The V8 Utes Saturday showdown at Hampton Downs

Brad Kroef escaped some late-race carnage to win the CORE V8 Utes Race One at NZIGP’s ‘March Madness’ event at Hampton Downs, with Greg Kroef 2nd and Daniel Ludlam 3rd . Along the way, the utes turned on quite a show.

It had been four months since the V8 utes last raced at Hampton Downs and they quickly set the circuit alight with some scintillating times on a warm, dry track. Glen Collinson made up for missing Round Two setting the fastest time in qualifying. Greg Kroef was barely a tenth of a second behind him in 2nd, with rising star Mitch Sparrow in 3rd.

For Race One early Saturday afternoon, grid positions had been set not by qualifying times but by a novel ‘marble draw’. Phill Ross drew the lucky number one on the grid, Brad Kroef lined up alongside him in second. Fastest qualifiers Glen Collision and Greg Kroef were buried deep in the field at 4th and 7th respectively, setting the scene for some rampant overtaking. The race welcomed back David ‘Shaggy’ Lowe again racing his #82 Ford BF after a season racing in the NZ Sixes, which lined up a few seconds behind the utes in Race One.

When the lights went out, Phill Ross held his nerve, and the lead. Late in the first lap Glen Collinson improved on his 4th starting position to overtake Brad Kroef on the hairpin for 2nd. Next in his sights was Phill Ross, – a scalp he claimed late in Lap Two. Glen consolidated his lead to almost a second, but Phill wasn’t relenting.

Lap by lap, Phill whittled away at Glen’s lead. Then coming into the hairpin too hot on the ninth lap, Phill braked late, locked up, and tapped a cornering Collinson sending him into a 180⁰ spin. Parts flew, tempers flared, and Glen moved aside to let following traffic past. That allowed Brad Kroef to slip through for the lead ahead of Phill, but not before copping a side impact in the crossfire.

Behind the lead pack, the action was just as intense. Greg Kroef who’d started 7th on the grid, threaded his way through the field to eventually finish 2nd ahead of a fast-finishing Daniel Ludlam. Mitch Sparrow, who had started 10th, overtook his way to a hard-fought 4th. Blair Gribble-Bowring started a lowly 12th and finished a creditable 5th. Results weren’t so good for Tyler Ward whose race ended at the beginning breaking an axle on the start line.

After the race, a decision was made that Phill Ross had made unnecessary contact with two competitors and a 35 second penalty was imposed. The clerk of the course then gave approval for this decision.

Now the dust has settled, it leaves the reverse-grid Race Two for the CORE V8 Utes tomorrow morning to calm the nerves. We’re all hoping for another keenly but cleanly-fought contest.