Templeton takes triple in Mazda Racing Series

Prebbleton driver Mac Templeton put together the perfect weekend as Round 4 of the Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing North Island Series was fought out at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park in North Waikato this weekend.

The young Cantabrian took the RaceTech Pole Award in qualifying on Saturday and followed that up with a win in Saturday’s first race after a good battle with fellow South Islander Arthur Broughan of Tuamarina near Blenheim.

He then overcame starting tenth on the reverse top ten grid in Sunday morning’s race to take his second win of the weekend and then finished the clean sweep later on Sunday to win the round from Broughan, Aucklanders Karl Gaines and Callum Pratt and Stuart Lawton of Paraparaumu. Fifth overall for the round gave Lawton the series lead however and he heads the points with 394, just two ahead of Templeton who is the top rookie. Gaines is third and the top Master (Over 50) competitor with 387 and Pratt fourth on 373. With two rounds remaining the title is evenly poised.

In Saturday afternoon’s race Templeton led home Broughan, Pratt and Aucklander Sam Dashfield. 2017/18 North Island and New Zealand Champion Andrew Jackson of Auckland was next followed by Gaines and Lawton.

The top ten was reversed on the grid for Sunday morning’s 12 lap race and Alex Canty of Auckland led away from pole. By the end of the first lap Dashfield, Templeton and Broughan had all come through from the back of the ten to be second, third and fourth respectively. Canty held the lead until lap 4 when Dashfield was through followed by Broughan and Templeton.

Templeton was into the lead by lap 6 and pulled away to cross the line 5.904 seconds ahead of Dashfield. However, Dashfield was penalised 30 seconds for a clash with Broughan and dropped to sixteenth in the results leaving Lawton second ahead of Gaines while Canty held onto fourth ahead of Elton Wichman of Auckland, Pratt was next ahead of Broughan, who dropped to eighteenth after the clash with Dashfield before charging back to be classified seventh. Nigel Edger of Hamilton, Phil Clemas of Auckland and Steve Brown, who had been turned around at the start, completed the ten. Jackson retired with a gearbox problem while 13-year-old Ajay Giddy finished eleventh.

Templeton led all the way in the finale from Broughan, who kept him honest the whole race, eventually finishing just .783 of a second behind. Gaines was third from Pratt and Lawton. Jackson climbed from fifteenth to sixth at the finish after Leo Bult and Andy Neale pitched in to help change the gearbox in his car. The top ten was completed by Aucklanders Brown, Steven Spear, Canty and Clemas. There was a brief safety car period during the race after Elton Wichman went off the track avoiding another competitor while Dashfield was an early casualty.

The next round of the series takes place over the weekend of 28-30 March at Taupō International Motorsport Park, a round that will also be the penultimate round of the New Zealand Series.