News from Inky's 2009 season

 

Round Five - Teretonga Raceway

Fast and flowing with just 1 slow corner: 'The Elbow', which is first gear at 60k. We then sprint down the front straight reaching 240k before the 2nd best corner in the country: the left hand Sweeper which never ends. You hug the inside of the track here in 3rd gear, exiting right on the grass at the edge of the track. Castrol then begins the best series of corners in NZ, the 2nd gear cambered right hander tucks the car in before you shoot out the other side and grab 3rd for a left hander, then just hold on as you try to go through the next right hander flat. Just as you gather it up you need to brake heavily for the cambered left hander 'Brickyard' which spits you out towards the hairpin again.

 

Practice Day - Friday
Fine and warm day expected the team worked on pre testing set up for the fast Teretonga circuit. As Inky settled into the Cat Rental Ford times began to drop, with Inky very eager to make a mark on his hometown track Teretonga, the Cat Rental Ford set a cracking pace.

 

Qualifying and Race Day – Saturday
Rain threatening on a so far dry track:

Qualifying:
Qualifying1 (20 min): With new tyres, the Cat Rental Ford posted times sufficient to maintain a top twenty position, moving into 19th position with a time of 1:04:761.
Qualifying2 (10 min): In the 5 min break between the Q1 and Q2 sessions the team made a further changes as the track was changing (warming). Inky drove a strong 2nd session lowering his lap time to 1:04:529 and securing position 19 for race 1.

 

Race 1
With heavy rain falling and flooding at the circuit, the Race Event Director stopped the meeting. After a 2 hour delay the NZ V8’s moved out on the circuit, with light rain falling and water still covering the track. The Cat Rental Team set the car for wet tyres and reset the suspension. Starting in 19th position Inky drove a well controlled race, moving through the field and into 7th position- in the process setting one of faster lap times. 

A very happy Inky Tulloch was pleased with his drive, 7th is the best result yet for the Team. Inky was looking forward to race 2 with the Cat Rental Ford starting inside the top 10.

 

Race Day – Sunday

Race 2
Sunday – With light rain and drizzle prior to the start of race 2 and the track still showing a dry line, the team set the Cat Rental Ford for a dry circuit. As a precaution the team was prepared for a tyre change to wet weather tyres.

Inky inspected the circuit during the 10 min warm up period and with 3 minutes to pit closure, Inky and crew agreed to pit and change to wet tyres. The Cat Rental Ford cleared pit lane with 30 seconds to spare, unfortunately late calls by other teams saw 12 car trapped in pit lane when closed.

With Inky starting in 7th position on wet tyres, he quickly drove the Cat Rental Ford into 2nd position by turn 1 and in pursuit of the front running car. With 16 laps to run Inky maintained position on a fast drying track however the wet weather tyres began to over heat. In the closing stages of the race Inky spilled  into 3rd position, a position he held onto to the checked flag.

A very elated Inky Tulloch and Team celebrated the best finish yet. “we are absolutely rapt, this is a great weekend” said Inky.

Race 3
With strong finishes in both race 1 & 2, the Cat Rental Ford would be in the rear of the field for the reverse grid race. Starting 17th  Inky drove hard and quickly move the Cat Rental Ford forward through the field, As the lap wound down, Inky was closing in on another position when contact with a spun car on turn 2 slowed progress as Inky headed for the grass to avoid a heavy impact but still managing to finishing 15th in race 3.

 

With a 5th overall result for the weekend the Cat Rental Team returned home, happy with the results of a great weekend.

 

 

Round Four - Timaru

Timaru Raceway is located just north of Timaru. A short technical circuit of 2.4 kms and 8 corners, this track has a great history. The car has to have pin point accuracy here to get a good time and the driver must use the whole track. Braking at low speed is tricky in these big cars, but it’s the key to a good lap.

 

The Team Cat Rental crew worked on a number of frontend changes over the Christmas break looking for greater turn in and an increase in mid corner speed.

 

Practice Day - Friday
Friday in Sunny Timaru.  With a warm day expected, the team looked forward to the day and what performance would come from the changes in testing. Unfortunately the Cat Rental Ford didn’t respond to the changes and with Inky highlighted a number of handling issues.

 

The team worked to correct the performance issues and the Cat Rental Ford began to respond with faster laptimes and increased pace.

 

Qualifying and Race Day – Saturday
Rain threatening on a so far dry track:

 

Qualifying:
Qualifying1 (20 min): With new tyres, the Cat Rental Ford didn’t respond as would be expected, with Inky in position 21 and facing the likely hood of missing the top 20 second qualifying session, with the team made a number of set up changes and the car responded with Inky moving into 20th in a 1:08:233 and into the second Qualifying session.

