Look back in history Sunday: Victory for O’Donnell & Neale at Levels (2009)

This week we look back to 2009 and the second round of the ASKO Appliacnes South Island Endurance Series.  Here is Lindsay Beer’s race-day report:

Scott O’Donnell of Invercargill and Andy Neale of Christchurch reversed the result of the opening round when they took their Porsche GT3 RSR to victory at Round 2 of the ASKO Appliances South Island Endurance Three hour Series at Timaru International Motor Raceway at Levels near Timaru today.

The duo crossed the line four laps ahead of first round winners Matt and Dwayne Carter of Auckland in a Ford Falcon V8 Supercar to set up the ultimate showdown at the final round at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway in Christchurch on 31 October. The two teams are now equal on points after the Carter Falcon won at Teretonga from Scott O’Donnell and his co-driver on that occasion, Lindsay O’Donnell.

O’Donnell was very, very happy after the race. “The car went wonderfully well and Andy drove a wonderful second stint. We had two laps in hand when I handed over and we won by four laps. It was a nice, smooth display. The Porsche was very suited to the rain, it grips and goes and does everything right. I’m looking forward to the showdown at Ruapuna.”

The win was far from straightforward however as conditions were atrocious for much of the race. Indeed O’Donnell had a spectacular spin as he came onto the front straight to complete the first lap, fortunately spinning down the straight without hitting anything. The Chev Corvette of Alexandra drivers Bruce Davidson and David Garden was not so lucky soon after when it spun at the same corner and hit the fence, necessitating a pitstop to change a bent steering rod.

Even less lucky was the Angus McFarlane Toyota Altezza which spun at the same place after ten minutes, hitting the bank and retiring. McFarlane had started near the back and had made great progress through the field when the incident occurred. The conditions were also causing problems in other ways and both the Warren Good/Arron Black BMW and the Carter’s Falcon stopped with demister problems in the poor visibility.

Through the confusion the John Wadsworth/Warren Croft Commodore took the lead from the Garry Cliff/Hayden Knighton Porsche and the Dale and Dennis Chapman BMW.

Just before 1/3 distance the O’Donnell Porsche had recovered to make it through to the lead ahead of the Blenheim duo of Wadsworth/Croft and Cliff and the Chapman BMW. The battle between second, third and fourth place was very close at this point.

The Carter Falcon stopped again at about that time with a broken header, continuing on but sounding very definitely off song.

The Davidson/Garden Corvette was the next casualty with a rear diff problem, losing time in the pits. At the one hour forty minute mark O’Donnell, who had built up a 2 lap lead over Chapman, pitted to hand over to Neale.

The Patrick Heagney/Scott McDermid Toyota Sprinter pitted with a flat battery at the 2 hour mark, losing several laps while the battery was changed.

Meanwhile the Carter Falcon was making solid progress through the field climbing to fifth place. With half an hour to go it was into second, albeit well behind the Porsche. The track was now drying and in the lead Neale was hunting for wet patches on the track to save his tyres.

Neale crossed the line to give himself and O’Donnell a comfortable win, covering 134 laps to win by four laps from Matt & Dwayne Carter. Cliff and Knighton of Christchurch took third, a further lap behind with Wadsworth and Croft in fourth, the Chapman BMW fifth and Good and Black sixth.

Despite the diabolical conditions only two cars failed to finish – the McFarlane car plus Pavlos Van Aalst and Dean McGuigan of Christchurch who spun at the top end of the circuit and had the starter motor fail in their Mazda RX3.

Meanwhile Gore driver Dave McLean won the One Hour ASKO Appliances race which was run within the longer event. McLean who drove his Honda Integra solo in the event was elated with the win. McLean made a clever decision to make his compulsory pit stop when the safety car appeared and went on to win in by one lap from Stuart Black of Dunedin in a Toyota Starlet with Southlanders Bradley and Jeremy Dawson third in their Starlet.

The ASKO Appliances SI Endurance Series now moves to what promises to be an epic finale at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway at Ruapuna on Saturday 31st October 2009 . The overall 3hr series champion will be awarded the ‘South Canterbury Toyota Cup’, plus the Club has been donated an original watercolor painting by High Country artist Norman Sinclair valued at approximately $10,000-00 which will be given away as a spot prize.

The overall One Hour series champion will receive the new SIERDC 1 Hour Champions trophy and the Club also gives away prizes and prizemoney throughout the five classes being McFarlane Group Developments Class 4 (0-1600cc), Burnside Contractors Class 3 (1601-2000cc), Hagley Building Products Class 2 (2001-3500cc), Southern Finance Class 1 (3501cc and over) and the new ASKO Appliances GT class.

Points to date:

ASKO Appliances Overall points

1st = Carter/Carter – BA Supercar – 182 points

1st = Scott O’Donnell – Porsche GT3 RSR – 182 points

3rd Chapman/Chapman – BMW – 143 points

4th Wadsworth/Croft – Commodore – 139 points

5th Davidson/Garden – Chev Corvette – 136 points

6th Scarfe/S Black – Falcon Ute – 131 points

ASKO Appliances GT Class

1st Carter/Carter – BA Supercar – 182 points

2nd S O’Donnell/O’Donnell – Porsche RSR – 182 points

3rd Cliff/Knighton – Porsche 996T 4WD – 100 points

Southern Finance Ltd Class 1 (3501cc +)

1st= Davidson/Garden – Corvette C5 – 175 points

1st= Wadsworth/Croft – VY Commodore – 175 points

3rd Scarfe/Black – Ford XR8 Ute – 174 points

Hagley Building Products Class 2 (2001 – 3500cc)

1st Chapman/Chapman – BMW SuperTourer – 190 points

2nd Heagney/McDermid – Toyota Sprinter – 67 points

3rd Mann/Tinnelly – Mazda RX7 – 60 points

Burnside Contractors Class 3 (0-2000cc)

1st Good/Black – BMW 320i – 75 points

2nd Greenslade/Murphy – Datsun S2000 – 20 points

One Hour Series

ASKO Appliances Overall points

1st McLean – Honda Integra – 75 points

2nd S Black – Toyota Starlet – 67 points

3rd Dawson/Dawson – Toyota Starlet – 60 points

4th MacGibbon – Starlet S2000 – 54 points

5th Carter – Porsche 911 – 49 points

6th Sinclair – Peugeot 106 – 45 points

Hagley Building Products Class 2 (2001 – 3500cc)

1st Carter – Porsche 911 – 75 points

2nd= Good/A Black – BMW – 0 points

Burnside Contractors Class 3 (0-2000cc)

1st McLean – Honda Integra – 75 points

2nd MacGibbon – Starlet – 67 points

McFarlane Group Developments Class 4 (0-1600cc)

1st S Black – Toyota Starlet – 75 points

2nd Dawson/Dawson – Toyota Starlet – 67 points
3rd Sinclair – Peugeot – 60 points