|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
Check out Driver Profiles, regular Swift Cup Articles and round by round Driver Reports posted by the drivers themselves! |
|
|
|
Suzuki Swift Sport Cup 2009/10
Round Five: Manfield
12-14 February 2010
Manfield was the venue for Round 5 of the Suzuki Swift Sport Cup, my supposed home track, however before the actual event I had only driven the circuit twice, the first time ending with engine failure after 3 laps, and the second time I ended up in the wall with a brake issue.
However I was very keen to turn this record around, in what turned out to be a mixed weekend of running at Manfield.
Friday testing got off to a good start, again doing the usual running old tyres and brakes I spent a bit of time getting up to speed in the morning session to finish up in 10th, however the car felt great and we left it unchanged for the afternoon session, of which I was 6th quickest. This left the team feeling good about our prospects for Qualifying the next morning.
Saturday came around and rain was threatening, as it surely couldn’t be a weekend at Manfield without some water on the circuit. However Qualifying ended up being a dry affair, with fresh tyres on we set about running in traffic to maximise the draft, with changeable wind conditions it really made qualifying quite a mixed session in terms of getting a good lap time. My fastest lap came on Lap 5, admittedly it wasn’t the greatest of laps, with the car not being in the most ideal situation among the traffic. What should have been our fastest lap was our last one, in which we pulled in a big gap to the cars in front through the infield, and then had a 2 car tow on the back straight. But the ever changing wind conditions affected this lap quite badly and it was infact over a second down on our fastest lap from earlier. This meant I would line up in 10th for the first race.
Race 1 was held in what turned out to be very wet conditions, starting from 10th I made a good start and worked my way past a few of the drivers in front. At the start of the weekend we had a new windscreen fitted, and without having put some anti-fog on the inside, and this quickly became an issue. Where we were placed on the track became somewhat guesswork with the limited visibility, but I managed to keep it on the black stuff to come home in 9th place, which became 8th after a penalty was applied to another driver.
Race 2 was held early Sunday morning, on a somewhat damp track. On the formation lap we worked hard to warm the brakes and tyres, as to be quick out of the box at the start. However there was a knock and a bit of noise developing from my left hand side drive shaft. As we pulled up on the grid alot of smoke seemed to be coming from the left front wheel, and I was radioed to be informed that “hope the race starts soon, your brakes are on fire”. Come race start I once again made a good start and entered the 1st corner behind Bamber, attempting to roll around the pack on the outside the grip I was hoping for just wasn’t there, and ended up running a bit wide on the grass and rejoining in 14th.
This wasn’t to last as the car came on and we set about claiming our positions back, coming into splash the back end stepped out. The usual lap after lap remedy for this was to apply the throttle and bring the car into line on turn in. Not this time however, applied the throttle and there was a clunk and the engine just hit the limiter as we went around into a spin. Into 1st gear and the car didn’t quite want to know about moving. I coasted down into the inside to be towed to safety and to watch the race from the sidelines with a broken driveshaft.
This drama left us starting the reverse grid Race 3 from pole position with a new driveshaft fitted, having had a fast car all weekend we were intent on a good result for this race.
It didn’t quite go as we had planned though, after a decent start I lead most of the first lap until Spring came past, then spent the next 2 or 3 laps battling with Spring and Turley for the lead. But I was struggling with the car, in particular in the early part and mid part of the corners, as it didn’t want to behave as it earlier had. This left me in a vulnerable position to be overtaken in the corners following, and unfortunately slipped back and ended up battling away mid pack eventually crossing the line in 10th position once again.
After what turned out to be another character building weekend I find myself in 12th in the points standings, with a chance of moving up at least 1 place, and a very outside chance of moving into the top 10 at the last round at Taupo. This does not mean we wont be giving it our all in just over a months time, having had a productive test day at Taupo pre season, I am confident myself and the team can extract some good pace from the HMC Kapiti number 7 Swift at Taupo Motorsport Park.
Before we move on to the next round though, a huge thank you must go out to the guys at Just Rust in Tawa, for turning what was a very mangled looking race car into the straight looking one we had at Manfield. Also to Henshaw Signs for supplying the nessacary signage and vinyl to have the car looking awesome for Round 5, to the Suzuki boys for their hands on help, and to Jono Lester for his invaluable help during the weekend setting up not only the car, but also the driver!
We would also like to welcome Lilburn Transport onboard as part of the team, every bit of support we receive is greatly appreciated, and we very much looking forward to finishing the season on a high in a months time!
Sam Robinson
 The 5th round of the Suzuki Swift Sport Cup was held at Manfield over the weekend and it was a steady and sucsseful end to what was a rough start to the weekend. Here's a run down of the Mad Butcher 200 for LG ZM Swift.
TESTING
We had a slight advantage heading into the round as early on in the season we were able to test and gain added setup prior to the round. The first session felt relatively good with the car clearly balanced through the infield but the time was not there whcih was a great surprise and a problem that we needed to sort. We couldn't find any immediate problems before the second session so testing was in a sence wasted alomost 1.2 seconds down on the leader! It was a tough start to the weekend.
QUALIFYING
Prior to qualifying Angus came to save the day. Foggy found the front brakes were sticking on which would put a huge strain on the 92kw Swift. A full caliper re-build was in order and it proved to make the difference with Barbara improving from the poor testing times to qualify 6th. It wasn't the best position to start but it was in striking distance of the leaders
RACE ONE
The very late saturday race once again brought the weather factor into the play with a huge downpour minutes before the race. This played right into our hands as we have a good pace in wet conditions. It was a matter of staying on the black stuff and also out of trouble. Coming chraging home in 3rd was a great result for the LG ZM Swift with the championship lead also extending through Ben's bad luck as a power shortage in his car caused his A.B.S to fail.
RACE TWO
The Sunday's morning race turned out to be a dissapointment as I made contact with Ben on the last lap with me coming up worse off. So it was down to the last race to determine the points difference we would head into the final round with
RACE THREE
Because of the poor finishing position in the previous race we lined up in a handy 7th position with Ben behind in 9th. It was a very tough battle to move through the field as the grid is now all reasonably equal in pace whcih is making for great racing!
with 5 laps to go we moved into the second position and began to chace down the leader but unfortunately we ran out of laps and crossed the line 2nd in a close battle.
OVERALL
The third race result meant we finished 2nd overall for the weekend with XXX Motorsport driver Scott Harrison winning the round, well done! With Ben in third this also meant we extended our margin to 29pts heading into the final round at Taupo Motorsport Park. This was a great result for the team considering my mistake in the second race.
BNT V8
This weekend again struck Angus with bad luck, his drive shaft blowing in the opening laps of race one which created a struggle for the rest of the weekend as he had to start from the rear in the following race. The team did show the LG Newstalk ZB Falcons true pace in the final reverse grid race with Foggy winning once again!
Once again I must our ever loyal sponsors for their continued support. We cant thank you enough
Suzuki New Zealand, LG, ZM,Tom Ditchfield Panelbeaters, Digital Mobile, Display Associates, Punch Advertising and Pulse Performance Race Engineering
Also a big thanks to Richie and Myles for helping out over the weekend, cheers guys!
 My fun-est weekend yet!!
Wasnt so good in the first test session-brakes were bad---when we took them out they had disintegrated-got 4th in the next session,so far so good.
Qualifying
Didnt get many good laps as I spent most of the session waiting for someone to draught with-ok though cause I qualified 5th-inside of row 3.
Race1
The rain was pouring down-got a real good start and powered up to the first bend with my nose just in front- 3 cars wide or was it 4 anyway the outside guy sqeezed the others who of course put me on the grass-could see the Marshalling stand and thought -oh-oh-but I just kept sliding thru the turn on the grass--they tell me I had passed evryone on the grass-but I couldnt see as the left mirror had been pushed closed.-thought it might be too dangerous to get straight back on the track,so waited till they had all gone by before rejoining.Passed a few and placed 12th.
Race 2.
The grid in R2 is made up from best lap time from Qualifying or R1.As R!was a wet race I started in 5th place again-got a good start but tried to pass on the outside and messed up.
