Kitching takes another Mazda Racing Series Win

Will Kitching of Timaru raced to his third win in a row as Round 2 of the Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing New Zealand Series began at Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell today.

Kitching won the final two races at Teretonga Park in Invercargill last weekend and drove to an all the way win in the opening race of the round at Highlands today to extend his New Zealand Series points lead and strengthen his grip on the South Island Series, of which this is the final round.

Kitching had earlier seized the Racetech pole position award in qualifying, heading off Mac Templeton of Prebbleton by just .135 of a second with Templeton continuing his good Teretonga form where he set a new lap record.

Stuart Lawton of Paraparaumu and James Black of Dunedin filled the second row with Callum Pratt of Auckland and Jesse Gould of Raumati Beach next followed by Rex Edwards of Tauranga. Matt Dodd of Christchurch and Aucklanders Anthony Tork and Mark Oudney completing the top ten.

Kitching took the lead at the start of the race while Templeton got off the line well initially, only for Lawton and Black to pass him within the first few metres of the race. Black pressured Lawton over the first part of the lap before Templeton managed to repass Black to climb to third. At the end of the first lap Kitching had a healthy 1.459 second lead over Lawton with Templeton, Black and Edwards, who had already gained two places, next.

Kitching continued to open a gap at the front while those behind him had their own battles. Templeton hounded Lawton as the race went on, eventually getting past on lap 8, while Edwards was working his way forward, taking Pratt on lap 5 and Black on lap 7.

Kitching had a 7.546 second lead over Templeton as he crossed the line at the end of lap 8 but a Safety Car was called soon after when Oudney hit the wall. That was effectively the end of the race with Kitching winning from Templeton followed by Lawton, Edwards, Pratt, Black, Gould, Tork, Dodd and Dalan Price of Swannanoa in Canterbury making up the top ten.

Tomorrow the series has two races, the first with a grid the reverse of today’s race top ten at 8.30am over 12 laps and the finale over 10 laps at 1.07pm.

The series races this weekend as part of Round 6 of the Repco NextGen NZ Championship.