Andy Knight MotorsportV8 SuperTourers 2012 update: Round two, Powerbuilt International Raceway, 7th to 8th April 2012

Driver Profile: Andy Knight

Since his debut in the BNT V8s Championship three years ago, Andy Knight of Christchurch has been a consistent top ten contender.

In the 2010 / 2011 championship he completed his best ever season in the V8 category, finishing fifth overall in the points standings. Untimely mechanical gremlins throughout the season prevented Andy from finishing in an even higher overall position.

The quality of his performance throughout 2010 – 2011 was recognized when Andy was nominated for the Jim Clark Trophy – Motorsport New Zealand’s most prestigious annual award.

Andy stepped into the V8 category after a very successful open wheeler career. Winning two of the country’s most prestigious titles during the 2007 / 2008 motor racing season – the Toyota Racing Series and the New Zealand Grand Prix – confirmed Andy as one of the country’s foremost drivers.

Andy’s successes have not been confined to New Zealand. He has also performed with distinction in various categories in Australia and North America.

2012 sees Andy Knight move into the brand new V8 SuperTourer series, racing the Gulf Oil – Century Batteries backed KMS Falcon. Early in the season these cars have already proved to be powerful, exciting, state-of-the-art V8 race cars.

Track info: Powerbuilt International Raceway (Grand Prix circuit) 3.33 km

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Turn four: HPE hairpinApproach speed: 195 km/hApex speed: 55km/h“Hit the brakes and take the hairpin in second gear. Drive and traction out of the hairpin is important for a good lap.”

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Turn nine: Jeff’s cornerApproach speed: 176 km/hApex speed: 115 km/h“You then head to the first ‘S’ where the approach is more than 175 km/h, with very little room for error on the exit before you slow for Cockram.”

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Turn ten: Cockram NissanApproach speed: 140 km/hApex speed: 105 km/h“This has a very early turn in, a lot earlier than you would expect and it’s very important for the final run up to final sweeper.”

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Turn eleven: ‘The Rock’ sweeperApproach speed: 200 km/hApex speed: 93 km/h“The sweeper is a very long corner and the car tends to be unstable on exit.”

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Turn two: FlexoplasApproach speed: 244 km/hApex speed 92 km/h“Turn two is all about getting the car stable; it follows the 244 km/h turn one and then you brake. It’s a third gear corner with an apex taken at over 90 km/h.”

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Turn three: Pothole PeopleApproach speed: 195 km/hApex speed 147 km/h“Pothole is the fastest corner on the circuit with an apex of 147 km/h. It’s vital to get the apex right.”

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Turn six: Fulton HoganApproach speed: 170 km/hApex speed 80 km/h“Up to third gear for the start of the turn six to eight complex. If you mess up one, it ruins the next and so on.”

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Turn eight: Christchurch Casino CarouselApproach speed: 131 km/hApex speed 75 km/h“Important to get good drive out here.”

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Top speed: 244 km/hTS

Race one: Knight fights for hometown glory

The Easter weekend event began with a public display of all the V8 SuperTourers at the Bush Inn Shopping Centre, in Riccarton - Christchurch, on Good Friday. This display attracted a crowd of over 2,500 people, with many queuing for well over an hour during the drivers signing to get their favourite driver’s autographs. A turnout of this magnitude on a public holiday was a good sign of how popular the V8 SuperTourer series is proving to be.

Saturday saw qualifying and the racing proper underway. The competitive nature of the category was again emphasised with the qualifying session ending with the top ten cars all within eight tenths of a second of each other. Andy Knight qualified ninth fastest for race one with a fastest lap time of 1:24.608.

Race one got underway on Saturday afternoon in excellent conditions. Starting from grid nine Andy Knight was working hard right from the rolling start. Fellow Cantabrian Eddie Bell spun in turn one of the opening lap which saw Andy Knight going wide and then stopping to avoid a collision.

Re-gathering, Knight had to work his way back through the field passing many and finishing the closing laps of the race in a duel with Steven Richards. The number five car of Andy Knight finished out the race in position 12.

Post race, V8 SuperTourers management agreed to an engine change for the KMS Falcon FG, as the engine continued to run warmer than the other teams during racing which had a impact on horsepower and straight line speed as a consequence.

Fastest lap 1:25.24

Race one 12th

http://www.gulfoil.co.nz

Race two: Tragedy strikes as Knight powers through the field

Sunday dawned to a beautiful Christchurch day. Hot Laps rides were completed, running the newly installed engine with the guests throughly enjoying the opportunity to ride in the V8 SuperTourer.

Race two saw Andy Knight starting from his finish position for race one, grid twelve. The race start saw Knight keep clear of a spectacular coming together by Geoff Emery and Colin Corkery, and he demonstrated real pace from the opening lap.

Cleanly passing the likes of Steven Richards, Scott McLaughlin and Andy Booth by lap seven, Knight was challenging Ant Pedersen for position six on the track. Then, inexplicably the engine failed; a con rod blew through the engine and burning oil exploded from the back of the car. The photos looked more spectacular than reality, with the safety marshals quickly getting the situation under control.

Race two was won by Fabian Coulthard with Jonny Reid and Craig Baird taking second and third place respectively.

With only a few hours between races two and three there was not enough time for the team to complete an engine change to start race three.

Fastest lap 1:25.669

Race two DNF

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Team Manager’s report

Despite some setbacks on the track, there are many positives to take out of the just completed round two of V8 SuperTourers at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway.

The public support for the series was immediately obvious at the display in Riccarton on Good Friday. An estimated 2,500 people came out to view the cars and interact with the drivers.

Crowd numbers were equally good once racing got underway with a great show of support on the Saturday and over 13,000 people in attendance on the Sunday, demonstrating there is a lot of public interest in this brand new series.

Andy’s driving was another positive, with a solid drive from the back of the field in race one and some great racing and passing in race two to at one stage challengeAnt Pedersen for sixth position. I have no doubt Andy would have been challenging for a podium finish if not for the engine failure in race two.

There is a short turnaround of just three weeks before the series makes its debut at Manfield on April 28th and 29th. With the top contenders so even and the class proving to be so competitive it will be another weekend of exciting motorsport. The team hopes we will see many of you there.

CheersAndy NealeTeam Manager

Next race: Round three, Manfeild, Feilding, 27-29 April 2012

Series calendar

Check www.v8st.co.nz for more information and to buy tickets *The recent addition of a Pukekohe round may change the original dates and locations of rounds five and six.

Round one: Hampton Downs, Waikato, 17-19 February 20121

Round two: Ruapuna, Christchurch, 7-8 April 20122

Round three: Manfeild, Feilding, 27-29 April 20123

Round four: Hampton Downs, Waikato, 1-3 June 20124

Round five: TBC5

Round six: TBC6

Round seven: Pukekohe, Auckland, 26-28 October 2012*7

Round eight: Ruapuna, Christchurch, 24-25 November 20128

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Andy Knight Motorsport wishes to thank our sponsors for their generous support

Published by Championship Digital for Andy Knight Motorsport • Design and images by Andrew Bright/Championship Digital • Text by Gerard Wade/GDub Marketing

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