Award Nomination Reward for Fine Season

Award Nomination Reward for Fine Season

MAY 18, 2011 - Another impressive season in the BNT V8s Championship has seen Christchurch driver Andy Knight named as a finalist for the Jim Clark Trophy. The winner of the trophy, New Zealand motor racings most prestigious award, will be announced at the NZ Motorsport Awards dinner in Wellington on Saturday night.The trophy is named after former World Champion, the late Jim Clark, and is awarded to the driver who shows a sportsmanlike attitude to the sport and fellow competitors and natural ability in putting up the most meritorious racing performance during the season.

Knight achieved several milestones this year as he finished fifth in the BNT V8s Championship in his Century Batteries/Red Cross Earthquake Appeal Falcon.

The placing was Andy's best championship placing since he debuted in the V8 category three seasons ago. He also took his maiden race win this season at his home circuit Powerbuilt Tools Raceway. While the former NZ Grand Prix winner and TRS Champion has been a constant in the top ten of the BNT V8s Championship since he first joined the category this season has been his most impressive since joining the V8 ranks.

Fifth in the championship was impressive when it is considered that engine changes at both Timaru and Taupo consigned Andy to the back of the grid for the opening race of both those rounds after he had qualified in the top ten. On both occasions he was able to overcome the handicap, slicing his way through the traffic to finish the first race inside the top ten, a fine effort on two circuits that are difficult to pass on. Without those setbacks and had he not been spun around in the opening race at his home round his final championship position could have been even higher than the fifth in the points that he actually achieved.

The season was far from easy for the Knight Motorsport team. Even before the championship began the team had been forced to relocate to Timaru after their workshop in Christchurch was badly damaged in the earthquake of 4 September. However the inconvenience of that shift was quickly overcome. The more serious 22 February quake saw the family business, the Latimer Hotel damaged and significant rebuilding work will be necessary.

After the second major earthquake in Christchurch Andy's major sponsor, Century Batteries, made a wonderful gesture to remove their major signage from the car in order to support the Red Cross Fundraising Appeal for the Christchurch earthquake at the last two rounds of the championship.

Knight was supported throughout the championship by Century Batteries, Parker Stores, Milwaukee Power Tools, John Jones Steel, Mothers High Performance Car Care and The Rock FM.

ENDS

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