The Endurance Series Thread

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since we don't have an endurance thread..

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Car 67 Mahindra 6 Hour Hampton Downs

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Trass Family Motorsport Ferrari

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more from Hampton Downs

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Inky's new whip

[Woolley]

Originally Posted by promax

since we don't have an endurance thread..

Didn't know you had an endurance series either... Tell me more?

[Just Do It!]

Has the Woolley grown over your eyes, fella?

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well this is NZ.. and as you know.. we like to complicate things.. so we've got 2 North Island series that run at the same time. Mahindra North Island Endurance Racing Series and North Island Endurance Race Series - Sponsored by Origin Windows. Those who live in the South Island seem to have more sense.. they obviously didn't see the need for two series. South Island Endurance Series

[raymond]

Originally Posted by promax

Those who live in the South Island seem to have more sense.. they obviously didn't see the need for two series. South Island Endurance Series

....and the NZ Endurance Championship title has been picked up by the SIES as a start point this season with a view to building and including the North Island WHEN there is one obvious series!

[HProject]

Originally Posted by raymond

....and the NZ Endurance Championship title has been picked up by the SIES as a start point this season with a view to building and including the North Island WHEN there is one obvious series!

I'd say right now that it's pretty clear which North Island based series is the 'obvious' one. Hint: It's the one that can attract more than five or so entries to anything longer than a one hour race

[Southern Man]

Bearing in mind that the South Island Endurance Series first started in the early 1970's with the likes of the Mercury Series then evolving to the South Island Production Long Distance Series through to what is now there today as the South Island Endurance Series it has certainly stood the test of time producing full fields and great competition each and every year.

As for new comers into this sector of the sport wanting to change eligibility criteria or structure of the southern series to build up a "NZ" set of regulations, well in my opinion they would be seen as to have either self interest at heart or rocks in their head.

In my very humble opinion the South Island regulations should be adopted for NZ without change for a minimum of two years before being reviewed then changed/updated if required, then run for a further three years before another review / change / update etc. This process then to continue on three yearly cycles into the future.

[CDM]

Latest press release from the South island Series...

http://nzmotorracing.co.nz/nz-champi...ce-series.html

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South Island Endurance Series test day at Ruapuna



https://www.facebook.com/sierdcnz/posts/294061150797365

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Big grid for ASKO One Hour opener at Teretonga

Next weekend (20th September) will see a big field of exciting cars field journey South to Teretonga Park, Invercargill for the opening round of the three round ASKO One Hour Race Series, which is run alongside the ASKO South Island Endurance Series. Plus for the first time the South Island Series will also double up as the 2014 Motorsport New Zealand Endurance Championship, so there will be more than just pride on the line

The One hour Series is a real mixed bag for 2014 with a number of new cars & new drivers for the Series. This, along with many seasoned campaigners making modifications & upgrades, means that Series organizers are promising some great racing and the crowd will again be in for a real treat. Entries are wildly varied and range from late model Porsche & Ferrari race cars, through to little Toyota’s & Honda that are more commonly seen at the local shops. So no matter if you’re a fan of V8’s, turbo's, rotary’s, 2wd, 4wd, big, small, Japanese or European cars you will definitely be able to cheer on a favorite!

The driver line-up is equally as varied as the cars, with drivers ranging from the young guns to the old heads and the Series is also thrilled that female drivers are represented with both Sue McLaughlin (Porsche 997 GT3) and Alyssa Clapperton (Holden Commodore) lining up in a race that will see drivers ranging from novice level to highly experienced.

The GT class is likely to be where the race and Series battle will be, as the Porsche 997 GT3’s of Hugh ‘Ace’ Gardiner, Hayden Knighton, Danny Whiting, Sue McLaughlin, Danny Stutterd and Sam Fillmore take on the Ferrari’s of Tim O’Connor (458) and Gerald Trass (430). However defending 1hr Series champion Grant Williams will debut his Corvette Z06 in this years 1 hour series, and although downplaying his chances the American muscle could well take it to the precision Euro’s for GT class & overall honors. This class seen some fantastic, down to the wire, racing in 2012 and expect nothing less in 2013.

