Auckland’s Daniel Connor very nearly achieved the perfect weekend at the end of another very competitive second round of the 2016/2017 SsangYong Yong Racing Series Powered By The BNZ Bank, at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo (Dec. 9/10/11). Connor topped the qualifying session, and then scored two wins, a second, and a third place, over the four races to top the round and move into the overall lead of the Series after two rounds. An impressive twenty-nine drivers competed in front of an appreciative and hardy crowd in Taupo, braving changeable weather conditions over the three days of practice, qualifying and racing.
Former Series Champion Connor was the fastest qualifier in his #90 LDV Vans sponsored Actyon Ute, ahead of Rowan Shepherd in his #2NZ Bolt Shop Actyon. Christina Orr-West, running her #55 Haddock Spraypainting and Panelbeating SsangYong Actyon, qualified third. Series points leader Caine Lobb qualified fourth ahead of Matt Gibson, with Taupo’s Trey Nairn completing the top six.
Connor then went on to win yet another highly entertaining and action packed first race with rain starting to fall as soon as the drivers left pitlane for the formation lap. All the drivers battled changing conditions as the rain stopped and then came back in again towards the end of the eight-lap race. Connor handled the conditions masterfully and won comfortably in the end from Christina Orr-West and points leader Lobb. Meanwhile Championship hopeful Rowan Shepherd suffered an untimely DNF in the first race due to a mechanical issue, while Alexandra Whitley and Mark Mallard were served with mechanical flags for an open tailgate, and severe frontal damage respectively. Matt Gibson, Ken Hunter, and Trey Nairn completed the top six for race one.
The second race lined up with the top ten reversed from their finishing positions from Race 1, with last year’s Pukekohe round winner Kieron Rollinson starting from pole position alongside Ryan Bailey, with Connor and Orr-West from row five. Rollinson led from the start, coming under severe pressure from his brother Royce Rollinson and Todd Prujean. Meanwhile Rowan Shepherd and Alexandra Whitley were progressing through the field, having started from the rear of the grid after their race one issues. Kieron Rollinson held on for a hard-fought win in the end, ahead of a charging Connor, and Royce Rollinson. Ryan Bailey finished fourth ahead of Todd Prujean, and Trey Nairn. Points leader Caine Lobb slowed towards the end of the race while in the top five, having suffered a broken throttle pedal, dropping the former V8 Utes Champion to twelfth. Shepherd charged to eleventh, with Whitley fourteenth from the rear of the twenty-nine Ute grid.
Christina Orr-West then scored a very hard-earned victory in the third race on the Sunday morning, again in changeable conditions. It was another classic SsangYong Racing Series battle for the top spots, as Orr-West was chased and pressured for the whole race, first by Daniel Connor, and then by Rowan Shepherd. Shepherd, who tried a last lap run down to the line out of the final corner, just came up short by just a tenth of a second. They were followed across the line by Connor, Gibson, and expat Australians Alexandra Whitley and Peter Bennett.
For the fourth and final race, Connor then controlled the pace out front from pole to win his second race of the weekend to give him the round win, and consolidate his now Championship lead. Orr-West completed a strong weekend with a second-place finish, with Matt Gibson finishing third. Kieron Rollinson, Rowan Shepherd, and Caine Lobb completed the top six.
So after four exciting and action packed SsangYong Racing Series races at Taupo, Daniel Connor (566 points) comfortably won the round, ahead of Orr-West (510 points), and Gibson (434 points). Kieron Rollinson (399), Royce Rollinson (368), and Caine Lobb (368) completed the top six. With Lobb’s second race issue, Connor (900) now leads the overall points after two rounds, from Lobb (767), and the ever consistant Gibson (749). Next up for The SsangYong Racing Series is Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park, South of Auckland, for the third Round of the Championship on January 27/28/29, 2017.
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