Expat Kiwi legend Jim Richards (BMW 635i) and local car builder/driver Stu Rogers (Nissan Skyline GTR) shared race wins on an entertaining first day for the Archibalds Historic Touring Car class at the annual Skope Classic motor racing meeting in Christchurch today.
Australian guest Charlie O’Brien was quickest in the category qualifying session on Friday in Murray Sinclair’s Nissan Primera Super Tourer, finished third in the first 6-lap race of the weekend after a great dice with Richards and Rogers but was an early dnf in the second (8-lap) race of the day with a loose engine mount.
After reeling in early pace-setter O’Brien, Richards went on to claim the first race win of his 2017/18 Archibalds series campaign in the beautiful black and gold JPS-liveried BMW owned by local enthusiast and category prime mover Peter Sturgeon.
It was Rogers, the quietly-spoken local ace who has spent that past five years recreating a tribute to the 1990 Nissan Skyline GTR first driven by Mark Skaife, who was the real star today, setting the fastest race lap in the first race as he followed Richards home, then withstanding race-long pressure from Richards to win the second race from pole and also claim another fastest race lap.
With a 19-strong field made up of a mix of cars from Richards’ Group C BMW to the matching NZ2LTC-spec ex Baird and Riley BMW 320i pair of Graeme Clyde and Steven Kelly, the new Archibalds category proved popular with the large crowd at the track.
Dunedin driver Arron Black (BMW E30 M3) impressed with pace which saw him finish fourth in the first race and third in the second, while Timaru driver Kevin Pateman flew the flag high for locally-built NZ2LTC-spec cars in the Ford Telstar he build and raced in period, finishing just shy of the more highly developed BTCC BMW E36 Super Tourers of local pair Bruce Miles and Dale Chapman.
Car owner Peter Sturgeon also proved handy behind the wheel of the Gp A BMW M3 driven at the recent Hampton Downs round by Steven Richards, finishing eighth in the first race and 11th in the second.
There are another pair of races for the Archibalds class tomorrow before the series heads south for the 2017/18 final at the Evolution Motorsport classic meeting at Invercargill’s Teretonga Park,
RESULTS
Qualifying (Fri)
1. Charlie O’Brien (Nissan Primera ST) 1:33.512
2. Arron Black (BMW M3 GpA) 1:33.683
3. Jim Richards (BMW 635i Gp C) 1:33.940
4. Stu Rogers (Nissan Skyline Gp A) 1:34.015
5. Andrew Buist (BMW 320i ST) 1:35.391
6. Bruce Miles (BMW 320i ST) 1:35.563
7. Kevin Pateman (Ford Telstar NZTC) 1:36.770
8. Pete Sturgeon (BMW M3 Gp A) 1:37.346
9. Dale Chapman (BMW 318i ST) 1:38.431
10. Nick Young (BMW 325i GpA) 1:38.990
11. Michael Buist (BMW 325i GpA) 1:40.235
12. Steven Kelly (BMW 320i NZTC) 1:40.381
13. Simon Crampton (BMW M3 GpA) 1:40.642
14. Warren Good (BMW 318i ST) 1:41.476
15. Trevor Crowe (BMW 635i GpA) 1:41.682
16. Graeme Clyde (BMW 3201 NZTC) 1:42.276
17. Murray Cleland (Nissan Sentra GT Cup)1:43.643
18. Tony Forde (Holden Commodore Gp A) 1:44.689
19. Dennis Ham (Alfa Romeo 155 GpA) 1:48.416
Race 1 (6 laps)
1. Jim Richards 9:29.499
2. Stu Rogers +0.384
3. Charlie O’Brien +1.293
4. Arron Black +2.700
5. Bruce Miles +12.577
6. Dale Chapman +15.334
7. Kevin Pateman +22.447
8. Pete Sturgeon +27.045
9. Andrew Buist +37.506
10. Warren Good +38.350
11. Nick Young +38.733
12. Trevor Crowe +40.692
13. Simon Crampton +45.061
14. Michael Buist +47.622
15. Steven Kelly +57.660
16. Murray Cleland +1:13.678
17. Dennis Ham +1:24.444
DNF. Tony Forde
DNS. Graeme Clyde
Race 2 (8 laps)
1. Stu Rogers 11:52.806
2. Jim Richards +3.097
3. Arron Black +6.458
4. Bruce Miles +7.565
5. Dale Chapman +11.370
6. Andrew Buist +12.593
7. Kevin Pateman +24.839
8. Trevor Crowe +33.272
9. Steven Kelly +36.586
10. Nick Young +37.575
11. Pete Sturgeon +39.019
12. Warren Good +42.876
13. Simon Crampton +43.635
14. Murray Cleland +1:04.320
15. Tony Forde +1:05.423
16. Dennis Ham +1:24.680
DNF. Michael Buist
DNF. Charlie O’Brien
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