Brad Kroef rises to the top at Hampton Downs

Close qualifying times on Saturday led to even closer racing on Sunday in the Ferodo V8 Utes at Hampton Downs. Brad Kroef emerged a winner in Race Two and in doing so, bagged enough points to win the round and take the lead in the series. But he had to work for it.

Sunday morning’s Race Two was a reverse grid format, which meant yesterday’s winner Phill Ross sat on the back row alongside Brad Kroef. While Stu Monteith and Tyler Ward lead proceedings for the first lap, Brad Kroef wasted no time in carving his way through the back of the field. By the second lap Brad was up to 6th, come lap three he was 4th, and was in the lead by lap five. It was a polished display of clean, calculated driving from the 2-time V8 Utes champion.

Not far behind, however, the dominoes were falling. With the racing so close, it was inevitable there’d be some close contacts. Phill Ross slid off onto the grass and took some hits on re-entry. Cam Vernon suffered a side impact. Then Mitch Sparrow took a hit. Daniel Ludlam also sustained damage. Tyler Ward spun and Stu Monteith took an impact. Jeremy Hunt spun on Turn 8, stalled, and only just managed to avoid the approaching NZ Six racers. Who says the Ferodo V8 Utes don’t put on a show?

And despite all the mayhem, Mitch Sparrow set the fastest lap of 1.15.889 on lap four. Along the way, Phill Ross made steady progress and by the sixth lap had manoeuvred his way up to 4th.

Brad Kroef held onto the lead, stretching his margin over Daniel Ludlam to almost 5 seconds by the chequered flag. Phill Ross stormed home to finish 3rd having started last.

The scenes in the pits after the race told the story of some close racing, with several wounded warriors bruising numerous battle scars.

Sadly, an incident in one of the other categories, which ran before the final scheduled V8 Utes race, brought the NZIGP event to a premature end mid-afternoon meaning the Ferodo V8 Utes’ Race Three was one of several to be cancelled. The entire V8 Utes community’s thoughts are with the driver and wishes him a speedy recovery.

For the Ferodo V8 Utes, it was a weekend of surprisingly close competition as rookies & newcomers held their own against seasoned veterans, setting the scene for a season of fierce, feisty racing. The utes now take a summer break, allowing teams to massage some bodywork bruises in readiness for Round Three at Hampton Downs 14-15th March 2026.