Placed 7th.
Race 3.
This is always a reverse grid race.the points gained in the previous two races determine the grid position.I was on grid 6.
This is on the outside-got a reasonable start but couldnt pass too many-got held up a bit then went into second place--never been there before-saw that Willy Bamber was behind me-was having fun keeping him there,but my mirror got shaken loose-had to move it and Willy got by.He didnt make any mistakes so I just had to follow him home in 3rd place.Thanks to all the drivers for the comments about my driving.Hope I can keep it up at the last round in Taupo next month.
My little brother Brad and I have entered for a 4 hour Endurance race at Hampton Downs in June---He is 13 and has to get a racing licence in a hurry--should be fun as there are v8s-Porsches-Suzukis and Production cars all in the same race. Between the rounds the team all headed for Queenstown and we soon found out why it's the adventure capital of the world. Paintballing, climbing mountains and luging were all on the cards with half the Suzuki grid leaving with battle scared bodies! It was a great relaxing time with laughs all around but it was back to business and after the the ups and downs at Teretonga it was vital for us to bounce back and get back to the front once again. We headed into Timaru with a slim 36pt lead over Ben Dallas, a little to close for comfort! Here's a run down of the LG ZM Swift's weekend at the Hampsta 200 at Timaru
TESTING
Again much like Teretonga it was vital for a good car balance with Timaru's combination of medium speed sweepers and tight hairpins. We decide to attempt the setup that we had run at the previous round but soon realised the car behaved differently around the Levels Raceway so the first test session was mostly spent in and out of the pits trying to gain the optimum of 'Barbara'. The second session saw the track come our way with the recently resurfaced track beginning to 'rubber in' creating the grip we were looking for. I was quick to feel the car back to it's normality and pulled in early to safe the gear for the weekend.
QUALIFYING
Saturday morning drew a surprise amongst the paddock as rain had fallen over night creating a completely different scenario for all teams. It was similar to the 2nd round of the championship, heading in with no testing in the condition. We did our best to estimate the best settings and spot on it was, the car immediately responding like it had in Ruapuna previously in the season. I stuck in 5 hard laps in a row to try bank a good lap in case of a red flag situation then pulled in the pits to watch the session unfold. It was risky business on the newly laid surfaces with standing water in almost every line and to simple bad luck Matt Gibson hit the wall coming onto the front straight. The session was stopped for decent amount of time as the rescue crews removed the Castrol Swift. The session soon restarted but again as a result of 'aquaplaining' another swift entered the Timaru barrier ending the session right then and there. This left the LG ZM Swift at the top of the charts with another great pole! It was exactly what we needed.
RACE ONE
By the time it was our turn on the circuit the track had now dried, another curve ball! Starting from the still wet inside line it was always going to be a big ask to retain our position. We dropped to third at the start but made quick work of moving up to 2nd but it was all too good too soon. Heading into the turn 6 sweeper the brakes on the LG ZM Swift once again let go, causing an unfortunate meeting with the earth bank. It was hugely disappointing considering our position so I returned the car to the pits for the team to check over. To some quick thinking by Simon Elliot we remembered that there was still points at hand and we had to finish. 14th! along way from 2nd but it was still a finish and we managed to score which was the most important thing.
RACE TWO
With the championship now down to only a few points it was increasingly important that we had a good result and it was looking like that until the third lap. We struck a gearbox problem which resulted in a drop to 7th from 2nd another disappointment to our weekend but carefully we nursed the car back making up places to finish a respectable 4th. It was a good recovery but it couldn't help the lead of the championship changing hands.
RACE THREE
We were now the chasers lying 2nd with the reverse gird race ahead of us. We started 9th, our opportunity to make something of a disappointing weekend to date. By the second lap we had made up 6 places! to run 3rd but as it happened Bramwell King unfortunately rolled his swift causing a red flag. This meant that due to the red flag rule we would now restart in 5th as that was the position from the previous lap. With 9 laps to go the LG ZM Swift slowly edged to the front and hit the lead with four laps remaining. It was simply about making zero mistakes and that was the case with Barbara crossing the line a slim 0.722sec ahead of Grant Ryan in second. It really was the saviour of disasterous weekend with the added bonus of regaining the lead of the championship by 26pts.
OVERALL
Much like Teretonga it was another up and down time for the LG ZM Swift team. With highlights of pole and victory, the first and second races really put a negative spin to our weekend. Although it wasn't looking good at one stage we were able to retain the championship lead with two rounds remaining.
BNT V8s
Angus and the team once again had another stunning car, qualifying 2nd in the top-ten shootout but bad luck soon ran it's course with the LG Newstalk ZB Falcon being bumped and barged throughout the weekend leading to a DNF in the final reverse grid race. Foggy and the team had a great pace but never got to show it so watch out at Manfield where they will once again be hard charging at the front!
NEXT UP
We now head back up the country to the 5th round of the SSSC at the Manfield Circuit in Fielding. Manfield is one of my favourites with the weekend also doubling as my home race we look to put on a good show for the home fans!
Once again I must our ever loyal sponsors for their continued support. We cant thank you enough
Suzuki New Zealand, LG, ZM,Tom Ditchfield Panelbeaters, Digital Mobile, Display Associates, Punch Advertising and Q-West Boat Builders
I must once again thank the Dunkley's for thier support throughout the South Island, I couldn't have done it without you.
 It has been a very busy past few weeks, having the two south island rounds following one another and what an up and time it was. Heading in with the points lead and a string of victories things were looking for the LG ZM Swift but we soon ran into some problems. Here's a catch up of our journey down south.
TESTING
The goal for testing was to once again reaquant myself with the fast sweaping Teretonga circuit and find that optimal setup before the all important qualifying. Unlike previous rounds testing was not wasted running in pads or disks so we were able to focus on getting the car off the final turn. For the 3rd and 4th rounds it was looking like I was all by myself on the engineering side with my brother now racing in the Toyota Racing Series but.... I was VERY fortunate to be leant a helping hand by our fellow team mate 'The Dunkleys' and I must say I wouldn't have made it without them. The first session was relatively short as I felt a good balance with the car and wanted to save tires for the weekend so we parked the car after posting times consistantly in the top three. The second session plan was to try different spring settings so my time was mostly spent in the pits but this was more than worth it as the car was the best I had ever driven so all was looking good ehading into qualifying.
QUALIFYING
I speak for most people when we I say we were surprised to awake to a stunning southern day so all was poised for a good day. The first laps of the 20min session saw my self and Alan drafting each other to try find those extra few tenths but we couldn't get a rythm so I decided to try my own thing and pulled into the pits to let the tyres cool. We found clear air straight away and put in lap after lap pushing the limits of the swift. I arrived back to the pits and to my own surprise had qualified pole! 0.488 infront of the second car. It was a great start to our southern asult.
RACE ONE
Lining up on the inside and some times dirtier side of the track we were unsure what would result from the start but surprisingly we got the jump on Ben Dallas and led ahead into turn one. The car was amazing and the most fun and enjoyable to drive and it showed on track with the LG ZM Swift pulling out to a massive 5.736sec! It was a great start to the weekend with the largest winning margen in a Suzuki Swift Sport Cup race. This also increased our lead on the championship, we couldn't have asked for more.
RACE TWO
Again we started from the front but it wasn't all clear sailing like the previous 10 lapper. It was a repeat into the first turn but all changed when I applied the brakes for turn two. The a.b.s on three out of the four wheels failed! a scary moment as the tires locked causing a near off track excurtion. Dropping to fourth we struck luck with Craig Innes's misfortune casuing a saftey car and a great chance to regain places. The start was just what the LG ZM Swift needed with a great restart passing Scott Harrison, Matt Gibson, Ben Dallas and Alan Dunkley to regain the lead in the single lap! it was then about retaining position to the end and thats what we did. WIn number 6 in a row! it was all going our way.