With Williams stepping up to the GT class, that leaves Class 1 (3501cc +) up for grabs. Dunedin’s Brian Scott’s Corvette C5 has also undergone significant upgrades over the off season but also look out for Chris Henderson (Toyota AE86 V8) who will also be one to watch with a season under his belt in his new car. This class sees the classic V8 v Turbo battle and leading the turbo brigade are likely to be Johnny Waldron (R32 Skyline), Rick Matheson (RX7 turbo) and past 3hr Series champion Allan Dippie (Focus RS500). However also don’t discount the modified ex-NZ6 Commodore of Kieran Roberts/Nathan Pilcher who could easily win the class through reliability if not outright speed.

The competition will be as fiercely fought throughout every class within the Series and Class 2 (2001cc-3500cc) is huge with over 15 cars registered for this class alone. This includes a great mix of BMW M3’s for drivers including Warren Good, Pavlos Van Aalst & Adam Glass. Turbo cars for Pat & Ryan Heagney (AE86), Andy Giles (AE86), Darryn Andrews (Primera) & Malcolm Jones (DX Corolla) and other cars from Mini Challenge & Pro7 spec RX7’s through to the Classic Porsche 911SC of Chris Fleury.

Class 3&4 (0-2000cc) also has a strong field of entries with Stu Black (Starlet) likely to be the pace setter in the fast but fragile Toyota Starlet. His job will potentially be made easier this year with neither of the Dawson brothers Jeremy (Starlet) & Bradley (Trueno) only doing selected rounds in 2014, after dominating this class in recent years. However, new to this class are both James Mitchell (Integra) & Darren Keen (Primera), the returning Ian Wooster (MX5) who suffered a huge roll-over at last years opening round as well as Marc Denton (BMW E30) so there will certainly be some great battles within this class.

After next weekend's opening round, the ASKO One Hour Race Series then invades Powerbuilt Ruapuna, Christchurch on 4 October before the Series grand finale at Levels Raceway, Timaru on 18 October. The One Hour Race Series is seen as a fun and affordable way to enter endurance racing but still experience the thrill & strategy of the old fashioned tortoise and the hare battles that endurance racing is renowned for.

Thanks to Series sponsor ASKO Appliances as well as class sponsors Mobil 1, Southern Finance, Paul Kelly Motor Company & Hagley Aluminium the Series will again have a significant prizemoney pool that will be paid out across the One Hour classes, as well as major spot prizes that can be won by either 1hr or 3hr competitors.

[CDM]

Hot competition set for Teretonga this weekend.

The ASKO South Island Endurance Series blasts into life this weekend with its annual trip to the world’s southernmost circuit at Teretonga Park, Invercargill for Round One of its Three Round Series. The 2014 ASKO Series is guaranteed to be as exhilarating as previous years and with the Series being awarded NZ Endurance Championship status for 2014 it will mean that finishing races, performing well & accumulating championship points will be the key to ultimate success.

The fastest endurance cars in New Zealand are heading south for the Series opener and it will be a sight to behold as household Kiwi names such as Craig Baird and Ant Pederson will come directly from competing in the Sandown 500 to line up at the Teretonga Series opener. The series is again excited to have ASKO Appliances as its naming rights sponsor and along with series sponsors Mobil 1, Pacific Invoice Finance, Paul Kelly Motor Company and Hagley Aluminium they have managed to secure a significant prize money pool to pay out to series competitors. “We have $30,000 in cash that we will pay out across the classes in both the 3hr & 1hr Series” said series secretary Chris Dunn. “Plus we have a magnificent Norm Sinclair original painting valued around $10,000 a set of new Michelin tyres and goodies from ENDLESS brakes that will all be given away as spot prizes, so its again NZ’s biggest prize and prizemoney package.”

The Series is delighted with both the quality & quantity of entries and once again they have some new and electrifying cars joining the Series. The series will see every ASKO 3 hour Series champion since 2006, except one, returning as teams not only battle it out for class and Series honors and silverware, but now also have the added incentive of also being crowned the Motorsport New Zealand Endurance Champions for 2014.