Qualifying2 (10 min): In the 5 min break between the Q1 and Q2 sessions the team made a further changes as the track was changing (warming). Inky drove a strong 2nd session lowering his laptime to 1:07:932 and securing position 18 for race1.

 

Race 1
With rain again threatening, the Team Cat Rental crew delayed the final set up until just prior to race start. With only light misting rain, the team retained a dry set up.

Inky started well, with turn 1 very tight and close after the start line problems can occur; however Inky and all the drivers negotiated the first turn without issue. Inky drove a strong race in a train of 5 cars and challenges coming from all angles.   Inky challenged on a number of occasions for P14, unfortunately time ran out. Inky moved the Cat Rental Ford into position 15 with a best time of 1:08:277 and well positioned for a race 2.

 

Race Day – Sunday

Race 2
Sunday - a fine and warm day expected.

The crew worked into Saturday evening to prepare the car for Sunday. Inky feeling confident of a good race commenced the 10 minute warm up laps and happy with the car Inky preceded to the grid. With the Cat Rental Ford in position 15 the formation commenced the start warm up lap behind the Safety car.

Inky reported a noise from coming from the front of the Cat Rental Ford, when suddenly the left front collapsed. The failure ended the race for Inky and the Team.

Back in the pits, the crew worked hard to Identify and repair a failed left lower front ball joint.

 

Race 3
With the Cat Rental Ford repaired and Inky happy with the car’s handling in the 10 min warm up, Inky proceeded to the grid. The Inky and the Cat Rental Ford would start from position 2 (front row). After a good start Inky held position 2 until contact with Richards when crossing the start finish line on lap 1. The result of the contact saw the First safety car for the day.  With 15 laps to go, the safety car left the track and racing commenced.

With the Cat Rental Ford set up for a strong finish, Inky drove a defensive 6 laps.  As the Cat Rental Ford become stronger and lap times began to fall, Inky maintained well until the final lap where Inky drove the into position 7 just prior to meeting the checked flag.  This was the first Top 10 finish for the team.

 

A very elated Inky Tulloch and The Cat Rental Team celebrated a great final race. Inky felt the car was getting stronger each lap and the developmental changes to the Cat Rental Ford will hopefully see further strong results in Southlands Teretonga Raceway the following week.

                                         

 

 

Round Three - Ruapuna

Situated close to Christchurch this is a technical track of 3.33 km.

 

28/11/08 Friday
With the car prepared, weather clearing and the forecasters promising a hot weekend everything seemed to be in order - except the driver. Inky had a particularly sever case of the flu that he had been trying to shake all week. With a different car setup to test this was not going to be a day for rest so Inky manned up and got through both test sessions.

 

29/11/08 Saturday
When the clunking stated during the warmup session Inky brought the car into pits as soon as possible. In a stroke of bad luck the circlip had failed on the new Jericho gearbox and the bearing had finally collapsed. The team worked franticly to have the car ready for qualifying, installing a spare Richmond gearbox.

 

Qualifying was a short event for the driver, the steering rack broke early in round one. With the car out of action Inky's position slipped as other drivers improved on their lap times. While his early time was still good enough to get into round two of qualifying the team were unable to replace the rack before the session ended. This second stroke of bad luck was a bitter pill for the team which had worked so hard to replace the gearbox on time. That said no one was more grateful than the driver that the steering had failed on the slowest corner and that neither he nor the car had suffered any damage.

 

Race One. The afternoon had turned out really hot. How the heat would affect the car (and driver) became a consideration. With the problems of the morning behind them the team were anticipating a good race. Early in race one Inky's car took a small hit. A bit of blue tire smoke from a rubbing guard was not enough to slow Inky down so he stayed in there. Unfortunately with a few laps to go the car was making a terrible noise audible to all who saw him limp to the finish. Add to that a penalty for contact with car #4 Simon Richards and Inky wound up in 23rd position. You would think that all Inky's bad luck had been used up by now but no. The front right tire had come apart at the seam and the tread had been peeled off like an orange. Tires on a race car are subject to huge forces and high temperatures, as it turned out several other teams also had examples of the tire coming apart at the seams but none as severe.

 

30/11/08 Sunday
Race Two. On a warm Sunday morning Inky, surviving the events of yesterday started off well back in the field for the first race of the day. For the first time in a while Inky got to do some real racing and spent most of his time defending his position and contesting the position in front. The car came home undamaged and without incident in 19th position.

 

Race Three. Reverse grid and a good opportunity to make up for having to start at the back of the field in previous races due to issues in qualifying. Inky was doing well and looked like he might almost make a top 10 finish but mid race was turned by car #4 Simon Richards. Disappointingly loosing many positions to finish 16th.

