Christina Orr-West moves from racing in the Toyota 86 Championship to the North Island Endurance Series at Hampton Downs and is joined by a special teammate.
She had an eventful round in the 86 Championship last weekend at Manfeild with two six places and a fifth to finish at six in the overall rankings.
“We had the pace, but racing so close that it was hard to pass,” said Christina about the weekend.
“Manfeild is just such a tight circuit, plus my gearbox won’t come across the gate from second to third gear. Luckily I only had one corner to deal with but starts were hard.”
With the Dayle ITM Toyota 86 now with the James Marshall Motorsport team to fix the gearbox, Christina moves into the Dayle ITM Mercedes-Benz AMG GT4 race car.
She’s competing today and tomorrow in the three-hour endurance race with a new co-driver, 19-year-old Breanna Morris who competed as a rookie this season in the prestigious Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
Moving from the high-paced driving in the Toyota 86 Championship to the Endurance event means a new mindset for Christina.
“In the Endurance, it’s a bit more ‘chillaxing’,” Christina joked.
“The mindset is completely different, when sprint racing you’re going for every gap. In Endurance you need to watch where you are going, let the car cool down for a few laps. Not like in the 86, when you have someone behind you for in front of you all the time.”
Christina also said her team is more involved in the Endurance Series, rather than the fast pace of the Toyota 86 Championship.
“The team is more involved like when you pit, they are monitoring the time, and your tyre pressure. It’s a different dynamic, just having them looking at everything for you. And sometimes you have to drive to a number.”
So what is the difference in Christina’s driving style between the Toyota 86 Championship and the Endurance Series?
“I keep focused. I’m pretty good because I don’t want to die, so I keep my focus very, very well,” Christina joked.
Christina has had success in the Dayle ITM Mercedes-Benz AMG GT4 at Pukekohe’s Endurance race on March 4, finishing first in class and fourth overall and she’s expecting a similar result at Hampton Downs.
The 35-year-old mum-of-two said she’ll be also mentoring Breanna during the two-day event.
As for Breanna, she’s ready for the challenge.
“For Hampton Downs, I want to continue learning as much as possible in the new car, and to win our class.”
She’s also still on a high from competing in the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
“It’s honestly crazy how much extra grip you get from slick tyres, a front and rear wing on the car that creates downforce.
“Most importantly I learned how to keep my head held high and to continue learning as much as I could with as little experience I had prior to the season.”
She’s spent some time in the AMG GT4 and was impressed with the car.
“Practice in the GT4 Merc went great. I didn’t expect the car to handle so nicely. The ABS brakes will be the biggest thing for me to get used to in the car.”
Cheering on the pair at Hampton Downs is Christina’s husband Jarrad West and their two children, Lucas and Lainey.
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