Round 3 - Ruapuna - Round Results

Dale completed Round 3 of the NZV8s Championship at Pukekohe in 7th place overall - an awesome result for Dale and the team, reflecting the hard work everyone put in over the weekend. Dale now sits at 9th place overall in the Championship points table, with 300 points.

Dale's results page can be found here:

http://www.dalewilliamsracing.com/race-results

Official Results:

http://www.nzv8s.co.nz/pages/9/results.htm

Round 3 - Ruapuna - Race 3

Dale just finished Race 3 here at Ruapuna in a fantastic 6th place,
after putting in an awesome drive to round of the weekend in style.

Dale started at 14th place on the grid, and after the first attempt at
a rolling start failed the race was underway. Dale quickly moved from
14th to 4th place and held out all but the most experienced
competition to maintain his position throughout the race, finishing
6th from a field of 24.

The team and of Dale's supporters are stoked with the result of the
race and the overall round. It has taken a bit of time in the car, and
a lot of work from the SCG Racing team, but now Dale and the
Stabicraft Ford Falcon are finishing where they want to be: up with
the best.

Dale's fastest lap time was 1:32.380. Dale's race time was 24.302s
back from 1st place (but Craig Baird maintained a huge lead).

Round 3 - Ruapuna - Race 2

A cooler day today, with more cloud about and a bit of wind, the track
here at Ruapuna isn't quite as fierce.

Dale finished race 2 in 9th place after an awesome start, and a really
solid drive. A moment of distraction saw Eddie Bell get past Dale
when he took a corner wide, but that was the only moment anyone came
near after the start. Dale held his position for the remainder of the
race, and put in some good lap times, faster towards the end.

Dale lost a wing-mirror in a clash on one of the first corners of the
race, but it was recovered by a friendly race official and reattached
before lunch ;-)

Dale's fastest lap was 1:31.683 In lap 6. Dale's final time was
17.139s off 1st place.

So it's a few hours wait now, before the third and final race of the
weekend, the 20 lap reverse-grid race.

Round 3 - Ruapuna - Race 1

Dale finished the first race here at Ruapuna this weekend in 11th
place after working his way through the pack from 18th off the grid.

There was plenty of action out there on the track today (as always!),
but it was a hot track today too, 112 degrees on the surface! A few
incidents in front and to the side of Dale left the car in a bit of a
mess, but nothing too serious, thankfully. Dale lost a few spots and
had to work to get them back when a crash ahead forced him to slow to
go around.

Dale did a great job out there today, and the team is happy with the
result. If qualifying had gone a bit better, then maybe we'd be inside
the top 10, but just outside it in a field of 25 is a good result none
the less.

I'll update this a little later too, with more details, as they come in.

Round 3 - Ruapuna - Qualifying

It has turned into a really hot day today, Dale must have been boiling
in the car during qualifying! After making it through to the top 20
qualifying round in 19th, Dale qualified in 18th position in the second.

The tyres contributed, but Dale is still not feeling 100% today, which
is making it difficult for him to drive at his best.

Dale's best time was 1:32.604, in lap 5. That's about 1.1s off the top
10 times.

So with the qualifying sessions over the team is now focussing on Race
1, starting at 4:25pm this afternoon.

Round 3 - Ruapuna - Warm Up

Its a beautiful sunny Saturday morning at Ruapuna today. Looks like
we're in for another hot and dry day.

Dale just came in from the warm up session, with pretty good times.
His best lap time was 1:31.916, which puts him 14th fastest. It's a
really tight pack though with only 0.8s difference between 3rd and
14th place.

So the team is happy with the car setup so far, and I don't think
they'll be changing too much between now and the 1st qualifying
session in a couple of hours time.

Round 3 - Ruapuna - Testing

Dale and the Team SCG Racing crew had a good day's testing today at
Ruapuna. With incremental gains being made every time they get the
Stabicraft Ford Falcon on the track, we're starting the weekend really
positive about the racing ahead in round 3.

Dale is a little under the weather today, but hopefully he'll be
better tomorrow after a good night's rest.

We're starting a little earlier tomorrow, with the warm up at 9:40AM.
Then qualifying starts a bit later at 12:25PM.

Round 2 - Pukekohe - Round Results

Dale completed Round 2 of the NZV8s Championship at Pukekohe in 6th place overall. A great result for Dale and the team. Dale is now placed 10th overall in the Championship points table, with 189 points.