RACE THREE
The reverse grid system saw us starting at the back of the field which created a major problem as passing opportunitys were low. It simply was a bad race for the LG ZM Swift, unable to find a rythmn we struggled home in a dissapointing 6th. It was a damper on our weekend but things soon got worse with the stewards judging an incident during the race against the drivig standards code and I was penalised. This then dropped as to 12th in the race and second for the round. Our 6 run streak was over but more importantly we still had the championship lead heading into Timaru and the Hampsta 200.
OVERALL
It was mixed emotions at the end of the weekend due to the final race we all tried to focus on the positives previous. We found a great set-up for the car which resulted in the fantastic race one victory so we will take this onward to the upcoming rounds and look to extend our championship lead.
BNT V8
Angus Fogg and the LG Newstalk ZB Falcon had a great bounce back in the championship, dominating practice and narrowly missing out on the pole position which then resulted in a great 3rd overall for the round! The boys will be back at the front and for sure fighting for victories at Timaru!
NEXT UP
We now head to TIMARU for the 4th round of the SSSC. A track I enjoy alot, all bids well for another consistant weekend for the championship.
The support we recieve from our sponsors is amazing and we our so proud to represent them on and off the track
Thank you, Suzuki New Zealand, LG, ZM,Tom Ditchfield Panelbeaters, Digital Mobile, Display Associates, Punch Advertising and Q-West Boat Builders
And again I must thank the Dunkley's for thier support throughout the event  Hi everyone,
We recently completed the South Island rounds at Levels Raceway in Timaru. It was another good weekend for the Konica Minolta Swift finishing the Round 2nd overall, clawing back another 10 points from William Bamber, and even leading the Championship after Race Two on Sunday.
Fridays testing went well enough on a cool, overcast but dry day. We had a number of planned changes to the car to test, and managed to post the 2nd fastest time in the first session and around the 4th quickest in the second session. We felt that we would have enough pace in the morning qualifying, regardless of what the weather would serve up to us.
Saturday morning we awoke to rain which I wasn’t worried about. We had a new set of tyres for the front which became a big issue when I realised I couldn’t scrub them in at the start of the session as I had at Ruapuna. Unfortunately the car had poor grip the whole session which resulted in me dropping a wheel on the exit of turn four, sliding on wet grass the whole way to the wall and ending up with right front panel damage and a smashed headlight. Nevertheless we still posted the 5th fastest time, and quickly set about fixing the damage (minus a few bits) before the first race that same afternoon.
Race One:
Saturday afternoons race was on a quickly drying track. The grid at Timaru in these conditions is very one sided - literally. The outside row holds water longer but the inside row drys up quickly. Unfortunately starting from Grid 5 we were on the outside on the wet and dirty side. At the start I couldn’t get enough traction and we dropped back to 8th place as the cars on the inside shot ahead.
I stuck my head down and fought my way up to 4th from there. William Bamber had problems and finished last two laps down which closed the championship right up.
Race Two:
Sunday morning it was once again dry, but with a real threat of rain. Luckily enough for our class, it was dry for the race. It was spitting on the warm-up lap so we changed the shock settings on the grid before the one minute board. Having posted the fourth fastest lap in Race One, which bettered the qualifying times I had, I was now starting on the clean side of the track. I got a good start and was in to 3rd by turn three. Unfortunately a few laps into the race I had a gearshift problem into third gear and Craig Innes got by me. A number of laps later, William Bamber had more drama’s dropping back a number of places. I got around Alan Dunkley with a number of laps left and chased down race leader Craig Innes posting the fastest lap of the race. Finishing 2nd was a good result and we now had the championship lead by 7 points.
Race Three:
The Sunday afternoon race was also luckily dry for us. Starting 13th was always going to mean I had a very tricky race to run as Timaru is a very tight track and difficult to pass on. The race start was alright, quickly making a few positions but unfortunately the red flag came out due to Bramwell King having a gentle roll over at the end of the back straight. They put us all back to our places at the last completed lap which cost me dearly. The race was restarted and it was a hard fought battle to get up to 7th where I finished. As we thought could happen, Bamber got the lead back but he is still very catchable with two Rounds left to go in this Championship.
And I can’t thank our sponsors enough - Konica Minolta, Cogent Zintel, Evans European, Pressprint, Bobergs - Serious Property Management, Dodson’s Japanese Autospares, Tosco and ArtCom Design and Print for their ongoing support throughout this championship.
Ben Dallas
ben.dallas@hotmail.com
021 168 6474  well what a weekend! after missing Invercargill with some family commitments i was very keen to get behind the wheel. rain was forcast and the track was greasy so qualifing was rather interesting - after a wee moment coming over the kink on the front straight i had the boot up it hard as we drifted over towards the wall - at some pace the Team Hampsta car completely destroyed the 200M sign, but i managed to keep her off the wall - headed in as it was just to wet and settled for 13th. my call was right to park the car early as Grant Ryan had a very big accident as the rain just kept coming. race one went well - great start, and made our way up to 7th - race 2 - hopeless! over drove the car, dropped a wheel, massive moment, lost a few spots and that was that! - race 3 - great start again, and ended up with 3 others in pack that broke away after a re-start - head down and we all charged away opeing up a huge lead. very happy with my 4th place. the car went well all weekend after some fine tuning from Simon - thanks mate for all your help. roll on Manfield - love that track. TRINITY OUT! Weird weekend---My best Qualifying this season---3rd---it was wet-so guess I am good in the wet.
Race 1.
We thought it might rain so left the wet setup on the car--it was dry and I had handling problems---was able to hold up the guys behind and finished 5th.
Race 2.
Because I was slow in the first race and the grid for the second race goes on your best time in Race 1--I ended up 13th on the grid-got held up somewhat and finished 10th
Race 3.
Not memorable--apparrently got off the racing line---judicial enquiry deemed that I late braked and caused King to tip over---still not 100% sure it was all my fault --but as the steward said---50 second penalty and 3 demerit points-story over!!
Now 10th in the points and hope to get it right at Manfield Hi everyone,
Last weekend we got the Konica Minolta Swift back on target with three podiums and the Round win! It was exactly how we wanted to start the New Year. Heading into the round 58 points behind 1st place, we have now closed that gap back to only 36 points at the midpoint of the Championship.
Friday's testing went very well being second quickest in the first session. Heading into the second session that afternoon we made only subtle changes to the car, but didn't make any gains. However the cars around us went quicker and we ended the session with the 5th fastest time.
After much thinking and discussion, we made more changes on Saturday morning with the aim of finding more pace. Those changes paid off as I held provisional Pole for much of the session but was put back one spot in the closing laps. However, we were still happy with a front row start.
Race One:
Saturday afternoon's race didn't go quite to plan; I didn't get the best start and was pushed back to about 4th place. But after battling for a number of laps we got back to third place but were unable to catch the leading pair as they had pulled too big a gap while the rest of us battled away. The car felt slow and had quite a bit of understeer. Finishing 3rd still gave us good points and we would still start on the front row for Sunday mornings race. But we had some work ahead of us to find out what had happened to the speed we had in Qualifying.
Race Two:
In the morning we had made some small changes that we felt weren't too risky to test if we were heading in the right direction as far as our set-up was concerned. The race yet again didn't go to plan, missing a gear-change off the start resulting in a number of cars getting around me into turn one. However a safety car came out due to a few incidents behind me. After the restart I got back into second place fairly quickly. For the remaining laps I did what I could to get around Bamber but he was defending his line too well, holding me back to finish second. With points added together from both races, we were headed into the reverse grid Race 3 that afternoon starting from Grid 11.
Race Three:
Sunday afternoons reverse grid race was the best race to date. Unfortunately on the first lap there was a big incident where Allan Dunkley hit the wall at speed. After the Safety Car restart in single file I set off to pass 10 cars in 10 laps. It was very challenging and very exciting as I picked my way through the field. With only one lap to go, I had passed nine cars and there was only one left. I threw everything I could at him and got by with only one corner left. To turn that last corner on to the straight knowing the chequered flag was waiting for me was the sweetest thing, and exactly what we needed.
With three rounds left in this championship and only a 36 point gap to 1st place, it is GAME ON!
