V8 Supercars race Hamilton city circuit
17 Apr 2009
The city streets of Hamilton, in the heart of New Zealand’s largest dairy producing region, will reverberate to the sound of high performance engines when the New Zealand round of the Australian V8 Supercar championships roars into life this weekend.
Motorsport fans have begun gathering for the Hamilton 400 which has attracted 30 teams and their drivers for three days of high speed action over a 3.4km inner city circuit.
Organisers say that despite slower ticket sales due to the recession, the event is still on track to be one of New Zealand largest annual events attracting more than 120,000 people.
Fast lap times
Last year (2008) was the first time supercar racing had been held in Hamilton, and promoter Dean Calvert said the event had undergone a number of tweaks to ensure a "quality experience" in 2009.
Roads on the circuit have been levelled, and a chicane down the back straight have been removed meaning faster lap times are likely.
Grandstands have also been altered after some ticket holders complained last year about only being able to see the rooftops of the competing cars. Those people had been offered discounted tickets to this year’s event.
New Zealand drivers
Five New Zealand drivers are in the running for the Hamilton 400 this year, and the rivalry between Holden and Ford is hotting up.
Holden has reigned supreme since the first round of the V8 Supercar races was held in Pukekohe, New Zealand in 2001, and four time winner Greg Murphy heads the NZ contingent this weekend. He is joined by Jason Richards (Holden), Ford drivers Steven Richards, Fabian Coulthard and Shane van Gisbergen.
Series leader
This year’s V8 series is currently led by Ford driver Australian Jamie Whincup who will be looking to make amends coming into this weekend’s competition.
Whincup's 2008 season was spurred by disaster in Hamilton, where he didn't even make the grid. An accident during qualifying last year damaged his car and he left New Zealand without a point.
He was keen to get a chance to finally break the Holden stranglehold on the Kiwi round of the V8 title chase, Whincup said.
"It would be nice to get a reward for all the hard work we've done both last season and so far this year."
Holdens dominate
But the Ford driver will have his work cut out to keep the Holdens at bay.
Holden Commodores have the edge in New Zealand, and chief among the exponents in recent seasons are Garth Tander, the defending Hamilton 400 champion with a record of three-from-three last year, Will Davison and New Zealand's Jason Richards.
Davison is second in this year's title chase and Richards, the best placed of the Kiwi drivers, is fifth.
Jason Richards said he was looking forward to capitalising on the flashes of pace he showed in last year's event.
He has found a new home with Team BOC this year and has consistently been in the top five this season.
"It's great to be back home in New Zealand as the leading Kiwi driver and driving one of the more competitive Holdens," Richards said.
Championship points
Whincup leads the championship on 300 points; Davison is second on 267 points, with Lee Holdsworth third on 249 points.
Jason Richards - the best of the Kiwis - is fifth on 207 points.
The Hamilton round is made up of two 59 races of 200km each, the first on Saturday and the second on Sunday. The first practice session is on Friday.
Background: V8 Supercar Championship series
The V8 Supercar Championship Series is one of the world's largest and best known touring car categories, recognised internationally as a leader in motorsport and entertainment.
The championship consists of 14 championship events across Australia, New Zealand and Bahrain in the Middle East in 2009, as well as racing at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
In 2009 all V8 Supercars will run on 85% CSR Ethanol, a renewable fuel made from the bi-product of the sugar refining process.
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