Dale's results page can be found here:

http://www.dalewilliamsracing.com/race-results

Official Results:

http://www.nzv8s.co.nz/pages/9/results.htm

Round 2 - Pukekohe - Race 3

Dale finished 15th in the 3rd and final race of the weekend at
Pukekohe. Dale struggled a bit for power, and got shunted from behind
into the car in front causing more damage to the bonnet & breaking the
front splitter down the middle. The fuel system held out for most of
the race though, which was good.

Dale’s fastest time was 1:03.536 (in lap 10).  The gap to 1^st place was 27.102s.

So there's a few weeks now for the team to complete repairs, and also
some testing to work through the car setup a bit more.

Next stop Ruapuna, in Christchurch.

Round 2 - Pukekohe - Race 2

Race 2 finally restarted almost 2 hours after it began. Dale fought
hard throughout and despite fuel surging issues he maintained his 8th
place position to the finish.

Six cars started from pit lane after repairs, but a number were still
out after the major crash on the 1st corner of lap 1.

He had a bit of contact with Michael Bristow at the hairpin which
damaged the front bonnet (again).

Dale's best time was 1:02.800 (in lap 9). The gap to 1st place was
13.411.

So the team are working hard now on the fuel system before Race 3,
which will start later than planned due to the long delay.

Round 2 - Pukekohe - Race 2

Race 2 started with a bang. A huge crash actually. Dale was clear of
it starting 8th on the grid, and fighting Eddie Bell for position off
the start line when behind them cars were coming 4 and 5 wide for the
first corner, which was never going to work.

A number of cars were totalled, three went over the 1st corner fence
and carnage ensued. After a safety car lap the race was red-flagged
and the remaining 16 (of 29) cars left unscathed have parked up again
on the grid.

We're waiting now for barrier repairs to complete over lunch, then the
race will be restarted. So stay tuned for part two of Race 2...

Round 2 - Pukekohe - Race 1

Wow, that was a great result from a pretty eventful race! After
starting at 19th position on the grid, Dale finished in 8th place.
There were a number of racing incidents but Dale managed to stay clear
of them.

His only real contact was during a battle with Eddie Bell (which
damaged the left-hand side panels and front guard).

The team is very happy with the result and the car was getting some
pretty good speed, hitting 240km/h on the back straight. It's a great
start to the weekend's racing. Race 2 tomorrow morning should be just
as exciting.

Dale's fastest time was 1:03.001 (in lap 11). The gap to 1st place was
8.291s.

Round 2 - Pukekohe - Qualifying

It's a beautiful warm sunny day out at Pukekohe today. Dale qualified
19th out of a field of 29. The times were tight with only a second and
a half separating the top 20.

The team seem to have worked through the fuel pump issues from testing
yesterday, but there may be a few more things to do to get the car
going a little quicker.

Race 1 is at 3:50pm this afternoon.

Round 2 - Pukekohe - Testing

Dale and the team spent the day testing today at Pukekohe, in preparation for this weekend's racing - Round 2 of the NZV8s Championship.  Dale made good progress through the day, while the team worked through some fuel pressure issues.  His first test run put him around 18th position, but the second run went better with his time putting him in around 12th spot.

I'm sure the crew will be working on the car right up until the first qualifying run tomorrow morning, and hopefully any remaining issues will be sorted by then.  

We're all looking forward to a great weekend out at Pukekohe, Dale's home track.  I'm sure he'll put on an impressive show, as always, so it'll be a good day out at the track tomorrow.  The weather forecast is for a fine day, so there'll be no repeat of his Round 1 Wet Weather driving from last season, but it's sure to be just as exciting.

Round 1 - Taupo - Round Results

Dale has finished Round 1 of the NZV8s Championship in 13th place overall, with 83 points.  Dale's results page can be found here:

http://www.dalewilliamsracing.com/race-results

Official Results:

http://www.nzv8s.co.nz/pages/9/results.htm

Pos	Car No.	Name	Car	Hometown	Total	Total
					Points	Rd1
1=	777	Paul Radisich	Falcon	Melbourne	184	184
1=	99	Kayne Scott	Falcon	Auckland	184	184
3=	1	John McInytre	Falcon	Nelson	165	165
3=	23	Andy Booth	Commodore	Auckland	165	165
5	82	Michael Bristow	Falcon	Auckland	117	117
6	96	Paul Pedersen	Falcon	Taupo	109	109
7	69	Eddie Bell	Falcon	Christchurch	100	100
8	27	Craig Baird	Falcon	Queensland	96	96
9	48	David Besnard	Falcon	Gold Coast	93	93
10	70	Andrew Anderson	Commodore	Auckland	90	90
11	111	Andrew Porter	Falcon	Auckland	88	88
12	49	John Penny	Commodore	Taupo	84	84
13	22	Dale Williams	Falcon	Auckland	83	83
14	4	Simon Richards	Falcon	Hamilton	64	64
15=	41	Adam Brook	Falcon	Christchurch	60	60
15=	15	Paul Manuell	Commodore	Auckland	60	60
17	88	Boyd Norwood	Falcon	Palmerston Nth	56	56
18	12	Inky Tulloch	Falcon	Southland	55	55
19	26	Tim Edgell	Falcon	Auckland	52	52
20=	50	Julia Huzziff	Commodore	Auckland	50	50
20=	21	Alan McCarrison	Falcon	Auckland	50	50
22	51	Chris Adams	Commodore	Dunedin	48	48
23	2	Angus Fogg	Falcon	Auckland	47	47
24	007	Nick Ross	Commodore	Cambridge	36	36
25	52	John Hepburn	Commodore	Timaru	22	22
26	9	Andy Knight	Falcon	Christchurch	19	19
27=	90	Shaun Turton	Commodore	Auckland	18	18
27=	8	Cam Hardy	Commodore	Hamilton	18	18

Updated after Angus Fogg was DQ from Race 3.

Round 1 - Taupo - Race 3

A disappointing finish for Dale this afternoon with a 20th place finish after having to pit twice during the race. He had a nose-to-tail collision which bent his bonnet and generally smashed the front of his car enough that it looked like a safer choice to pit and repair it. He then pitted later after an oil warning light came on.That pretty much put him out of contention, which was sad as he wasputting in some of the best lap times of the race (top 5). But that's motor racing, as they say.

All in all he had a good start to his V8s racing career this weekend, and I'm sure there'll be more great results to come. 

Dale's best lap time was 1:38.190 (in lap 4).

So the team are planning the repairs needed now, while I'm about to hit the road for the drive back to Auckland in the rain!

Updated after Angus Fogg was DQ.

Round 1 - Taupo - Race 2

Dale had an awesome 2nd race this morning finishing in 6th place. It
was a hard race, in the wet, and 6 cars didn't even make the end. The
team is really pleased with his performance, as he drove really well
with pretty competitive lap times (Dale typically does well in the wet).

Dale's teammate David Besnard wasn't as lucky not finishing due to a
broken fuel pump (and he spent much of the race in 3rd and 4th
position).

Dale's fastest time was 1:46.760 (in lap 10).

Round 1 - Taupo - Race 1

Dale's first race in the NZV8s championship didn't start well this afternoon with fuel pump issues leaving him stalled off the start line. So he had to fight his way from the back of the pack (28th) to come in to finish at 14th place. But he drove really well, working through the pack, making passing look easy. It was great to watch.

He dropped a couple of positions in the last couple of laps too, with a broken sway-bar, but he managed to hang on and finish the race well. Aside from that and a big of panel damage to the nose the car finished well.

There was carnage up the front with a few of the leading V8s coming off the track. It made for a great spectator race (which would have been better if it wasn't for the cold wind!).

Dale's best time was 1:38.200 (in lap 5), which was about 9th fastest overall.

Dale is up for his 2nd race is at 11:10am tomorrow morning.

Round 1 - Taupo - Qualifying

After making it through to the Top 20 qualifying round Dale finished
up qualifying 15th (of 28 cars). Overall I think the team was hoping
for a little better, but it's early days yet and we're still working
through communications etc.

Dale's best time was 1:38.044 (in lap 6) +2.151s off John McIntyre's
time and +.297s off David Besnard's best time (13th).

The first race of the season starts at 3:35pm this afternoon. It's a
pretty cold, grey and windy day here today but we're all looking
forward to seeing Dale make an impact in his first race.

Round 1 - Taupo - Testing

Dale had his first taste of the Taupo track today in his new car,
putting the Stabicraft Ford Falcon through it's paces. Testing went
well and the team was pretty happy with the times, coming in 13th from
the first run and 10th in the second.

Testing wasn't the only thing Dale had to worry about today. He &
fellow Team SCG driver David Besnard went bungy jumping today in a PR
event that made TV3 news.

But tomorrow will be all about the racing, and all eyes will be on
Dale tomorrow morning in Qualifying.

