It was Chris White Jnr’s day as the second round of the Nexen Tyre Mazda Racing Series National Championship began at Levels Raceway on the outskirts of Timaru today (Saturday). The event is also Round 3 of the series’ South Island Championship.
The Prebbleton driver sped around the 2.4 kilometre Levels circuit in a time of 1 minute 10.494 seconds in qualifying, 1 second under the lap record, to take the $500 Premier Insulation Pole Award. He then won the opening race of the round later in the day.
The track was damp for qualifying with a lot of sky watching as the session approached. Several drivers found it relatively hard to set their cars up for the conditions. Some got it right, others did not. Leo Bult of Auckland, a race winner at the opening round was one who struggled, qualifying twelfth, over 2 seconds off the pace,
Aucklander Flynn Mullany qualified second fastest while championship leader Simon Baker of Wellington was third followed by Warren Crowther (Auckland), Shane Paget (Rangiora), Matt Dodd (Christchurch) and the phenomenal Brent Collins of South Canterbury who hustled his way to seventh fastest time in his older “Batman” Mazda.
The track had dried in time for the race and it saw a fantastic three-way battle at the front of the field between White Jnr, Mullany and Baker.
Four drivers dipped under the previous lap record during the race but it was White Jnr who set the new mark of 1.10.531 on his way to victory, a result that also extended his South Island Championship lead.
Mullany crossed the line second, ahead of Baker with Crowther fourth ahead of Paget. Matt Dodd and Matt Horne of Masterton were sixth and seventh respectively after their own fierce battle throughout the race.
The top ten was rounded out by Auckland drivers, Elton Wichman, Sam Dashfield and Bult.
The top ten finishers will find themselves starting in reverse order in a 10-lap race tomorrow morning while the action will conclude with an 8 lap contest tomorrow afternoon.
Photograph: Chris White Jnr and team celebrate receiving the Premier Insulation Pole Award after qualifying at Levels Raceway in Timaru today. White Jnr went on to win the opening race of the second round of the Nexen Tyre Mazda Racing Series National Championship, setting a new lap record and extending his South Island Championship lead in the process
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