I would especially like to thank XXX Motorsport for advice over the weekend under their Mentoring Program with our class, and to Max Collie from Southern Automobiles in Invercargill for a warm southern welcome and help during our stay. As always, my thanks to Konica Minolta, Cogent Zintel, Evans European, Pressprint, Boberg's - Serious Property Management, Dodsons Japanese Autospares, Tosco and ArtCom Design and Print.
Regards,
Ben Dallas
Well Christmas is fast approaching and so is New Years. We are a third the way through the National Suzuki Swift Sport Cup Championship and are currently sitting in 5th place. What a championship so far...
Pukekohe
Pukekohe was a ripper of a weekend for my debut in the Tier One motorsport scene. I came away from the weekend with a race win, a 4th, a 7th in the reverse grid race and was 4th outright in the championship. We had a great weekend and really enjoyed our first ever meeting in the highly competitive Suzuki Swift Sport Class. My dad and I really enjoyed the company of the other teams and drivers and enjoyed being a team mate with Suzuki Sport Swift driver Sam Robinson in a team we named Team Triangle. The Team drivers consisted of Sam Robinson, myself and the team’s driver trainer Jono Lester. Both Sam and I greatly welcomed Jono’s driving experience and advice, which I believe we both benefitted from.
Ruapuna
Ruapuna was not quite the weekend we had hoped for. After a successful debut at Pukekohe we were hoping to have some good results but that was not the case. Qualifying was a shocker, with my Castrol Backed Suzuki a disappointing 8th. Run under wet conditions, we made a slight setup mistake causing the car to not handle not like it should in the rain. Our best finish for the weekend was a creditable 4th considering our front tyres wouldn’t even read on the tyre pressure gauge when we came in.
I had never been to Ruapuna before so was satisfied with my times and how I was driving, but couldn’t get my luck to change all weekend. Once again I believe I gained a lot from Jono’s driver training and like every Suzuki racing weekend, really enjoyed the company of everyone.
I would like to thank all those who have come on board with me this season. I can tell you now without your help I would not be racing in this awesome little class.
Many thanks go to:
Michael Shepherd my media manager, who writes all my press releases
Rob Ryan my Crew chief
My dad of course
The Suzuki Guys- Darren Stevens, Paul Burborough, Simon Elliot
Vivian Schwartfeger for my website work
Camp mum for the lovely food.
My sponsors- Castrol NZ, Winger Suzuki, Suzuki NZ, Firewatch, Firewatch Wanganui, Videopro, David Jones Motors. Display associates, Kiwiwebs, Tom Ditchfield Panel Beaters, Chicane Racewear, and Sinners Helmet Paint co.
Also big thanks to my 250 club members who have helped me out dramatically on the financial side of my racing.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and will see you all at the track.
Matt Gibson
 Matt Gibson’s first ever appearance on Christchurch’s Ruapuna circuit wasn’t the result that he was hoping for, after a spin in Race one and an accident in the final race dropped him from fourth to fifth in the overall championship standings.
The Suzuki Swift Sport Cup Rookie started the weekend with a disappointing wet qualifying run that left him 8th on the grid. On Saturday’s opening race the Castrol car was forced into a damp part of the circuit while fighting for position with Matt losing control and spinning. Gibson made good progress through the field but could only manage 9th while recording the fourth fastest lap of the race.
The 18 year old Castrol backed Gibson made some improvements to the Swifts setup and had a solid race 2 coming home fourth behind eventual round winner Bamber, Dallas and the very experienced Hamish Cross.
Race Three was the normal reverse format start and as Matt was starting ahead of his championship rivals knew he had a great opportunity to pull back some points from the disappointment of race one.
However after making a great start he was hit hard from behind while under brakes resulting in a quick visit to the pits to relieve the guard from the tyre. The pit stop was carried out efficiently but the loss of time meant that he was well down on the leaders and finished the race in 15th spot.
“I was going well and making great progress when I was hit from behind causing major damage to my guard. I tried to carry on but the wheel kept locking up under load and caused me to go off big time through the grass. I was lucky not to do more damage as the car was up on two wheels at one stage.”
Matt was placed 8th for the round overall and has dropped from fourth in the championship to fifth (132 points behind series leader Bamber). Naturally disappointed with the weekend considering they had great car speed and setup the Gibson team now look forward to the next round of the championship to be held on January 16th & 17th at Teretonga.
The Gibson team would like to thank their sponsors, Castrol, Video Pro,Firewatch Wanganui, David Jones Motors, Suzuki New Zealand, Display Associates Wanganui, Kiwiwebs, Sinners Helmet painters and Chicane Racewear.
 Hi everyone,
Round Two at Ruapuna was a reasonable weekend with two podiums from three starts keeping the Konica Minolta Swift in second place overall, and adding more valuable points for the championship.
Fridays testing went well on old tyres, ending the day with the 3rd fastest time in the first session and the 4th in the second. We were happy enough heading into Saturday’s qualifying with changes planned for the car.
Saturday morning we awoke to a lot of rain and a very wet track, presenting everyone with very tricky conditions. The qualifying session went better than expected as our tyre strategy and set up provided great pace in the wet. We held the quickest time until being pipped in the dying seconds of the session. So P2 it would be for Race One, alongside William Bamber on pole and Cody McMaster on P3.
Race One:
We started somewhat on the back-foot as we completely misread the track and had the wrong set up. I made a good start coming out of turn one in the lead, but unfortunately from there on things got worse. Finishing fourth on track but third in points (as Hamish Cross who was just in it for the weekend was not scoring championship points) was pretty good given the car was a handful. We posted the 6th quickest time so we would start from P6 for Sunday morning’s race.
Race Two:
Sunday morning we awoke to overcast sky, but more importantly a dry track. We needed a good start to fight our way through to the front of the pack to score decent points. I made it through to 3rd within a number of laps behind Hamish Cross leading, and William Bamber in 2nd. It was much of a waiting game for me, as I knew it would get hot and heavy in the last few laps, which it did. At the last corner Bamber went up the inside of Cross, they came together and I got a good run off the turn to finish 2nd.
Race Three:
Sunday afternoons reverse grid race did not go to plan at all. We made a great start getting into the top ten after the first few corners to then get caught up in a traffic jam at the hair pin, jamming my front right guard hard up against my wheel making it very hard to turn left and slow in a straight line. It took a huge effort to finish in 7th place.
Our thanks go to Konica Minolta, Cogent Zintel, Evans European, Pressprint, Dodsons Japanese Autospares, Tosco and ArtCom Design and Print - and special thanks to Bill at Holland’s Suzuki for providing transportation for the weekend.
We now have a lengthy break over the summer before Round Three in the deep south at Teretonga mid-January. Until then have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Regards,
Ben Dallas
ben.dallas@hotmail.com
021 1686 474  Round 2 of the 09/10 Suzuki Swift Sport Cup was held over the last weekend of November and what a weekend it was! The LG ZM Swift Team had another fantastic run with a clean-sweep of the weekends results, extending the championship lead to 58pts and recovering the teams championship with DBR now lying in third.
Here's a full catch up of the weekend.
PRACTICE
We arrived at the track early on Friday morning and immediately began setting up the pit area and preparing the car for the first practice session at 11.00am, Like Pukekohe we were lucky enough to have my older brother Earl join us aswell as fellow single seater driver Richie Stanaway, which created another great combination. The first session was set aside for reacquainting myself with the Ruapuna Circuit and giving the car a steady install after the small repairs after the first round at Pukekohe. The test went well with the LG ZM Swift recording the 2nd fastest time for the session, it was a steady start to the weekend and gave us a good platform on our set-up. Between the sessions the team began work on checking over the car and in putting the set-up changes discussed during the team debrief. The second and final test session saw us being able to push the limits more to get a clear reading of the cars set-up. We managed a simulation qualifying lap which was great preparation for the following morning. We ended the session 3rd fastest.