Round 1 - Taupo - Preparation

It's almost game time and in a couple of days Dale will get his first taste of racing in the NZV8s Championship with testing on Friday in Taupo.  I'll be blogging from the track with live updates of Dale's progress through the Qualifying rounds and races 1-3 on Saturday & Sunday.  

The team is really looking forward Dale's debut in the Stabicraft Ford Falcon and the Team SCG Racing crew have done all they can to prepare the car and give Dale his best shot at a great start to the championship this weekend.  Stay tuned!...

Round 7 - Manfeild - Race 3

!! NZ Production Racing Series Championship Winner (Class B) 2007 - 2008 !!

Well that was an awesome way to finish the season! Dale finished 1st in his class again, and 2nd overall, so a convincing win for the round overall this weekend and also the year. Congratulations Dale!

Also congratulations to Simon Sceats, who took out the championship in Class C, the 4wds.

The car is now being pulled apart under the supervision of Motorsport NZ's technical services team, to check everything for compliance with the rules. They wanted to pull the turbo out but that's a major job on this car so that'll have to be sealed and checked back in Auckland.

We're off to the podium for the presentations now, so hopefully i'll get some good photos to post a little later on.

Round 7 - Manfeild - Race 2

The rain came at just the right time for us this morning, and with a race in hand Dale has won the championship!

He had an excellent race, driving really well in the wet as usual, and came in 1st place Class B and 4th overall. It was a long race, 12 laps, and Dale was in the first three for most of it. Another great result though and now Dale is so far ahead in the points table he doesn't even need to start the last race!

Overall race time was 17:22.217 (5th place was 17:22.715 Scott McKelvie, 2nd place in class B 17:49.162)

Dale's fastest lap 1:25.821 in lap 8 & 11

So there's one more race to go this afternoon, at 2:05pm, and then we can celebrate. The team has got to be proud with the final results, truly the reward for a lot of hard work.

Round 7 - Manfeild - Race 1

Dale finished Race 1 in 1st place in his class (7th overall). He had a good run, pretty clean but a small incident at the hairpin with Michael Modgill left some white paint & a little panel damage on the car.

Dale's fastest lap time was 1:20.317. His overall time was 10:52.547 (8th place 10:53.734)

The team's going to do some minor setup changes this afternoon, then we'll call it a day. It's another great result for Dale, with only 2 races left in the season the end is in sight!

Round 7 - Manfeild - Qualifying

Dale just came back in after a great Qualifying run, out in 1st position for his class, and only 1 second behind the 4wd cars. It looks like the latest work on the car is paying off, so well done team!

Dale's fastest time 1:18.709 in lap #2 (2nd fastest in Class B: 1:19.844 - Mike Modgill).

Everyone's pretty happy with the way the car ran so there's nothing much to change before the first race this afternoon at 2:35pm.

Round 7 - Manfeild - Testing

Back in Manfeild again for the 7th and final round of the NZ Production Racing Series. We're racing this weekend with a few improvements, not least of which is the new Diff, but also a larger exhaust and a little more power c/o our friends in Napier & the UK, Ecutek (http://www.wrcdevelopments.co.nz/).

This weekend has a different lineup of classes than usual, with the Production Racing taking centre stage, along with the V8 Development Series. There's also the Pro7 RX7s, OSCAs (with a few nice Corvettes & a Jaguar), along with other classes from the Tier 2 Motorsport classes.

It's a beautiful sunny morning here today, forecast for 28 degrees, so its going to be a warm one.

There's three testing sessions today, with the first we've just had @9:30, then 11:40 and 2:30pm. There's also a sponsor's Hot Laps sessions this afternoon at 4:30 (so hopefully I might actually get out on the track today!).

The first test sessions saw the return of our Manfeild 'glowing brake' syndrome :-( Straight after the first lap or so & the brake rotors were fully glowing. After a few more laps they were so hot they ceased on, so Dale had to cruise back into the pits.

When he got in the brake dust was on fire the rotors were so hot! So there's some work to do on the brakes...Hoodie & Dodge have them in pieces on the floor at the moment.

Oh and the other casualty this morning was young Mr Hood, with a nice crack to the forehead (c/o a hospitality truck closely parked during the wheel alignment). So he's been to see the lovely folks @St John for a nice big plaster, which he'll be sporting for the rest of the day. (no sympathy till Renee arrives though!)

Round 6 - Teretonga - Race 3

Well it could have ended up much better, but we're pretty happy with the overall result anyway. One slip in the back end on the first corner cost Dale his lead and in the end the overall race win. Mike Modgill took maximum advantage of the slip and drove really well to hold onto 1st place.

