Round 2 - Ruapuna - Race 3

Race 3. An epic, is probably the best way to describe it. A last minute panic to change to a wet setup, the rain was a positive sign for the team, as Dale drives well in the wet. And once again we started off great. Better than great. Dale went from 6th on the grid to 1st place in the 1st corner. Unfortunately his front-running time was numbered when he overbreaked a couple of corners on letting two cars past, slipping back to 3rd. Dale kept his 3rd place spot for a couple of laps, but took a big hit from Angus Fogg which sent him off at the 1st corner where it had all started so well. Fogg had to undertake a drive through penalty, but that was small consolation for Dale & the team.

So back on the track, but in last place Dale started working back up through the pack. When Andy Booth went off in to the wall the race was red-flagged and the grid re-formed for a while. Booth was taken away in an Ambulance but we think he was OK (his car, on the other hand...).

Dale drove well from the re-start but was penalized for contact on Simon Richards. And that was about the race. Dale finished in 17th place overall, but at least he finished. It was just one of those weekends when everything was looking so good, but went so wrong.

Official Results are here.

MyLaps Results are split into two parts, here and here.

Rayglass Ford Falcon V8 after Race 3 at Ruapuna

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1m-JL7sD04

Rayglass Ford Falcon V8 Leaving Pits at Ruapuna

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s-NVmLt6EM

Round 2 - Ruapuna - Race 2

The high's and low's of motor sport. Dale had an awesome start to Race 2, but another unfortunate finish. After starting in 14th position on the grid, Dale made a great jump up to 10th spot in the first corner. The car seemed to perform really well and Dale held position in 10th spot for most of the race. But then disaster struck once again, the brakes locked up, and the front-right tyre blew. Dale crawled back to the pits for a quick tyre change (off-road some of the way), but when he re-joined the race he was at the back of the pack.

So not a great way to finish to the race, quite a disappointment for Dale and the rest of the crew. We think we know what's causing the brakes to lock up, so with any luck we'll be able to avoid a repeat later on. This track is always pretty hard on the brakes, so the 3rd and final race of the weekend this afternoon will be an interesting one, the longest at 22 laps.

Official Race Results and times are here.

MyLaps Results are here.

Round 2 - Ruapuna - Race 1

With the weather a little warmer today than yesterday, and no rain in sight, the atmosphere at the track is generally more positive. The crew started the morning with the usual brake & spanner checks, along with a little custom remoulding of the fibreglass air scoop in front of the radiator (before breakfast).

Race 1 was pretty uneventful for Dale, although some of the other drivers out on the track weren't as lucky. They had their fair share of spin-off's, blown engines etc. so the field finished a little lighter than it started. After starting 17th on the grid Dale finished in 14th place. The car wasn't handling as well as expected, so coming out of the corners was a bit of a struggle, which made it hard for Dale to gain any ground. So in the lead up to race 2 the crew is looking at the suspension & setup to see what (if anything) can be done to improve things in the short term.

Official race results are here - from the Motorsport NZ Website.

The MyLaps.com results are here - from the Mylaps.com Event page.

NZV8s 2009-2010 - Round 2 - Ruapuna

A mixed day of results today at Ruapuna, Christchurch, for Round 2 of the NZV8s Championship. Performing really well in testing, driving in the wet where Dale is always comfortable, his times were comfortably in the Top 10.

After the track dried up later in the day, qualifying didn't go as well for the team, with Dale finally qualifying in 17th position. A bit further back than we want to be. Dale's best lap time was 1:32.648 (The top 10 qualifying time was 1:31.746).

Hopefully things will go a little better on the track tomorrow, with Race 1 scheduled for 10AM Sunday morning, and two more races later in the day. We hope to see you there!

Official Results Page

All Qualifying times

Top20 Qualifying times

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.