With the recent Christchurch earthquake effectively canceling the opening round of the ASKO Appliances SI Endurance Series which was scheduled for ‘earthquake day’ 4th September, series organizers the South Island Endurance Racing Drivers Club (SIERDC) have been working hard to schedule a replacement round, to retain the traditional three round Endurance Series. It has been finalized today that the replacement round will be held at Powerbuilt Ruapuna on 27th November 2010 at the Motorsport NZ Premier Championship Series meeting.
Not only will this 3 hour race be the 3rd and final of the ASKO Appliances SI Endurance Series, but will also be Round One of the NZ Endurance Championship, with the second & final NZ Championship round set for Hampton Downs in February 2011. With the unfortunate events of Christchurch on 4th September preventing the top class ASKO Series field from taking on the Powerbuilt track, it is an excellent outcome that SIERDC & MNZ can work together to have this premiere Endurance event in the South Island.
Meantime the ASKO Endurance Series will re-start at Invercargill’s Teretonga Park next weekend 18th September for is revised opening round, followed two weeks later by a meeting at Timaru’s Levels Raceway on October 2nd. Both these rounds will also include the ASKO Appliances One Hour race Series, specifically aimed at club type competitors, which will now be held over these two rounds only.
Cars will compete in 5 different classes within the race being the Hagley Aluminum supported Class 4 (0-1600cc), Class 3 (1601 to 2000cc) and class 2 (2001-3500cc), as well as the Allied Lubricants Class 1 (3501cc+) and GT class which caters for the exotic Porsche GT3’s, V8 Supercars and the Ferrari F430.
The ASKO Appliance Endurance Series will again have an excellent prize pool for 2010 with cash prizemoney for all class winners, as well as Dunedin artist Norman Sinclair again donating an original watercolor painting (valued at $10,000-00) which, along with various other fabulous items, will be given away as a spot prizes to drivers competing in the 2010 series.