The battle for outright honors is likely to come from the exotic GT class, which is dominated by the Porsche marquee with 10 of the German machines set to take on the Italian Stallion Ferrari F430 driven by young gun & 2012/13 NZ Endurance Champion Jono Lester & Robin Gray. However this year may be the best chance yet for a v8 victory with the thundering ex-V8 SuperCar of Matt Carter/Dwayne Cater being prepped for a full on assault at the ASKO title. They are joined in the V8 camp by the superb V8 SuperTourer prototype, fresh from winning the recent Mahindra North Island Endurance Series, piloted at Teretonga by John DeVeth & John Hepburn and a car that many many people are looking forward to seeing, the brand new FIA GT3 spec Chev Camaro of Southland hero & motorsport legend Inky Tulloch. Tulloch will team up with past Series champions Grant Aitken as they make a serious tilt at the ASKO & NZ titles. However, as good as the V8’s may be, you can never discount the Porsches and multiple series champion Paul Kelly has Porsche superstar Craig Baird as his team mate for the 2014 series. Their new weapon will be Paul’s ex Australian Carrera Cup car, as PK sets his sights on an unprecedented fourth straight title. Other Porsche entries that certainly can’t be discounted include the International Motorsport entry of Andrew Bagnall/Ant Pedersen (997 GT3) and Allan Dippe/Scott O’Donnell (997 GT3 Cup S) as well as young gun George McFarlane/Angus McFarlane (997 GT3 Cup R), however the cat amongst the pigeons could easily be past series champion Michael Bushell & TraNZam champ Grant Silvester who will revert to the Red Rocket Porsche 996 GT2 twin turbo for the 2014 Series, and will be a serious threat if they can iron out the bugs from this lethal weapon.

With the factory built race cars in the GT class, Class 1 (3501cc +) is dominated by the traditional Kiwi Hybrids and picking a class winner here is equally as unlikely. 2011 & 2013 Class champions Graham Rhodes/Paul Rickerby will be using an updated version of last years Mazda RX7 V8 for their 2014 class title defense and will be joined by the sister car of Darryl Barrett/Hamish Frew who are stepping up from the 1hr Series. Another to look out for will be the magnificent Corvette C6R of Bruce Davidson/Dave Garden who are looking forward to a strong showing after a year of development with their new car and 2012 Class champions Craig McDermid/Scott McDermid are waving the turbo flag as they debut the amazing new twin turbo Supra powered Toyota 86, so you can guarantee that Class 1 will also be an enthralling duel.

A few of the Class 2 (2001cc -3500cc) cars could easily surprise with BMW entries dominating this class, including the experience duo of Jim Wallace/Stephen Grellet, Allan McCormick/David McCormick (BMW GTR) and the immaculate M3 Turbo for Shane Helms/Rob Bolland. The unknown quantity in class two would be previous class 3&4 winners Steve Parker/Matt Jackson who move up a class for 2014 with the flower power Honda S2000 now having a turbocharged engine. Other to look out for in class 2 are Mike Driver/Guy Stewart (Seat Leon Supercopa) plus a 2 car team from Ralliart NZ for past NZ rally champ Chris West/Andrew Simms (Evo 10) and Matthew Wales/Craig Vulawalu (Evo 9), who will both no doubt be looking for some Teretonga rain.

The final class is our combined class 3&4 (0-2000cc) which is also shaping up to be a very exciting class and has some magnificent machinery. The 2014 class winning ex- Kiwi Team Nurburgring Civic R of Paul Coghill/Kynan Yu will take on the beautiful factory built Mugen Civic RC Cup car of Garry Cliff/Hayden Knighton. Another factory car is the ex-World Touring Car BMW 320i of Arron Black/Stu Black who will drop back to class 3&4 for 2014 after replacing the unreliable 3 litre engine in favour of the cars original 2 litre WTCC powerplant. Honda also power entries for Jeff Vincent/Daniel Currie (Civic) and Tim Pollard/Mark Meadows (Integra) against the lone Toyota ex NZ Touring car Corona of Grant Constable/tba and the ever reliable Peugeot 106 of Ken Sinclair/Dennis Ham, who will keep everyone in the class honest through reliability if not speed.