QUALIFYING
Rain was beaconing all Friday but it was on Saturday morning when it was finally delivered with the track condition completely changed, throwing all the previous days work out the door. The team consulted and applied the set-up that we thought would suit the conditions best. It really was going in blind with both set-up and the visibility minimal, it required 100% concentration. We had planned to stay out for the entire session to try and build the tire temperature in the Dunlop control tires but we were forced into the pit lane with a loseing wheel, a scary start. The team soon had the car back out on track and just a lap later the LG ZM Suzuki Swift jumped to the top of the time sheets by just over 6 tenths of a second! This was a great comeback and in many ways a relief but our joy was then increased when I was able to execute a second flying lap and bettered our time, extending the gap to our closed rival to 1.012 seconds! It was the perfect start to the weekend.
RACE ONE
The first race for the Big Ben Pies 200 weekend followed qualifying and the LG ZM Suzuki Swift continued the good form. From the get go myself and Hamish Cross were able to pull away from the rest of the field and soon began our battle to the line. We sat behind the #66 of Cross the majority of the heated 8 lap race, waiting for an opportunity to pass and that opportunity came with two laps to go. Hamish opened the door going the turn 6 sweeper and that was all it took for us to sneak through. We held onto the the line, crossing just 0.147sec ahead.
RACE TWO
Sunday was always going to be exciting not just because of the third and final reverse grid race but also because it was my birthday! The first of the Sunday races turned out to be much like the previous with a long and hard fought battle being produced this time the action was on the last lap on the last corner! Hamish Cross had led every lap of the SSSC race but finally made a costly error heading towards the final turn and the LG ZM Suzuki Swift was up the inside once again, two wheels on the grass and all! but we muscled our way through and crossed the line once again to claim two from two.
RACE THREE
For our great efforts in the first two races the LG ZM Suzuki Swift Team was forced to start from the rear along with all the other front runners,under the reverse grid rules. It was a frantic start with cars making quick ground on the now slower cars that lay in front. Mid race there was a coming together in the notorious hairpin with a number of cars including ourselves that came out scared on the other side. We managed to climb to the 3rd position with a slim 5 laps to go, but we soon gained a further place as Cody McMaster was issued a drive thru-penalty for an incident on track. It was then a matter of pushing as hard as possible in order to have any chance at passing the leader Scott Harrison. It came down to the last lap and heading into the famous "Pot Hole" turn we snuck up the inside and made it three from three!
MEDIA/COVERAGE
We had a another fantastic weekend for generating media and was giving huge coverage when the pass during the Sunday's race two was shown during the TV3 news! This shows how exciting the Suzuki class is and there is only more to come!
OVERALL
It really was the perfect weekend and to spend my birthday this way was also amazing! couldn't have asked for more.
BNT V8
Fellow LG team mate Angus Fogg had a tough run at the Powerbuilt Tools Raceway but he has the pace and will be back at the top in no time at all!
NEXT UP
For the next 6 weeks or so the season is put on hold for the summer break, a much needed one I must add! But the circuit restarts on the 15th of January at Teretonga in Invercargill so we will see you there!
As always I must thank all of our supporters which we are so proud to represent.
Suzuki New Zealand, LG, ZM, Q-West Boat Builders, Tom Ditchfield Panelbeaters, Digital Mobile, Display Associates and Punch Advertising
 Hamilton Suzuki Swift Sport Cup driver Shaun Lawrence has a tough debut at last weekends racing at the technical Ruapuna Raceway. Torrential rain encompassed the track for qualifying, making the circuit appear more like a lake than a race track.
Starting race one from 11th on the grid, Lawrence was caught up in a first lap nose-to-tail with several others, the ensuing damage from which was enough to see him disappointingly sidelined for the rest of the race.
“I was gutted” explains Lawrence. “Once it all started there was literally nothing I could do to avoid it. That’s racing and the best thing to do is to put it behind you, get the car fixed, and focus on the next race which is what we did” he added.
With the crew (Shaun and father Graeme) working on the car late into Saturday evening, repairs were made and the focus moved to the first of Sundays races. Starting from the back row as a result of Saturdays DNF, Lawrence powered through the field, picking up an incredible 8 positions and making his way back up to eighth before eventually finishing 14th after being spun on the last lap by another competitor.
The final race of the weekend was a reverse grid start, which meant Lawrence started from the front row alongside Michael Paymanns. Lawrence made an early first lap pass to take the race lead which he held for many laps.
“It was awesome” says a smiling Lawrence. “I pushed as hard as I could and I’d be lying if I said that the thought of a race win didn’t cross my mind once or twice! As the laps ticked over the cars handling went off and I had to fight the thing to get to the end”.
Lawrence eventually finished a creditable fifth for the race, and once again has taken away valuable experience in both race craft and track knowledge. Round three takes place mid-January at Teretonga (Invercargill), the worlds most southern-most race track.
Shaun Lawrence Racing would once again like to acknowledge the support of his family of sponsors, and would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
After being greeted by hot and sunny Christchurch weather on Thursday, it turned out to be a wet and wild weekend for Round two of the Suzuki Swift Sport Cup at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway, Ruapuna.
We spent Thursday in the warmth of the sun setting up and my team mate Matt Gibson, Jono Lester and I took a track walk to scope out the finer points of the circuit.
It was a windy, but warm day that greeted us on Friday morning for Practice One. Having never seen Ruapuna before our primary focus for the opening session was to learn the circuit. I finished the session seventh fastest and we were quite happy with our start to the
weekend.
After a discussion with Matt and Jono we had a few new techniques to try driving‐wise for Practice Two. Running on old tyres and old brakes we had another productive session finding what we could and couldn’t do around the 3.3km circuit, finishing up in ninth spot.
Both runs were just a shade over a second off the quickest overall car.
We put on some new brakes and tyres to bed in during the hot laps session as the pads that came out of the car didn’t look too good. The improvement was significant which left us feeling confident for qualifying on Saturday morning; however it was to be a different story completely.
We awoke on Saturday and the rain had hit Christchurch. It was bitterly cold and wet at the circuit when we arrived, so we converted the car to a wet set up, bolted on our four best tyres and ventured out into the rain. The track was very wet especially in the run into the fast turn three ‘pothole’, and the car was difficult to drive and our lack of pace was very puzzling, as we only set the sixteenth quickest time.
An inspection of the car afterwards brought to light an issue with one of our rear shocks. Problem solved, we looked ahead to race one, with the rain still falling.
The Race One start was eventful with an accident on the first lap cleaning out nearly half the field. I was able to weave my way through unscathed, but the carnage split the field in two and I lost the
slipstream from then on.
I kept the car straight and managed to bring it home in eleventh place, with the Race Two grid decided on fastest lap times from either Qualifying or Race One, it meant I lined up tenth for the
second race.
Sunday appeared to be a dry day, and the wet weather managed to stay away for Race Two where I was confident of being able to move up and score some good points.
I made a bad start and slipped right back through the order to the rear of the field, and made slight contact with Bramwell King at the final sweeper as I was regaining my positions a few laps later.
We inherited a fifty second time penalty for this incident, which moved me from down to fourteenth position in the results for Race Two, and unfortunately pitched me off the rear of the grid for the reverse‐grid finale by way of my penalty.
Race Three was again dry with the pending run just holding off, and I made a good start and followed Willy Bamber through the first corner.
There was action aplenty on the first lap and I found myself locked in a battle with Mike Turley and Bramwell King, changing positions a few times over the course of the race. I kept the car straight once again to eventually come home in twelfth place yet again.
Although it wasn’t the result we were looking for we still managed to finish all three races and bank some points in what proved to be a difficult weekend for Team Triangle in the LG Teams
Championship.
We’re looking forward to the next round at Teretonga in Invercargill on what I’m told is another exciting track. I’m feeling confident that after the struggles of this weekend we’ll come back fighting stronger, having learnt a lot during a tough weekend of car problems, weather and learning a new circuit in Christchurch.
A big thanks to all of our sponsors and supporters for their assistance leading into the Christchurch round, Yalhurst Hotel for putting us up for the weekend and providing us with a base close by to the circuit. “Just Rust” in Tawa for getting the car all straightened out and
looking nice again for the event. A big thanks to PJ and the team for turning it around so quickly, and also to Mark at Henshaw Signs who got the car stickered and ready in the short space of time we
had available.