So that means Dale takes 2nd place for the overall weekend result. Still a good place to be, and as the points stack up Dale is looking really good in the overall results.

Best lap time: 1.09.158. Race time: 14:28.074 (3rd place:14:26.232)

With only one round left, in Manfeild at the end of the month this season's racing is almost coming to a close. The team is going to try and fit in a few more changes to the car before then though. There's a list a mile long, so we'll soon see whether there's enough time to fit it all in.

But now its time to head for the airport and home. For Robin it's the start of a long drive pulling the Zoom Zoom trailer back to Auckland...

Round 6 - Teretonga - Race 2

"I'm blown away, know what I mean!" Wind, rain & hail. Oh and did I mention the wind? :-) We arrived to find our camp in ruins this morning. The new Mazda tents were completely destroyed. Everything else was in disarray. The organ donor car survived without a scratch though!

It's been four seasons since then with warm sunshine, rain and even a good dumping of hail.

So Dale went out racing with dry tyres on, even though it got a bit wet by the end. But he had a great race, an awesome start, and kept right up with the Class C 4WDs. He led Class B off the line and never looked back. Dale finished 1st in his class, 4th overall.

There were a few incidents with other cars on the track, but thankfully nothing involving Dale.

Dales fastest lap: 1:09.434. Race time:9:26.147 (5th place: 9:36.050)

So we're working from a pretty bare camp ground for the rest of the day. The car setup is great though, so Hoodie & Dodge don't have to do too much work in the mud. Got a couple of hours to kill before the final race, so we'll be doing our best to stay out of the weather, and make the most of the sunshine.

Round 6 - Teretonga - Race 1

Well that was a fairly uneventful race. Dale had a good start but had a slip with the clutch, and then just couldn't catch Mike Modgill for the rest of the race. I think we'll be looking even harder for that extra horsepower next week.

Dale finished 7th place overall, 2nd in Class B. Dale's best time: 1:09.670 (in lap 2)

So we're packing up now and going to watch the V8s race. But we'll be in 1st thing in the morning, ready for the 2nd race at 9:35am.

Round 6 - Teretonga - Qualifying

It's a beautiful day down here in Invercargill today. The sun is out, and not much in the way of clouds about. A little disappointing for Dale, who was hoping for some more rain, but fine for the rest of the team :-)

Russell and the guys from Stocks are happy with the suspension setup (taking over from Grant this weekend), and everything else on the car seems pretty good too. Of course some more horsepower & the new Diff would have been nice, but not in time for this round unfortunately.

Dale qualified 7th overall. 2nd in his class. A bit of a change, as Dale has consistently Qualified 8th this year. Could signal good things ahead.

Best lap time: 1:09.384 (next fastest: Mike Modgill's Honda Integra with 1:09.220)

John is cleaning up the Red MPS (aka Organ Donor) beside our tent so the fans can have a sit in it. We should really have a salesman here to take orders ;-) Could make some spare cash with the commission!

We haven't got much to change before the 1st race this afternoon, at 3:15PM. So might have to go for a walk and enjoy the sunshine...

Round 6 - Teretonga - Testing 2

"Right, let's pull apart the Red one!". That's about how to sum up the end of the 2nd testing session. A bit of a suspension issue, and so we've cracked into our Donor car for parts (and we haven't even started racing). :-)

Dale said the car felt a bit better than this morning, but the times were slower all around.

We've just been standing in the cold wind & occasional spit, watching the V8s testing. A bit of action too with 2 V8s coming off the track and rolling in the same corner! Classic. There's a crazy setup here at Teretonga, where the support teams cars and pits are inside the track, so you have to wait the 20mins or so for the track to clear so you can drive out. So we're just standing here (while testing is red flagged) waiting and watching.

But we're off to the hotel soon, to get warm. Bright & early start in the morning, ready for the Qualifying session.

Round 6 - Teretonga - Testing 1

It's cold down here in Invercargill today, so its jackets all round. Cloudy, but only a couple of drops of rain so far.

The Zoom Zoom race car has had a bit of work done on it this week. Monday/Tuesday was panel & paint c/o Ballantyne Auto-Paint - repairing the damage from Race 2 in Timaru (which made the national TV news last Sunday night, so I've heard!). We've also replaced the Turbo as the last one was down on boost last weekend.