After this weekends round at Teretonga, the ASKO Endurance Series moves to Mike Pero Ruapuna, Christchurch on 4 October before the Series grand finale at Levels Raceway, Timaru on 18 October, where the overall 3 Hour Series champion will be awarded the South Canterbury Toyota Cup as well as the New Zealand Endurance Championship title

Qualifying and the race are on Saturday 20th September, wit the 3hr race expected to start around 1:30pm. With 30 cars scheduled to line up at Teretonga there are still some entry spots still available for the Three Hour Series. For more information on the South Island Endurance Series, entries, or to be added to the South Island Endurance Racing Drivers Club’s e-mailing list, please contact Chris Dunn via e-mail at sierdc@xtra.co.nz ph 021-107-9293. Club information can also be found on facebook at www.facebook.com/sierdcnz, where there are free tickets plus a hotlap to be given away. For more information on the series sponsor ASKO, please visit www.asko.co.nz

[E36ST]

Another brilliant meeting put on by SIERDC at Mike Pero Motorsport Park Ruapuna today.

Where else can you see a V8 Supercar, V8 Supertourer, NZV8, a Group A M3, BMW WTCC, two Ferraris (458 challenge?), a dozen Porsche GT3s and many more examples of fine machinery all racing at the same meeting.

Fantastic.

[DX20VT]

Not only at the same meeting, but in the same race too.

[Icarus_nz]

Timaru this weekend.
Who will fumble the win?

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it's a pity the series doesn't have the ss-yongs tv time. the racing currently on tv3 plus (as I type this) reminds me of the block tv show lol

[Southern Man]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald...s-under-champs

[CDM]

Originally Posted by Icarus_nz

I agree that (particularly) the SI Endurance guys have got a great format.
By the competitors, for the competitors. There is a variety of equipment and a great deal of passion. Without the known 'pilots' the level of driving ability is largely middle the bell curve - it appears high until you know how to read the graph.

Already tho this series is turning into a big ****ing contest.
If top notch teams and drivers turned up, the big spenders who support this class year after year (and good on them that they do) would get such a towelling, that would be the end of things.
The class is sustained by enthusiasm not raw ability.

Do spectators care about the stars or about future stars? Yes of course they do.

I will post this in the Endurance Series thread, rather than the V8 thread to keep them both on topic...

The SI Endurance Series is certainly a series set up by the drivers for the drivers. Without bucketloads of money there cant be either TV or masses of PR & that's fine by the series. The prizemoney fund could be turned into a TV or PR fund, but why??

I agree that no-one will get picked up from the Series & fastracked to F1, but that's not what its about. Its about guys enjoying their Motorsport. It is 110% most definitely is fuelled by enthusiasm, but whats wrong with that?

Do they care about the stars?? I dunno... Alex Davidson, Dave Reynolds, SVG, Johnny Reid, Dan Gaunt & Ant Pedersen all competed in last years Enduro Series & I don't believe that they bought one extra paying person to the events. Maybee if the series spent the $30k on advertising it might, but that's not the Series prerogative.

The Series already has some pretty good teams, but yes there is every chance a "topper notch" team will front up & blow everyone's door off. Maybe the rule change last year to keep it at the Pro-Am level it currently has will prevent that, maybe not.
If they spend a gazillion dollars to win a chocolate fish & a trophy then good luck to them, I'm sure they will have no more or no less fun that the guy with the Peugeot 106, and ultimately the fun factor is all that matters to the Series.

[Icarus_nz]

Originally Posted by CDM

Do they care about the stars?? I dunno... Alex Davidson, Dave Reynolds, SVG, Johnny Reid, Dan Gaunt & Ant Pedersen all competed in last years Enduro Series & I don't believe that they bought one extra paying person to the events. Maybee if the series spent the $30k on advertising it might, but that's not the Series prerogative.

To clarify, the comment regarding stars was not aimed your series in its current format.

Originally Posted by CDM

If they spend a gazillion dollars to win a chocolate fish & a trophy then good luck to them, I'm sure they will have no more or no less fun that the guy with the Peugeot 106, and ultimately the fun factor is all that matters to the Series.

Watching some of the efforts that fail year after year, I scarcely think a decent effort would need to spend anything like the money currently thrown around.
I agree the fun is (and should be) a significant component to competitor motivation.

As for the chocolate fish and trophy - isn't that all we race for here in NZ?

Although, don't you guys hand out an NZ title at the end of things these days too?

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well I for one... like the direction this is heading in

[HProject]

Originally Posted by promax

well I for one... like the direction this is heading in

Mint photo that Ferrari one The iSign It boys are proper artists. Was great watching that livery come to life.

[Biggy G]

What sort of lap times do those Pontiac and Porsche things pull? Compared to the ST's at the weekend?