Wow what a weekend that was for Kiwi motorsport. Where to begin? Pukekohe of course, for the return – albeit for the final time and after a COVID-19-fuelled hiatus of two years – of the Repco Australian Supercars Championship to our shores.
This week to celebrate (and/or commiserate) I’ve decided to come up with my own Winners & Losers list. In fact, you can relive the highlights of what truly, was both a remarkable event, as well as the best-possible send-off for the soon-to-be-shuttered ‘citadel-of-speed’ here;
So, let’s go!
Pukekohe Park Raceway – Repco Supercars Series
WINNER: Shane van Gisbergen
He came, he saw, and at the end of a very long third and final day of this year’s ITM Super Sprint meeting at Pukekohe Park Raceway on Sunday, Shane van Gisbergen conquered.
He did so in style too, working his way relentlessly forward from his P8 starting spot to eventually claim a record-equalling 18th race win this season – and win the round and with it the coveted Jason Richards Memorial Trophy for a third time.
In doing so he put on an absolute masterclass in the ‘art’ of modern race car driving.
WINNER: Andre Heimgartner
Every wizard needs an apprentice and at Pukekohe Shane van Gisbergen’s was fellow Kiwi, Andre Heimgartner. Look, I don’t mind admitting that I’m as guilty as anyone else (on this side of the Tasman anyway) to ‘never really having rated’ young Andre
If he continues on the ‘form tear’ he is obviously on at the moment, well, with 4 rounds of the 2022 Repco Supercars series still to go it’s not outside the realms of possibility that a second Kiwi gets to enjoy the view from the top step of the podium. An outstanding weekend for the young Aucklander who Kiwi fans can now confidently now claim as one of their own, but also one of the best!
LOSER – Erebus Motorsport
You’ve got to feel just the teensiest bit sorry for Will Brown, the driver of the #9 Boost Mobile Racing by Erebus Holden Commodore effectively written off after an apparent 56 G hit against one of the many concrete walls which line the circuit these days. Brown, you see, came off a definite second best after a clash with the Team 18 Holden of Mark Winterbottom.
His team boss at Erebus Racing, the dour Barry Ryan though? No way.
It was never going to be a good idea for Mark Winterbottom to head up to the Erebus ‘bunker’ so soon after his clash on track with Brown.
But in what I suspect was a little bit of ‘producer-inspired’ drama Winterbottom made the trip only to find himself in a Lion’s Den of toxicity -complete with waiting camera operator recording every sorry minute of the ‘confrontation’ between Winterbottom, Brown and – what’s this? – Erebus Racing team manager Barry Ryan.
Ryan twice uses his hand to forcibly ‘try and remove Winterbottom from the premises’ before boorishly tag-teaming with his driver to try and shout their ‘guest’ down.
Not the sort of behaviour I would have expected from two ‘highly paid professionals.
WINNERS – Support categories – Greg Murphy
‘Murph’ was everywhere across the final Supercars meeting at Pukekohe; fair enough too, given his own legacy of success at Supercars Series rounds at the circuit in the early 2000 s.
Compared to his co-commentators on the official Supercars ‘feed,’ Mark Skaife and Neil Crompton, Murph was all over the place… and IMHO the coverage was better for the fact.
One minute, for instance, Murph was reporting from behind the wheel of a Group A Ford Sierra as he battled for the lead of one of the three Archibald’s Historic Touring Car Series , he was eloquently explaining the appeal of the track to driver’s s driver’ like himself.
Then, to cap it all off, when as part of the final podium ceremony Murphy offered up his long-standing albeit totally unofficial ‘King of Pukekohe’ crown to van Gisbergen…… well, let’s just say that the crowd went wild!
Seriously. The bloke is all class. World class.
WINNERS – Support categories Formula Ford drivers Liam Sceats and Alex Crosbie
This pair were all but inseparable over race weekend and ended up first (Crosbie 2-1-3) and second (Sceats 1-6-2) for the round, though every time I looked up from my laptop it appeared that the Sceats – who started the weekend from pole position – had a fair old handle on each race!
One thing that did surprise -and to a point – disappoint me, however, was the way the new right-left-right complex of corners built into what was the long, fast, and only slightly kinked back straight appears to have negated any advantage a Formula Ford drive could make ‘and take’ of ‘the draft;’ aka slip-streaming.
LOSERS – Support categories Formula Ford – The commentators
For a category which put over 30 cars on the grid Formula Ford was IMHO particularly poorly served by the TV commentators. Sure, they sounded like the knew what they were talking about but – really – their shocking lack of even the most basic field knowledge – you know, the stuff printed in the race programme – was not only a slap in face to the likes of young Palmerston North Karter and sim racer Blake Dowdall but also to legendary and now 30-something karting rivals from Christchurch, Matthew Hamilton and Simon Hunter, both now back and reliving that rivalry in the revitalised Formula Ford category.
WINNERS – Race categories – Repco Supercars
Supercars is the obvious winner here – despite no clear word yet on a venue to replace Pukekohe Park Raceway.
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