Isn’t it incredible what a difference 24 hours can make? For the Hamilton based Liquorland Racing Suzuki Swift Sport Cup team, what was shaping up to be a somewhat frustrating weekend of racing at Timaru’s Levels Racing turned into the most successful meeting of the season to date.
Qualifying a disappointing ninth for the first race of the weekend, driver Shaun Lawrence did all he could to muster as many Championship points as possible, ultimately finishing in the same position he started. After a self-described “average performance” the team were determined to force a change of fortune to complete the Southern leg of the 2011/12 Championship.
Sunday was to see the Suzuki’s on track for the final two races of the weekend, the weather had now deteriorated to the point where the circuit resembled more of a lake than a race track. The first race of the day was a reverse grid format, and Lawrence was keen to make the most of what would be an ideal starting position near the front of the grid.
After an excellent race start, it was a determined Lawrence that took the race lead soon after the first turn, immediately pulling a gap on the field. With the rain still falling heavily, running from the front was always going to be a major advantage, however that advantage was soon to be negated following a major mid-pack accident involving a number of the series front runners.
Forced to follow behind the pace car for a number of laps as debris was cleared, the field had now closed up as the green flag dropped to signal the race restart. Lawrence again lead from the front, holding his nerve throughout the difficult conditions to take his first win of the season.
“I was more relieved than anything else” explains Lawrence. “They say that one mans misfortune is another mans gain. The points we collected here were crucial to our campaign, it was exactly the sort of morale boost we were hoping for” he added.
The final race of the weekend saw Lawrence take to the track brimming with confidence and now looking to consolidate the points haul they had gained. Another bumper-to-bumper race saw the Liquorland Suzuki come home in fifth position, gaining enough points to finish third outright for the weekend, but more importantly Lawrence had now moved up to second outright in the Championship proper.
The Suzuki Swift Sport Cup now takes a short break before heading to Manfield (near Palmerston North) for the penultimate round of the Championship.
