Driver: Kester Olivekrona (Feilding) leads Russell Due (Kimbolton) in a GT2 race.
“The newly formed IRC Summer of Thunder tour has surpassed the expectations of the stakeholders and continues to bring a new level of excitement to Motorsport” states Julian Hardy, Manager of Motorsport Manawatu. “It is a bright light for the future of Motorsport in New Zealand”
The IRC Summer of Thunder Tour returns to Manfeild for Round 6 of the 7 round series. Added to the excitement of the weekend are the New Zealand titles for Mazda Pro & and Mini 7.
Two stalwart classes in New Zealand Motorsport Mazda Pro 7 and Mini 7 have undergone changes to keep the classes not only competitive but also ensuring they have a sustainable future in the sport.
John Clunie of Paraparaumu has been the driving force behind Mazda Pro7 and has a simple philosophy. “Keep it competitive and keep it fair”
The rules of Mazda Pro 7 were changed 5 years ago to introduce the Series 4 and later model “bat mobiles” into the class. The original class is based on the durable Series 1 RX7, renowned for its handling and ease of maintenance. It is powered by a 12A rotary engine, now a superseded factory engine, but considered by many the backbone of the Mazda Rotary range, while the later model cars are powered by the durable and larger capacity 13B engine. Both are carburettered and have a very equal level of tune. Other control parts such as tyres, rollcage design and suspension ensure that only driver skill makes these cars race winners.
Local driver Matthew Lockwood started in a HQ and then progressed to the Series 1 cars before updating to the “Batty” he campaigns today. Mathew also won the NZV8 Ute series in an older model VZ Ute in 2008 and believes the close class racing of Pro7 helped him secure that title.
“Racing the Batty helps keep my skills sharp as the other drivers in the series are very good and their level of preparation and commitment is second to none. It makes for great racing” Lockwood stated.
In true rotary style the preferred New Zealand title number is number 7 rather than 1.
The other New Zealand title this weekend is for Mini 7. Mini 7 racing started almost as soon as the Mini was developed. The legend status of the Mini Cooper chasing down much larger capacity competition in the early 1970 is like folk law stories passed through generations and these memories still are fresh in most mini driver’s minds today.
The Mini 7 has also undergone class changes but based around engine capacity and modifications.
The title this weekend is for Mini 7, originally 850cc racing motors. Highly strung and often unreliable, a decision to revert to a lesser modified but equally fast 1000cc variant was the logical choice. This has proven to be a savior of this class, and there are good numbers now racing across NZ. 4 South Island raiders are crossing “the ditch” in the hunt for the NZ title.
Mini 7 racing is close and relies on “drafting” to pass the car in front and it is not uncommon to see 3 or 4 cars line astern with bumpers touching on the front straight.
Also racing this meeting are crowd favorites Central Muscle cars, GT1 Trans-am cars, Pre 65 plus 6 other classes with over 200 cars. There are 34 races scheduled for the weekend and full details for these are on the IRC website (www.irc.org.nz) .
The racing format is designed so that enthusiasts can watch the racing all weekend, and for those with limited time, Saturday racing is from 3pm to 7pm and on Sunday 12 to 4.30pm. This will be the last big race meeting until January next year, so make sure you get to Manfeild to witness this series.
Other events occurring during the event include a Radio challenge, Go Kart Challenge, Blokarts, Drift car vs Race Car and some group drift demonstrations. A free supervised kids area means you can leave the children with our team while you can watch the racing.
