Final round win secures second in NZV8 champs for McIntyre

Another dominant performance from John McIntyre Racing in the final round of the BNT V8 Championship raced in Taupo this weekend saw the team secure second place for the season.

“I’m very, very happy,” says John McIntyre. “With a third round win for the season, our fourth pole, and two more race wins to bring our total to seven race wins from the season’s 18 races, I think it’s fair to say the team has made an outstanding recovery after a disaster in Timaru where we didn’t earn any points for an entire round.”

McIntyre congratulates Craig Baird on his championship win. “We’ve had some of the best racing we’ve ever had in this series against Craig. Congratulations to him and the United Video team on their win, and for taking out the Porsche title the same day.”

“Last year, I was extremely disappointed to get second in this series. This year, I’ve accepted second place with a lot more grace, because the whole JMR team did such a great job. We never gave up, we were competitive right up until the last chequered flag, and we earned this second place so we’re going to celebrate it!”

Qualifying for the Taupo round, the sixth and final round of the 2009-10 NZV8 championship season saw McIntyre set the quickest time in the first two qualifying sessions and head out last during the top ten shootout. He had Baird’s time of 1:35.498 to beat, and he did – by just 0.026 seconds – to take his fourth pole position in six rounds, a feat that hasn’t been achieved by any other driver in this series to the best of the team’s knowledge.

McIntyre took full advantage of starting from pole position to win the first two ten lap races and score his sixth and seventh race victories for the season. “That second race was the 27th race victory for John McIntyre Racing in four seasons,” says a proud McIntyre, who know after the second race that Baird had an insurmountable points’ lead and couldn’t be beaten for the championship title.

The championship’s last race, a 20-lapper, full reverse grid, saw McIntyre and Baird line up on the very back row together. With competitors further up the field slewing off the circuit in all directions and gravel and dust being flung up in great, view-restricting clouds, it took all of Baird’s considerable ability to make his way cleanly through the pack. McIntyre followed, keeping as close as possible behind him. On the third lap, Eddie Bell got turned by another competitor right in front of McIntyre.

“I had nowhere to go and hit Eddie’s car dead in the side. It was hard to know what was damaged so I came round to the pits pretty slowly. There was a fair bit of damage, but not enough to stop us returning to the race at full speed. The car wasn’t 100%, but we went on to get the fastest lap of the race after that and managed to drive from the back of the field again into sixth place which was an outstanding recovery and hugely satisfying.”

McIntyre’s two race wins and a sixth place earned him the round win, his third of the season.

“You look at our stats and we’ve had a great season, marred by the Timaru crash. We couldn’t win the championship – that’s how it goes, but I’m enormously proud of how the team bounced back. The whole team – headed by Craig Field from Hastings – put in a phenomenal effort.”

John McIntyre Racing heads to the streets of Hamilton in April where the NZV8s will again be a key support class for the Australian V8 Supercars contesting the ITM 400.

“This is a non-championship event for the NZV8s, but nonetheless an exciting opportunity for JMR to put on a strong performance on the challenging street circuit and acknowledge the much appreciated support of our many, many fans and sponsors including Talley's, Castrol Edge, Protector Safety, Prime Explosives, Ford NZ, The Rock FM, Ideal Electrical, Websters Hydrated Lime, Avon City Ford, BP Ultimate, Dynamic Fluid Systems, Speedshow, Cookes Wirerope, Colorfast Signs, Amcor Packaging and Squawking Magpie Wines and City Collision Repairs Napier. We look forward to seeing you there.”

BNT V8s Points after six rounds (top five)
1, Craig Baird, Gold Coast, Ford, 1041
2, John McIntyre, Nelson, Ford, 916
3, Kayne Scott, Hamilton, Ford, 864
4, Tim Edgell, Auckland, Ford, 855
5, Andy Booth, Auckland, Holden, 774

NZV8 season stats highlight McIntyre’s abilities

Top race driver John McIntyre can look back on another highly competitive season in the New Zealand V8 Championship with the satisfaction of knowing that his own performance continues to improve.

Since starting John McIntyre Racing in 2006, the Nelson-based driver has accumulated some impressive statistics with his own car and team.

In these four seasons, McIntyre has either won the series outright or secured a solid second place in arguably the hardest-fought motor racing championship in New Zealand. McIntyre has taken more pole positions, more race wins, and more round wins than any other competitor.

‘Johnny Mac’ has contested 27 rounds and 81 races across these four seasons, including one non-championship round at the Hamilton 400. He’s won 9 (or 33.33%) of the possible 27 pole positions, 27 (or 33.33%) races from 81 starts and achieved ten (or 37%) round wins from the 27 rounds.

“It’s actually a very instructive thing to do – to break down your performance as a team like this,” says McIntyre, whose team is based in Hawke’s Bay, his home province. “Of course, it’s fantastic to see how we’re improving as well.

“The pole position numbers are interesting. One pole from seven rounds in 2006/07, then two from six in 2007/08, and two from seven in 2008/09. In 2009/10, with the regulation change to a top ten one-lap shootout format, it was particularly satisfying to achieve four poles from six rounds. I think this highlights the increased intensity and level of competitiveness I’ve attained this past year, in part due to the time spent with Stone Brothers Racing as one of their endurance drivers in the Australian V8 Supercar series.”

McIntyre can see a pattern of building car speed and how both the team and he have adjusted better to the one-lap shootout qualifying format.

“This season you can see that by starting a weekend with the aim of winning pole position, the team has been able to build on this by winning race one, often race two and more often than not, the whole weekend as well.”

From McIntyre’s four pole positions in the 2009-10 season, he won the first race four times, the second race three times and the weekend three times.

“You’ve got to convert pole position into a race one victory, or you lose the advantage. John McIntyre Racing chalked up its 27th NZV8 race victory at the last round in Taupo in March.”

That win was also McIntyre’s 48th in his career as a NZV8 driver.

The team will be back on the Hamilton street circuit in April where the NZV8s are again a key support class for the Australian V8 Supercars contesting the ITM 400.

“We always look forward to the challenges of a street circuit – there’s no room for error – and it’s a fantastic way to acknowledge the much appreciated support of our many, many fans and sponsors.”

McIntyre thanks Talley's, Castrol Edge, Protector Safety, Prime Explosives, Ford NZ, The Rock FM, Ideal Electrical, Websters Hydrated Lime, Avon City Ford, BP Ultimate, Dynamic Fluid Systems, Speedshow, Cookes Wirerope, Colorfast Signs, Amcor Packaging and Squawking Magpie Wines and City Collision Repairs Napier for their ongoing support this season.