Kitching on top at home in Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing Series

Will Kitching of Timaru has dominated Round 2 of the Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing South Island Series at his home circuit, Timaru International Motor Raceway at Levels in Timaru, over the weekend.

Kitching qualified fastest on Saturday before going on to win the first race over ten laps that afternoon. On Sunday morning he came from the rear of the grid to take second place behind Matt Dodd of Christchurch in a top ten reverse grid race over twelve laps before leading Dodd home in Sunday afternoon’s ten lap contest.

The results gave Kitching the round win from Dodd with Mac Berkett of Nelson third and first rookie for the round while Auckland driver, Ant Tork, took Masters honours (Over 50). Kitching who set the fastest lap in each of the three races leads the South Island Series from Dodd and Berkett.

Kitching set the pace in qualifying to take pole for race one with a lap of 1 minute 10.504 seconds, .536 of a second ahead of Mac Templeton of Prebbleton with Dalan Price of Swannanoa, Dodd, Berkett, Michael Court, Bryan Walker, Andrew French and Tork next. Christchurch driver Marc Denton was a non-starter after a mechanical issue in Friday testing.

Kitching led all the way in the first race to win by 2.890 seconds from Templeton with Price third and then Court. French got past Berkett early to finish fifth followed by Berkett, Tork, Walker and Dodd who ran fourth until lap 5 when a throttle issue forced him to restart the car, dropping him to the rear of the field.

On Sunday Dodd built a healthy lead in the reverse grid race until Mac Templeton clipped a kerb and ended at ninety degrees across the track where Price could not avoid him. The resulting incident left both cars extensively damaged. Tork was second at the time after a superb example of defending his spot. After the restart Kitching managed to get by him to take second behind Dodd. He also set the best lap with a 1.10.850. Tork maintained third from Berkett, French, Court and Walker.

Kitching again led all the way in the finale to win by just over 16 seconds from Dodd, setting the best lap time again, this time with a 1.10.291, just shy of the lap record. Tork held third until late in the race when he dropped several places with a minor mechanical issue leaving Berkett to take third from Court, French, Walker and Tork.

The South Island Series takes a break now before two rounds at Teretonga Park and Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell in February. These events will also be part of the Nexen Tyre Mazda Racing Series National Series and will conclude the South Island title race. Before then Round 2 of the North Island Series will take place at Taupō Motorsport Park over the weekend of 23/24 November at the opening round of the NextGen NZ Motorsport Championship.

Interest continues to grow in the South Island Series with a number of new cars on the way and a lease car available for drivers to compete in.