Domestic season ready to roar into action
The 2020 domestic championship motorsport season is ready to get under way at Hampton Downs with Speed Works' first event of the new campaign.
The ENZED Central Muscle Cars will top the bill as six New Zealand classes and 18 races hit the Waikato track on Saturday, October 31.
Among the muscle car entrants will be former national V8 championship winner Angus Fogg. He will be racing his JA Russell-supported Mustang, pictured above, and is looking forward to battling his rivals after a number of motorsport events were cancelled this year because of Covid-19.
“It's been too long really, I think we're all really looking forward to getting out there,” Fogg says. “It'll be great to be back at the track and racing."
TradeZone GTRNZ makes a return to the track, with the anything goes GT1 and GT2 field supported by the largely home-built specials in the GT3 and GT4 category. Greg Sandilands, series co-ordinator, is expecting more than 40 cars to line-up on the grid.
Sandilands adds: “Adam Newell [pictured below] and John De Veth are confirmed with their Crawfords and Adam is of particular interest as he has added a supercharger – and around 200 more horsepower – to his Ford V8-powered car over the winter.
“There will be a few TranzAm cars out too, with Kerry Jones and Dave Brennan likely in their Corvettes. Nigel Snow will be out in GT2 in his Synergy V8-powered Toyota 86 and he’ll be up against the likes of Marvin Towers twin turbo MG monster.”
Drivers will be pairing up to tackle Toyota Gazoo Racing NZ’s new two-round endurance championship for its TR86 racer.
The second round of the Hi-Q Components Formula First 2020-21 championship is also on the itinerary and features three races.
Completing the card will be a trio of clashes for the NEXEN Tyre Mazda Racing Series, which will see RX8 racers and a few RX7 and MX5 machines in action.
Elton Goonan, acting chief executive officer of MotorSport New Zealand, is keen to see spectators at the circuit after the disruptions in 2020 caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Practice and qualifying takes place on October 30 with racing the following day.
“It's great to see our championship classes getting back in motion this weekend,” he says.
“The 2020-21 season will be exciting for everyone no doubt, after most series were unfortunately cut short earlier this year. I know our championship classes are raring to get racing again after what has seemed like an eternal break so I'm sure they’ll put on some great racing.”