Many thanks again to Jono Lester for his hands‐on assistance during the weekend to set up not only the car, but also the driver, with assistance over the phone from Richard as well. It’s all greatly
appreciated.
Thanks for your continued support and I look forward to getting back behind the wheel at Teretonga
on the 15‐17 January 2010.
Have a Merry Christmas and a safe New Year.
Sam Robinson well - HHHMMM, not happy. average qualifiying to be fair, but much better in the race. had a coming together with Scott Harrison - not his or my fault but it looked like i hit power pole head on in the centre - also not great as Scott's car owner is my sponsor! Sorry Butch & Shane from XXX Racing! came 8th in race 1, then 10th in race 2 - Ruapuna in my opinion is the countries hardest track. race 3 was a ripper to the first hairpin - no names, but fair to say he has so far only finished 1 of 6 races this season - no brakes...... or is that brains. our class is awesome, but there is always one! all in all a wicked weekend as Barge / Simon / Darren / Rob / Doris and the Zuki crew are one out of the box. A special thanks to my mechanic Richard - lots of work to do on the car! bring on the next rounds!!! also best wishes to my team mate Cody - he has had a massive operation and my thoughts are with him to get well soon!!! also a big thanks to the lads who partied hard Sunday night with XXX!! TRINITY OUT! Ruapuna Friday
In the first test session car went well-5th fastest
Second session wasnt flash-brakes appeared very poor,problem turned out to be a cracked disc which was replaced
Saturday
Qualifying
Went well.It was raining and slippery.
Qualified 5th---best so far !!
Race 1
The car was going well thought I had a chance of top 6 finish--someone spun out and I lost it-got punted-couldnt turn right-watched the race from the infield---was surprised to hear how quiet the cars sounded--they are very noisy from the inside.
Car came back on the stretcher--didnt look bad but was majorly damaged.Crew worked into the cold wet night-thanks guys--the pit was full of mud-they were freezing!!
Sunday
Took car for wheel alignment after damage
Race 2
With the wet qualifying and the DNF,I ended up 14th on the grid-goody-got thru to 10th
Race 3
Reverse Grid
Started on grid 4-was going well till I went wide and--zip-zip-guys get passed me--stuck on outside and Im 14th again--hooked on to Craig Innes--his lines are real good-we caught up to the field but it was too late to pass anymore cars--did my fastest laps of the round--ending up 9th
I have dropped to 12th in the points.
I feel a lot more confident now-so will be going for it at Teretonga.
Will be going trucking over the break--I get to drive them sometimes--My rugby coach nick-named me K Whopper (for Kenworth)
Hi everyone,
The 2009/10 season is now underway and what an opening round it was; a near perfect start with three podiums from three races. How thrilling and close this championship is going to be!
This year there is no testing on Thursday so my father Peter and I spent Thursday at the track setting up our pit area and marking and fitting the new tyres.
Fridays testing was not amazing, but we were fairly happy with the pace of the car ending up with the fourth fastest time.
Saturday morning we made a few changes to the car to get ready for the 20 minute qualifying session. Last year we never really qualified that well, but I have been working on that. This time I qualified the car on P3 for race one later that afternoon.
Race One:
Saturdays opening race was fairly uneventful compared to some of last year’s hard fought battles. However the Konica Minolta Swift was on the podium none the less. Lap one was a bit of a foul up, getting drafted by Matt Gibson and then Alan Dunkley. A race long battle with Dunkley resulted in me piping him over the line for 4th on track. Soon after we found out that Cody McMaster and William Bamber were both penalised 5 seconds for jumping the start which moved us up to 2nd place.
Race Two:
Sunday morning’s second race reminded me of exactly what last year was like.
The early laps of the race saw McMaster, Bamber and I draft away from the rest of the field, battling towards the end. However, McMaster made it very difficult for Bamber and I to get past, leaving the long way around the only option possible. Another podium for the Konica Minolta Swift, and more points in the bank for the Championship. This put me in the points lead heading into Sunday afternoons reverse grid race.
Race Three:
The infamous reverse grid race on Sunday afternoon yet again did not fail to entertain. I got a reasonable start from P14 with McMaster and Bamber off 15 and 16 due to their penalty in race one. All hell broke loose at turn one when I coped a shot in the driver’s side passenger door flicking my car completely sideways. I managed to catch it but was disadvantaged a number of positions, rejoining second to last. It was game on from there to make my way as far up the field as I could get, and what a race it was. Unfortunately with 6 laps to go the red flag came out due to Scott Harrison’s dreadful roll over after turn 1. The good news came over the radio that Scott (my teammate this season) was OK. The last 6 laps saw Bamber and I drive away from the rest of the field but he pipped me to the line by .2 of a second.
We were very happy to leave Pukekohe in 2nd overall, only two points off first place. I can’t wait to get back to Ruapuna for Round Two later this month, where we showed great pace last year.
A huge thanks goes to Konica Minolta, Cogent Zintel, Evans European, Pressprint, Dodsons Japanese Autospares, Tosco and ArtCom Design and Print - without their support this season I wouldn’t be able to do what I love.
Regards,
Ben Dallas
ben.dallas@hotmail.com
021 1686 474  LAWRENCE SHOWS HIS POTENTIAL IN OPENING ROUND
Hamilton’s Shaun Lawrence has come away from the opening round of the 2009
Suzuki Swift Sport Cup with a huge smile on his face following a fantastic podium
finish in Race Three at the last weekends meeting at Pukekohe Park Raceway.
“The whole weekend was just unbelievable, I just couldn’t be happier” explained a smiling Lawrence. “Admittedly I’d hoped to qualify a little better for the opening race
but overall the weekend went completely to plan. We made plenty of set up changes over the weekend which completely transformed the car” he added.
With an impressive field of sixteen cars taking to grid, Lawrence’s pre-race strategy
of keeping out of trouble saw him finish race one where he qualified, in eleventh
place. Race two saw the Kea Trailers Suzuki move up the field to eighth, and it was in
the reverse grid race three where everything came together for the rookie.
“After starting from tenth I was working my way up through the field and the car felt awesome. The red flag came out for Scott Harrison’s crash on lap 8, by that time my confidence in the car was good so I was able to push pretty hard as soon as the race restarted. By the time the chequered flag came out we’d clawed our way up to third,
I just wish we had another few laps!” said Lawrence.
The weekends performance has unquestionably shown that the competitive streak
has passed from father to son, and father Graeme was there for the weekend to
mentor his son through his first run in the Suzuki. The team’s pre-event strategy
worked perfectly and the improvements made over the weekend will ensure that
the team head to Round Two full of confidence.
The Suzuki Swift Sport Cup now heads to Ruapuna Raceway in Christchurch for the first of three consecutive rounds in the South Island, with Lawrence sitting sixth overall in the Championship.
Shaun Lawrence Racing would like to acknowledge the support of their sponsors and supporters including Frank Radisich, Kea Trailers, Craig Howser Panel, Top Town, and Hamilton Stripes & Signs.
For any further information, please contact Shaun Lawrence on 0272 414-076
 Thurs Pukekohe
Took 87 Suzuki to the track.
Things have changed since the first series 2007/08--Suzuki NZ now have a proper hospitality space--coffee machine---catering for lunch,and even a racing simulator.We had to get a camera fitted as it wasnt mandatory last time.I didnt do last season--concentrated on school and got some extra credits--now I can have the time off in the summjer to do the rounds,
Got tyres organised--it was raining and we had a river running through the marquee.
Friday
Grandad--Frank Radisich bought another car for Sean Lawrence to use so Sean and I are in a Team called Aegis Oil.
Frank is my mechanic--actually we have to find some helpers.
I am glad its not wet for testing.
Took a while to get into it again and I was about a second off the pace.Did 14 laps in t1 and 7 in t2--around 10th fastest.
Our Sponsor from Bartercard could not make it to the Hot Laps--so I took Robyn Radisich--my old Nana around.She moaned that it was so bumpy her tailbone hurt!!!!