 

 

Round Two - Pukekohe

A 2.4 km the circuit at Pukekohe is one of the fastest in the southern hemisphere.

07/11/08 Friday
A few spots of rain in the morning but not enough to cause any worry. The team were at the track bright and early to make final preparations to the car. After getting in some good practice laps during both the days test sessions Inky was pleased with the handling of the car and everyone was looking forward to see how he would go on Saturday.

 

08/11/08 Saturday
Pukekohe awoke to a cracker of a day which started early with a brief warm-up session. Later in the morning during qualifying Inky made it through round one and into round two where he secured 17th position.

 

With Bonnie Soper aka Morgan from Shortland Street showing him his place on the grid Inky started race one in 17th. He got off to a good start but lost a couple of positions after slowing for a yellow flag. With only a few minor scrapes Inky brought the car home in 16th position.

 

09/11/08 Sunday
Pukekohe put on another beautiful day. Race 2 had barely started when a spectacular pile up occurred right outside the main stand. Such was the impact that several cars crashed over the barriers. Inky was very fortunate not to be involved but the race was stopped for a couple of hours while the track was cleared and barriers rebuilt. After the race was finally restarted Inky managed to come home in 15th position

 

Race three and reverse grid had Inky starting in 8th position. Looking good for the first couple of laps, a bit of biffo on one corner saw him loose his front splitter. Not deterred Inky continued racing with the his now detached air vent hoses dragging on the track. Unfortunately a few more laps into the race a fuel pump failed causing him to loose power and fail to finish the race. This was a disappointing finish to the weekend but the team is grateful that the car is in good condition for Ruapuna at the end of the month.

 

 

The Series Opener

3-5 October Taupo Round 1

 

Taupo, 3.5 km Track1, is considered to be one of the most technical and demanding tracks in New Zealand with multiple slow 1st gear corners and long fast straights. Testing on Friday highlighted a number of changes required from the previous weeks test days. With the track considerably slower the team made a number of set up changes to improve the Cat Rental/Interislander Falcon on the slower track conditions, the car responded however not sufficient to move into the top end of qualifying

 

04/10/08 Saturday Race 1

Inky got off to a great start, quickly moving through the field, making up 11 positions when the Cat Rental/Interislander Falcon temetary system displayed a low fuel pressure warning, Inky reported the warning to the team, a number of system checks were performed as Inky persisted with the problem. Unfortunately the fuel pressure continued to drop and the team had no option but to Pit Inky and investigate and attempt temporary repair, with no obvious problems found the team sent Inky out to complete the 1st session and bring the Cat Rental/Interislander Falcon home in 24th position.

 

The team identified a fuel blockage problem that appears to be associated with the new controlled 98 fuel the NZ V8’s will use for the season, with the problem solved the team were happy with the car preparation for race 2.

 

05/10/08 Race 2

Taupo awoke to a rainy Sunday morning, and the first race of the day was declared wet by the race director. With this declaration all teams must race on wet weather tyres, the team worked to change the Cat Rental/Interislander Falcon suspension set up to suit the tyres and the wet conditions. With race 2 starting in order of the race1 finish, Inky had a difficult and challenging task ahead starting from position 24. In spite of the conditions Inky managed to avoid a number of potential incidents and settled down to job of reeling in the field. With 3 laps to go Inky had moved the Cat Rental/Interislander Falcon forward 10 places into position 14 position, with his sights set on 13th position, progress was hampered by oil on the track at the end of the fast back straight as the heavens opened once again. Inky drove well to keep the car on the track and out of trouble to finish 14th.

 

Race 3

By Sunday afternoon the weather had cleared and the race director declared the meeting dry, however the threat of rain on the horizon the Team delayed making changes to the car as it was uncertain if the race would be wet or dry.

 

With Race 3 a full reverse grid Inky would benefit from the 1st race finish starting the Cat Rental/Interislander Falcon from position 6 on the grid and with the potential of a damp race the team retained the wet set up with a minor adjustment to suspension to compensate for a dry start. Unfortunately the rain failed to materialise and the fast drying track saw the Cat Rental/Interislander Falcon struggled to retain traction. Inky drove hard as he searched for damp patches to cool the overheating rear tyre however with no rain and a dry track Inky pushed on and bought the Cat Rental/Interislander Falcon home in a crediable 14th position.

 

With Taupo round completed and the Cat Rental/Interislander Team securing a vital 55 points in the Championship, the Cat Rental/Interislander Team will return to there Christchurch base and prepare for round 2 at Pukekohe on the 7th- 9th November. In 18th place, only 35 points outside of the top ten.

