Bell dominates BNT V8s at Pukekohe

Second overall was Nelson’s John McIntyre (Ford Falcon) who scored a win and a 9th placing followed by another 2nd in the reverse grid race while Aucklander Andy Booth (Holden Commodore) claimed the final spot on the podium with 2nd and 3rd placings and 10th place in the finale.

Race 1 was a conservative affair compared to the chaos that ensued last year when a 12 car pile up halted proceedings for a couple of hours and eliminated several cars. McIntyre controlled the race from the front although he admitted pushing hard to keep a small gap back to second placed Bell , resulting in the winner setting a new track record of 1 min 01.159 secs. Booth was able to maintain his third position throughout as were Craig Baird (Falcon) and Tim Edgell (Falcon). The excitement of the race was provided by Angus Fogg who having missed qualifying following a practice crash, powered his Falcon from the rear of the starting grid to 10th place after some skilled and aggressive driving.

Kayne Scott (Falcon) came home 5th after an uneventful race while Simon Richards (Falcon) drove well to move up to 7th as Clark Proctor (Falcon), Andy Knight (Falcon) and “Foggy” completed the top ten. Paul Manuell (Commodore) and Matt Lockwood (Falcon) were forced to start from the pit lane and neither finished as Manuell encountered fuel regulator problems and Lockwood spun off on Turn 3. Andrew Anderson (Commodore) left the circuit at the end of the back straight but recovered to claim 16th place while the scariest moment came when John Whelan and Darryn Henderson (both Falcons) made contact after the hairpin resulting in a wild spin for Whelan.

Race two was also over 12 laps but the dramas occurred before the rolling start even moved off. Three cars including Race 1 winner John McIntyre, were denied access to the circuit as they were deemed to have not left the pit lane by the due time. David Besnard (Falcon) had an engine compartment fire while Dave Stewart (Commodore) had been making repairs from Race 1. McIntyre was furious over the decision but decided to battle hard from the back and accept the setback.

Eddie Bell therefore led the field around for the start and lead throughout the race to win in a mature display of driving despite this being only his second season in the category. Andy Booth piled on the pressure but eventually had to accept 2nd place while Tim Edgell drove another consistent race for 3rd.

Kayne Scott took out an improved 4th place with Angus Fogg in 5th and a stellar drive by Andy Knight in 6th after a desperate inside maneuver on Turn 1 saw him leap up three places on the opening lap to challenge Scott. Simon Richards notched up another 7th while Clark Proctor and John McIntyre and Andrew Anderson rounded out the top ten.

Craig Baird was holding 4th place early on but retired when a rear gearbox seal blew and John Penny (Commodore), having powered from 22nd start spot to 12th in just 4 laps, was forced into the pits to change a puncture after being hit by another car.

The reverse grid 22 lap finale was the usual confrontational contest to be expected as cars roared into the first corner at times four abreast. A multi-car contact at the hairpin ended Kayne Scott’s chances and saw a rear door detached from David Besnard’s car although both drivers continued to fill 12th and 17th placings respectively. Front runners also ran into dramas when Tim Edgell was spun around on Lap 2 while Andy Booth also spun but without contact with other cars. Edgell eventually dropped back with mechanical issues.

The understated hero of the race was Auckland ’s Andrew Anderson who charged through the field to establish a good lead only to lose it when a rear tyre delaminated necessitating a pitstop for a replacement. He was utterly devastated as he was certain he could have controlled the race from the front. The eventual finishing order was Fogg, McIntyre, Baird, Manuell, Penny, Bell , Henderson , Matt Lockwood (Falcon), Knight and Booth.

Source: www.nzracer.com