seal the race over the final few kilometres – a task he undertook and achieved with some ease.

"I've never felt as calm," said a delighted Rudd after the win. "I had thought about looking after my tyres in the first race and the car just felt great throughout race two. There was plenty going on around me, but I had a great car under me throughout the 12 laps. It's always great to win but this one is special, for sure."

Manuell took third ahead of Spratt, with Kaos Ward in fifth, Urquhart sixth, Collinson seventh, Hanley a remarkable eighth after his big off.

RACE 3

Paul 'Auto' Manuell wrapped up the first round of the Porter Group V8 Ute series with a second race win of the weekend at the ITM Supercar event at Pukekohe Park, leading home Matt 'Stinger' Spratt and Brett 'The Scud' Rudd in both the race and the round.

Rudd, starting from the front row, made a slightly better start than pole man Manuell, and the two sat it out side by side into Turn 1, with the reigning champion emerging in front as the field swept into the complex.

Second row sitters Matt 'Stinger' Spratt and Peter 'Kaos' Ward also made good getaways and it was game on for the first couple of laps as the group jostled for the lead.

Behind, Jayden 'Sangy D' Dodge and Richard 'Danger' Moore in the Stadium Finance Ford and the Flex Group Holden both also made great getaways which set them up for impressive drives after each had challenging weekends.

At the front it was Spratt who was the man on the move, but on lap three Manuell responded to the challenge with a 1.16 dead around the superfast track, a new lap record for the Porter Group V8 Ute category. Spratt also broke the lap record, but still lost out on the lap by ghree tenths. As the 12 lap race wore on, Manuell's times slowed as he appeared to once again be struggling under braking, particularly for the Turn 5 complex halfway down the old straight. Each lap Spratt got closer and closer and on lap 11 he made his challenge up the inside, identifying that was his striong point of the circuit and Manuell's weak point.

Unfortunately for Matt, he locked up and forced Manuell to take to the grass, a move which would not require Paul to redress and one which left the Stinger with too much to do with one lap to go. The race and the round belonged to Manuell and the Stoneman crew who had obviously done a marvellous job fettling the ORIX Holden and maintaining its winning form after his early off on Friday and some argy bargey on Saturday.

Rudd could not hang on to the leading dup but maintained a healthy lead by the end over Ward. Geoff 'SOS' Spencer had a quiet race in fifth in the Coresteel Buildings Holden, ahead of James 'Huggi' Urquhart in the Mitre 10 Trade Holden. Richard Moore excelled to move through the field to take seventh, in another ute that was hastily rebuilt after its Saturday hit against the Turn 1 wall. That it raced was testament to the efforts of the Mitre 10 Trade crew led by Kerry Holland and Moore rewarded the work with a great drive. Another to catch the eye was Jayden Dodge one place behind in eighth, after a challenging first weekend in the category. The speed is there, however, and he will be one to watch as the series moves to the Bruce McLaren motorsport Park in December for Round 2.

Nigel 'Hammered' Hanley took ninth in the Placemakers Holden, followed by Glen Collinson in the DNA Paints Ford FG and Elton 'Toon' Goonan in the Hamilton Asphalts Ford, the quickest of the Ford runners in the final race. 'Dirty' Dave Kernohan and Simon 'The Bandit' Ussher enjoyed their own fine scrap throughout the race and rounded out the finishers in 12th and 13th.

ROUND POINTS

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