 

Click here to view images from the Taupo gallery

 

2008-09 Car Launch

The new look paint scheme was launched at our Motorsport workshop to sponsors and the Christchurch FPV car club on 4th July 2008 and the night was a huge success. An intensive testing program followed to ensure that both car and driver are tuned in for the season start at Taupo in early October.

 

Click the images below to view photos of the launch.

 

 

 

New Zealand V8s get new season underway

Competitors in the New Zealand V8s series commence their 2008-09 championship battle at the Taupo Motorsport Park on the weekend of 3 and 4 October. This season’s championship takes in seven rounds around the country from October to March, with a non-championship event at the Hamilton 400 V8 Supercar race in April wrapping up the summer’s action.

 

Traditionally the popular New Zealand V8s racing series has started its season at Pukekohe Raceway, but the 2008-09 summer series incorporates a refreshed calendar and small amendments to the technical regulations.

 

The championship events are:

- Round 1 (Fujitsu 200), Taupo Motorsport Park, 2-4 October 2008

- Round 2, Pukekohe Park, 7-9 November 2008

- Round 3, Powerbuilt Tools International Raceway (Christchurch), 28-30 November 2008

- Round 4, Timaru International Motor Raceway, 9-11 January 2009

- Round 5, Teretonga Park (Invercargill), 16-18 January 2009

- Round 6, Manfeild Park (Fielding), 27 February - 1 March 2009

- Round 7, Hampton Downs Motorsport Park (Meremere), 20-22 March 2009

 

The New Zealand V8s will also participate in a non-championship trophy round as part of the Hamilton 400 V8 Supercar event in April 2009.

 

Kerry Cooper, general manager of The MotorSport Company which promotes the New Zealand V8s championship as part of the country’s premier summer motor racing series, says the intensity and quality of racing in the New Zealand V8s is again expected to be top class this season.

 

“The competitors in the New Zealand V8s have delivered some brilliant racing over the past few seasons – real bumper-to-bumper, door-to-door action. And with most of our top saloon car drivers again lining up in the New Zealand V8s for this season, we are definitely going to see some fantastic racing from this premier class,” says Cooper.

 

Nelson-based driver John McIntyre is back to defend the title he’s won for the past two seasons and faces intense competition from archrival Ford drivers Kayne Scott and Angus Fogg. Fogg has launched his own team, Angus Fogg Racing, with their ex-International Motorsport Ford now running with the assistance of former New Zealand V8 competitor Kevin Williams and new sponsor LG Electronics. Former champion Paul Pedersen returns to the Ford camp in the sole International Motorsport V8 entry, while long-time top-class Holden campaigners Andy Booth and Paul Manuell will also contest the series again, Booth in a brand-new car.

 

Two championship-winning drivers join the New Zealand V8s class. Last year’s Toyota Racing Series champion Andy Knight takes over the Ford that Australian Luke Youlden has driven for the past three seasons. The car will be known as the Milwaukee Falcon. Former Production Racing Series champion Dale Williams steps into the SCG Racing Ford driven by another Australian David Besnard.

 

More driver announcements are expected in the next two weeks.

 

Each championship round follows a similar format to last season. There are three races in each round: one 12-lap race on Saturday afternoon, one 16-lap race on Sunday morning and one 20-lap race on Sunday afternoon, all with rolling starts. The starting order for race one is determined by qualifying times with qualifying following the same three session format as last season. Competitors line up for race two in the order they finished race one, then points earned in the first two races are calculated, and the order reversed for the starting grid for race three. Qualifying on Saturday mornings involves all competitors in the first 20 minute session, the fastest 20 competitors move onto to a second session of 15 minutes, then the fastest ten have another 15 minute session to determine grid positions one to ten.

 

Amongst some smaller technical amendments, the major change in terms of regulations is the option to use a four-speed Jerico gearbox for both Fords and Holdens. All competitors continue to race on the specified ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ tyres supplied by Dunlop.

 

New Zealand V8s series co-ordinator David Slater says the Jerico gearbox is optional for all competitors. “However the lower purchase cost and greater strength and reliability of this purpose-built racing gearbox have meant many competitors opted to fit it this season.

 

The New Zealand V8s championship forms part of a comprehensive television package produced of all the MotorSport New Zealand-sanctioned championships. All the season’s races and driver interviews are shown on Television New Zealand’s Powerbuilt Tools Motorsport and Sky Sport’s Fujitsu MotorSport NZ programme with expert commentary from Clint Brown.

 

Cooper says more detailed information about this season’s New Zealand V8 competitors will be available as soon as entries are finalised within the next week.

 

Media release from The MotorSport Company

2008-09 New Zealand V8s Championship

14 September 2008