Dodge gave up his last few days of work this week for a road trip. He flew down to ECUTek in Napier and picked up the Red Mazda3 MPS (which they've been using for computer testing) and drove it all the way down here to Invercargill. Why? Rolling spare parts! :-) There's no MPS' on the yard here in Invercargill, for us to sabotage, so we were forced to bring an organ donor. He quite enjoyed the drive by the sound of it. The MPS with a tricked-out computer is a real little rocket, apparently.

Dale had a good run in the 1st test session this morning, with the best times in his class. The numbers are close though, so no real surprises.

We've got another test session this afternoon at 1:50pm.

Round 5 - Timaru - Race 3

That was a great way for the team to finish the weekend, with Dale leading for a considerable period (but had to work for it all the way). He finish 1st in his class, 4th place overall. While there was plenty of wind around there wasn't much rain to speak of, just a sprinkling.

Dale's best lap: 1:13.908 in lap 7

We've pretty much packed up the camp now, and some of us are going to hit the road for the Airport and home. It's off to Invercargill for the rest of us, via Queenstown for a couple of days break. Alright for some eh!?

The official Race Results and times are available here. The full event timings are available here.

Dale finished the round 3rd overall on points, with the top of the points table looking like this:

Dale Williams: 1029

Steve Taylor: 928

Michael Modgill: 899

The full results table is available here

Round 5 - Timaru - Race 2

Boom! The hit came fast & hard right on the start line as Dale's car got used as a bumper bar when Grant Aitken's Evo9 came flying from behind, looking for a gap that didn't exist, smashed into Michael Modgill's Integra flew into the air almost rolling over. But Dale caught the car in time ;-) Unfortunately not only did it take Dale out, straight off the track, it blew the valve off the front right tyre, so he had to limp around the 1st lap into the pits.

The pit crew did an awesome quick change and got him back out on the track, but by that stage he was well back and had to fight from behind to come in 20th overall (6th in his class). Michael Modgill's car is a mess with all rear windows blown out, but he managed to carry on for the win in Class B. There was more carnage in the race too, so all the drivers have been summoned to a briefing@11:00am.

Poor little Zoom Zoom's always getting a taste of the hard knocks :-) Keep your eye out for the video on You Tube, I'll cut it up & post it as soon as I get a chance. It makes great watching.

Dale's best lap time of 1:14.088 in lap 4 shows the car wasn't really at full speed after the crash. There's still rain forecast for today so we may yet see a full wet race for the split grid Race 3 at 1:40pm.

Round 5 - Timaru - Race 1

Wahey! Another outstanding result for Dale, and a great race to watch. It was a little wet for the start, which worked to his advantage. Dale had a great start, straight up to the front pack past the 2 other class B cars, and gave the class C 4WDs a good run too.

Dale finished 5th overall, 1st in his class, showing once again how well Dale can drive the little Mazda3 in the wet. If it hadn't dried up we could have done even better. Bring on the rain tomorrow!

Best lap time: 1:21.583

Round 5 - Timaru - Qualifying

It's a bit damp and cool down here in Timaru this morning. No rain though, but we're still wrapped up in our Jackets.

Dale had an OK qualifying run, coming in 8th overall, 3rd in his class. There's not much in the times though. Dales best time: 1:13.262 in lap 6, behind Michael Modgill's Integra (1:12.999) and Steve Taylor's Civic (1:12.591).

We're taking it easy in the new Mazda corporate tents (very flash!) while the crew work on the car. We've got a few hours before Race 1 at 2:15pm. With any luck the weather will make its mind up and change for the better, or really rain (we're still looking forward to a good wet race).

This little character (very talkative) came to check out Dale's car and kept the team busy explaining all the details. An up & coming racing driver I'm sure :-)

Round 5 - Timaru - Testing

Testing times indeed! Not a good start to the weekend.

Dale only got through 6 laps of the 1st test session and the clutch completely died. So the team has spent the remainder of today here at Timaru Motors (the local Mazda dealership), using their workshop (thanks to the guys here for helping us out). So we put in a new clutch (meant for a Mazda 6), had a quick test and the slave cylinder is toast.

The helpful locals once again came to the party with a replacement. How's this for a story: Grant, a guy who owns the company next door has rung his wife, who owns the only Mazda3 MPS in Timaru, she's on her way down here now with her car to donate parts to our cause :-) Gotta love small town New Zealand hospitality!

I'm not sure how much longer we'll be here, but I bet the team will be happy when we get back to the hotel. They've all been working pretty hard today to make sure the car is ready for the qualifying session in the morning.

Its a nice sunny afternoon down here, but forecast for rain in the morning. Let's hope things go a little bit smoother tomorrow :-)