Saturday
Qualifying
Used the old tyres--maybe they were a bit too old.
Started getting used to driving again. Qualified 9th
Put on new tyres
Race 1
Quiet race for me---had a few tussles--finished 8th.
Sunday
Race 2
My times in Quali and R1 were a bit slow so I started10th on the grid
Was doing ok till my wheel got hit.
The wheel was cracked and the left front steering arm got bent.
Finished 12th.We changed the steering arm and the wheel.It was quite hard driving everyone was going for it.I finished 12th.
Race 3 Reverse Grid
I was in the middle of the feild on the grid--went too wide a few times and got swamped by the good guys.
Saw Scott Harrison have his end for end--I am glad he is ok--looked spectacular from my position--think I was lucky not too have been collected.
After the restart my car felt much better--although it felt very slippery--I did the fastest laps ever for me and finished 9th
I am 10th in the points and Team Aegis Oil is 4th
Looking forward to Ruapuna Recently crowned Castrol Suzuki scholarship winner Matt Gibson has proven his selection with a solid performance in the opening round of the Suzuki Swift Sport Cup at Pukekohe on the weekend. Gibson came through to win the opening race from the third row of the grid and set the fastest lap of the race to get his season off to the best possible start. The Castrol sponsored 18 year old then backed it up with a fifth in race two and a character building seventh in the final reverse grid feature race.
Gibson will head into the second round as leading rookie and more importantly in touch with round winner William Bamber, last year’s Castrol scholarship winner Ben Dallas and defending champion Cody McMaster, who hold the top 3 spots respectively. The one make Suzuki Swift Cup championship once again displayed some fierce racing and huge excitement including a spectacular accident that saw young gun Scott Harrison barrel roll his Swift going into railway. Although the car was badly damaged Scott was able to walk away unhurt which is a huge testament to the safety of the Swift.
Happy with his first round performance Gibson said:
“I didn’t quite get the breaks in that last race but i will learn allot from it. I have never done a reverse grid race before and it was crazy out there. No one will give an inch but the racing is hard and fair, at one stage we were three wide coming over the mountain which was hairy stuff. Thanks to the team and the crew, they did a fantastic job and i look forward to getting the Castol car back on the top spot come the next round.”
Gibson and the Castrol team look forward to round two at Ruapuna Christchurch November 27th – 29th.
For more information visit www.mattgibsonmotorsport.co.nz
 Well the first round round of the 09/10 Suzuki Swift Sport Cup took place over the weekend at the historic Pukekohe Park Raceway and what a weekend it was, taking the round victory with a win in the Sunday reverse grid race; But it wasn't all plain sailing for the LG ZM Suzuki Swift .
Here's a catch up of all of the weekends events.
TESTING
We arrived on Friday morning and were straight into the work, changing tyres, setting up and having a one final check over the car before the first session. My usual engineer/mechanic was unable to attend the weekend so big brother (Earl Bamber) took the role and I must add, did a fantastic job! The day including two 30 minute practice sessions which gave us the time to dial the car into the challenging Pukekohe circuit. The first session was sacrificed for 'bedding' in brake pads and creating tire temperature to get our pressures set; so unsurprisingly we were off the pace in 4th. The second and final practice was a simulation type run in preparation for qualifying and seemed to run to plan, finishing in 2nd. A very solid start to the weekend.
QUALIFYING
It was then into the first qualifying session of the season, which took part on Saturday morning of the event. It was an exciting time out on track with myself drafting with team-mate Alan Dunkley and passing cars what seemed like every lap. We led for the entire session but on the final lap Cody McMaster lowered our pole time by less than one tenth of second! A very close finish but a great result to be starting on the front row for the first race of the season.
RACE 1
Unfortunately we started the race with a negative as eagerness overwhelmed me and I jumped the start which resulted in a 5 second penalty. I had the penalty in the back of my mind and did the best to continue and try to build a gap on the 16 car strong field but was tailed by Cody to the line. We had a great race, leading every lap but it was disappointing to drop to 4th in result of the penalty. The blow was soon softened though when Cody was to awarded a 5 second penalty for also jumping the start.
RACE 2
Again we were able to start from P2 as no one was able to better the qualifying times. It was much less eventful race with us having to hold for 2nd place with the minimal passing opportunities that Pukekohe offers.
RACE 3
The tension had definitely built up before the final race as it was the first time the class had been in the reverse grid situation as a stand alone class so no one knew what to expect. We had a fantastic start and pulled up to the row in front going into the turn one sweeper. It turned out to be three wide with us forced in the middle. We managed to come out the best and this bided well for the rest of the race. It was action every second as the faster cars came through the pack. We managed to get to 3rd on lap 6 when the red flag came out for Scott Harrison's freak roll. Fortunately he walked out unscathed and the race was restarted. We managed to get pass the two preceding cars on the first lap back racing and from then on in it was simply about hanging on until the end; which we did!
MEDIA/COVERAGE
We received great coverage from TV3 over the weekend and the class itself was rewarded with an additional race being shown before the feature BNT V8 race. This is fantastic and as quoted by all around the pits "It was too good not to be played." Lets hope it continues for the rest of the series!
OVERALL
The weekend started out a bit shaky with the penalty in race one but we put it behind us and concentrated on our consistency which resulted in us taking out the round and effectively the championship lead.
BNT V8
Angus Fogg and the LG ZM V8 Falcon had a fantastic come back from his crash during practice. The team did a unbelievable job to get him back out on track, working hard into the night and to their credit Angus won the feature reverse grid race on Sunday afternoon. Well done boys!
NEXT UP
We have three busy weeks before the next round at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway in Christchurch which involves us checking and rebuilding the car, making sure we have the best car for the round. On top of this I myself have NCEA exams, so it will be a busy few weeks.
As always I must thank all of our supporters which we are so proud to represent.
Suzuki New Zealand, LG, ZM, Q-West Boat Builders, Tom Ditchfield Panelbeaters, Digital Mobile, Display Associates,
 Suzuki Swift Sport Cup 2009/10
Round One: Pukekohe
06‐08 November, 2009
Well it’s good to be home after what turned out to be quite an eventful weekend for the opening round of the 2009/2010 Suzuki Swift Sport Cup at Pukekohe Park Raceway. With the rain well and
truly on site while we set up in the pits on Thursday, it left us quite wet and cold by the evening but looking forward to the practice sessions on Friday nonetheless.
On Friday morning the sun had turned up, and it was a stunner of a day. The good weather made it ideal for practice as it kept the set up side of things quite simple. In the first session in the morning we went out with a couple of new tyres on the front and got back into the groove of things. The track was quite slippery early on in the session, but we kept it clean to finish the session with the 8th quickest time.
Friday afternoon and the sun was still shining brightly, and we again hit the track with the same tyres we ran in the morning session. We spent the 20 minute session running mainly on our own and not with the pack drafting etc; which resulted in only the 14th quickest time, however I left the circuit looking forward to running with the pack for qualifying on Saturday morning.
On Saturday morning the first session of the day was qualifying. I ventured out with my team mate Matt Gibson and we set about putting in some laps together, however it became evident we would be
better off running with a bigger group of cars to get the most out of the draft. After an interesting session where towards the end it was getting pretty crowded, we set a time good enough for 7th on the grid, which
left us looking really forward to the first race.
Race One on Saturday afternoon was to be my first competitive race start, so we were heading a bit into the unknown. We managed a good start and coming up to the hairpin on the first lap I made up a position which had me in 6th, however on lap two coming out of the first corner the back end of the car was quite skittish, and through turns two
and three it came around on me and I just plain lost it and couldn’t quite gather it up in time. I haven’t seen a replay of it as yet but a quick word to Neil Allport after the race helped me realise just
what went on in the heat of the moment.
I managed to keep it going, and after a few checks down the back straight to make sure everything was a‐ok we kept on trucking and finished the race still running with some decent pace given I was
out there on my own. With Bamber and McMaster jumping the start this promoted my team mate Matt Gibson to the race win, which was a great start for us for the LG Teams Championship, and left
me even more determined to score some good points on Sunday.
