Former GT4 Champion Nigel Cromie will return to the track this season, stepping up to the Open Class of the Summerset GT New Zealand Championship in a Porsche 992.
Having watched from the sidelines over the last couple of seasons, Cromie says he has been keeping an eye on the on-track action.
“The racing has been great to watch. I particularly kept an eye on the Open Class as it was such close racing with all the 992 Porsches and a couple of GT2 cars. Some great drivers also, so I was getting itchy feet just watching. It is pretty awesome that in NZ we have a series of such amazing cars,” said Cromie.
Taking to circuit racing a number of years ago after largely racing marathon jet boats, Cromie says he’s attempting to quickly learn the differences between the McLaren 570S GT4 car he’s raced previously and a full-blown Porsche Cup Car.
“I’ve found it a decent step up from the GT4 car and a bit of a wake-up call. The Porsche does everything so well, but you definitely have to drive them harder. The GT4 was all about being super smooth, whereas you can drive the Porsche on the edge a lot more to get the most out of it. On top of that, it just has more grip and better brakes, which always helps!”
“I’ve done two races in it now, and I feel more comfortable in the car. The first race was just something I tried to get through cleanly. We managed to do a day of testing before Highlands and found some pace, which helps with the confidence. We came second in class and first Porsche home, so that turned out great.”
“I have had lots of help from Tom Alexander and Kaleb Ngatoa, who have been awesome. When you see what they can do in these cars, I have a lot of room for improvement, so I will be leaning on them as much as I can!”
Looking to the season ahead, it’ll be a case of getting through Round One at Hampton Downs, then assessing the goals for the rest of the season.
“I have not really had the chance to think about it, to be honest, as we only decided to commit to the series after Highlands last weekend. So we have 10 days to get organised and up to Hampton Downs. I think I will use the first round to see how my pace is against the others — there are a number of guys there who have been racing these cars a while now, and they’re all fast.”
“Then there is a decent break until Round Two, so plenty of time to practise, I hope!”
Round One of the Summerset GT New Zealand Championship will be at Hampton Downs, October 31 – November 2.
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