Matt Lockwood cemented his position as RX7 Pro7 Plus champion with a convincing round win at Taupo recently. He won two of the three races, was second in the third and extended his series lead from Chris Hanley. Dean McMillan finished third overall and these three drivers dominated the series from the first round.
Lockwood’s consistent driving, with podium finishes in 18 out of 21 races, gave him an unassailable lead after the second race of the weekend. “I’m rapt to win the championship two years in a row but I couldn’t have done it without the help of Grady Homewood from Hi Tech Motorsport”
With only days to go until Lockwood’s final challenge of the season, the Trans Tasman V8 Ute Challenge at the Hamilton 400, he is mindful of the unforgiving nature of the walls at a street circuit. Lockwood was racing a V8 Ute at the Clipsal 500 last month when the Ute in front of him bounced off both concrete walls before catching fire. Lockwood spun on the oil dropped by this Ute and narrowly missed crashing in a similar manner.
No matter what the outcome at Hamilton this season will go down as Lockwood’s most successful to date. His record includes the Pro7 Plus series win, lap records at two North Island tracks, podium finishes at two of the three NZV8 rounds contested as a rookie and a credible finish in the Australian V8 Ute Legends meeting at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide.