After the race the team worked hard to get the car straightened out ready for race two on Sunday morning, in which we started 8th, due to the fact the grid positions for race two were decided by our
qualifying time added to our fastest race lap in race one. It made all that pounding around by myself in the opener totally worth it.
For race two we went up a bit in tyre pressures for more grip early on, and it definitely seemed to work. I managed to get a good start and moved up a place off the line, and then gained another place around the
outside at the hairpin on the opening lap. However this was taken back the next lap at the hairpin. I spent a couple of laps locked in battle with the cars around me, but on lap four we missed the brake point at the
hairpin and ran onto the grass. I managed to gather it up and rejoin the track in tenth place, but I was too far behind to be in the draft and ended up running the race on my own to finish up in tenth position.
Race three was a reverse grid race based on points gathered from the first two races. Our misfortunes in the first two races left us in a good position for the final race, which we started from fourth on the grid. Once again I managed a good start and gained a place off the line, and it was all on for the first couple of laps as we all squabbled in a big pack sometimes going 3‐4 cars wide through the turns. I was determined to hold my own and keep the car straight, which paid off as cars around me touched and ended up going off.
At the midpoint of the race the red flag came out and I found myself in fifth behind Craig Innes, Grant Ryan, Willy Bamber and Ben Dallas, however I was moved ahead of Dallas as with the rules
stating we reform back in our race positions from the lap previous.
As the safety car pulled in I got a decent restart and was behind Bamber with a bit of a gap back to Ben. The next lap I was still in fourth as Ryan and Innes touched at turn three which kicked up a lot
of dust and left me somewhat blinded as to what was going on ahead.
Through the commotion Dallas managed to stick one up the inside to make a move on what had become second place. I found myself in third with Shaun Lawrence closing in and we began our own little battle for 3rd place. Shaun managed to get past at the hairpin a few laps before the end, and on the next lap I attempted a move on him at the hairpin which didn’t quite work out.
I was right on his bumper coming over the hill heading into the final lap, and moved to the inside and tried to make a move as we went foot to the floor side‐by‐side through the turn one sweeper.
There was a little touch but he managed to stay ahead as we headed down the back straight for the final time, where once again I attempted a move at the hairpin but Shaun had the line covered and managed to hold on to third, as we crossed the line separated by 0.1 of
a second.
Finishes of 16th, 10th and 4th for the weekend leaves us 9th in the points, however the experience of racing with 15 other cars on track proved a extremely valuable experience.
I look forward to once again working together with my team mate Matt Gibson and manager Jono Lester in a few weeks time at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway in Christchurch, where we look to build on
the experience of a eventful weekend at Pukekohe.
My thanks must also go out to all my supporters and backers who helped me to get on the grid for this season, including Henshaw Signs who did a fabulous job to get the car signwritten intime for the weekend. It’s been a incredibly busy journey and I’m really looking forward to what the season has in store for all of us over the next few months.
Also a special thanks to the hands‐on assistance from Jake Pascoe and Dom Storey who along with Jono provided invaluable help and support throughout the weekend – hopefully there will be no
more panels to be straightened for the rest of this season!
See you all again in Christchurch, where we look forward to doing it all again!
Sam Robinson  Well the 2009/10 motorrace season started on the weekend with our first round of the Suzuki swift cup held at
Pukekohe. The weather was fine for the whole weekend so setup was pretty easy and we were straight into it being fast from the pits.
We started with testing on Friday which started very succesful as last season as we were fastest by 3 tenths of a second. I was very pleased with my new car and it proved to be as good as last seasons car.
Saturday Qualifying. This season I dont have last years team mate Scott Downes to help me in qualifying with draughting so it made it a wee bit harder to get every tenth out of the car. I was 2nd fastest most of the session to William Bamber however on the final lap I managed to put together an awsome lap giving me Pole position for the first race of the new season running number 1. Bamber 2nd, Ben Dallas 3rd and Matt Gibson 4th of 16.
Race 1: This is when the weekend started to turn bad. Bamber of grid 2 blatintly jumped the start then stopped , when lights went out we were off but bamber bet me to turn 1 and then led t the finish. I was very confident that I would be givin the race win as I knew he would get done for jump start. Once race was finished I was told that we both recieved Time penalties for jump start. This was not a goood start to the season and although I dont believe I jumped the start there was not much I could do about it. Gibson 1st, Dallas 2nd, Alan Dunkley 3rd, Bamber 4th and I was 5th.
Race 2: Starting from pole again I waited till lights had definataly gone out before accelarating away, I got a great start and led from start till finish with bamber behind me to take 2nd, Dallas 3rd Gibson 4th and Scott Harrison 5th.
Race 3: Reverse Grid. As I got a penalty I had to start this race from raer of grid P16.My start was very poor as going into turn 1 Dallas almost got turned around and I had to take avoiding action causing me to loose all momentum. I got going after that and had worked my way to 9th after 5 laps. on the 6th lap I was hit very hard in the left rear gaurd which forced the gaurd onto rear wheel, Meaning every time I turned right the wheel would rub and bog me down. Fortunatley I was able to finish race and climb my way up to 5th. To win th roun I had to beat Bamber , Dallas and Gibson. which I onl beat Gibson.
The weekend results seen Bamber 1st Dallas 2nd and I was 3rd. My Team mate Marc Spring had a good start to his championship also and Im sure we would be placed in top 3 at this stage.
While not the best start to the weekend, we are very happy with the race pace our new car showed and we look foward to ruapuna 26th November where I am sure we can put myself into championship lead.
Untill then thanks you to all my supporters, You can also watch Pukekohe races this sunday on TV3 motorsport and again on 25th Novmber on Sky Sport.
Cody McMaster
Floor Abrading & Coatings Ltd
7/4 Brockworth Place,
Riccarton
Christchurch
M:0274 344 998
P:03 359 5011
F:03 341 7925
E:codyj62@hotmail.com
 It as been a busy off season this year and it seems like just yesterday that we were finishing the last round at Pukekohe. So here's a quick update as to what has been going on behind the scenes.
This year sees a big change for our team. Though the association with Suzuki New Zealand we were able to secure support from LG and ZM.
This was a fantastic outcome for us and with it has come the opportunity to be mentored by one of New Zealand's most well known and successful touring car drivers, Angus Fogg. I look forward to working with Angus throughout the season.
This then saw us travelling to Auckland to the annual Speedshow held at the ASB showground's for the grand unveiling of the LG Motorsport Team for the up coming New Zealand Championships.
It was a great occasion which saw Angus Fogg's LG Newstalk ZB BNT V8, Sloan Frost and Eddie Bell's LG superbikes and finally my own LG ZM Swift being unveiled in front of a large crowd. What a fantastic experience!
The Monday after the event I was lucky enough to be invited by Suzuki NZ to attend and help at the "Suzuki How Swift Are You" competition.
This saw New Zealand celebrities try their skills behind the exact car that I will be competing in for this season.
Again a fantastic experience which saw me meeting iconic kiwi's such as Dai Henwood, Rhys Darby and Anna Scarlet.
And finally it was time to begin testing and the shake down process of the new 1600cc Suzuki Swift Sport. We attended test days at both Pukekohe Park and Taupo Motorsport Park, building on our knowledge of the cars from our previous season in the Swift Sport Cup.
This leads as to the current day. We have now completed all our pre-season preparations for the opening round at Pukekohe Park on the 6th to 8th of November.
I am extremely happy and grateful to be back competing in the 2009/2010 Suzuki Swift Sport Cup. I'm unbelievably excited for the season and can not wait to line up on the grid with 'Barbara' once again.
I'm also very proud to be part of the LG Motorsport Team for 2009/2010. I look forward to working along side Angus and the rest of the team at LG.
It has been a long and hard road to the grid this season so I must thank all my sponsors and supporters for coming on board for this season, without whom I would not be racing.
Suzuki New Zealand, LG, ZM, Punch Advertising, Q-West Boat Builders, Display Associates, Tom Ditchfield Panelbeaters, LG Mobile, Castrol and Winger.
See you all at the first round!
 |
|
|
