McIntyre predicts sprint pace at V8 SuperTourer’s Father’s Day 400

Current V8SuperTourer points leader John McIntyre is expecting a cracking race pace at the inaugural V8 SuperTourer endurance event in Taupo next weekend.

Fresh from winning the first V8 SuperTourers’ sprint championship in June, McIntyre’s team, John McIntyre Racing, is preparing for the Father’s Day 400 running at the Taupo Motorsport Park on 1 and 2 September.

The team has completed considerable testing with their two cars and the specified Hankook tyres on the Taupo circuit – they are the only team among the now 20-strong field to nominate Taupo as their test track.

Balancing that possible advantage is the fact that this is also the first endurance event that JMR, as a team, has contested after winning three NZV8 championships and the first V8 SuperTourer sprint series.

“Given the pace during the sprint championship, the entire V8 SuperTourer field will be in for 400 km of sprint racing. Testing showed us that the Hankook tyres just keep hanging on, so it will come down to the teams with the best set-up and the fittest and most accurate drivers over the distance,” says the Nelson-based driver. “We hope we will have the pace to be at the front and I'd say that it will be a very fast pace for the entire distance of 200 km for both races.”

McIntyre selected Jono Lester as his co-driver in the championship-winning #47 Blackwoods Protector FG Falcon. Lester, 22, is originally from Palmerston North and is now based in Auckland when not racing a Mercedes Benz SLS GT3 in the Super Taikyu endurance series in Japan. Melbourne-based expat Kiwi Richards continues in his role as lead driver for the #556 CRC Motornews.co.nz FG Falcon with teenage race champion William Bamber taking the co-driving role beside the double Bathurst race victor.

McIntyre says: “Jono Lester has been drilling me on fitness, Will is super fit and Richo is also in great shape as he and I are about to go into a intense season of endurance racing with three V8 SuperTourer races, plus our V8 Supercar drives at Sandown and Bathurst later in the next three months.”

The weekend’s race format comprises two 60 minute practice sessions on Saturday – starting 10:20 am and 12:30 pm – where either driver can be in the car. JMR has a manager for each car – Jason Liefting has the lead for #47 and Richard Moss heads #556 – and their goal will be to ensure that Lester and Bamber get even more comfortable in the cars and that everyone’s clear on the driver change and pit stop processes that combine to make a successful endurance race from start to finish.
The all-important qualifying sessions get underway at 3 pm with the co-drivers getting 20 minutes to set their best time around the challenging 3.3 km Taupo circuit. The main drivers take to the track at 3:40 pm for their 20 minutes of qualifying. Each driver’s qualifying position determines where that driver starts the race and each driver must start one of the two 60 lap races.

“Qualifying is critical in this category with so much intense competition, we want to be up the front in both races and out of the trouble,” McIntyre notes.

“In each of the 60 lap races, the maximum any one driver can do is 39 laps, the minimum 21. Each car must pit and the drivers change during the ‘window’ between laps 21 and 39. However you don’t have to change the tyres if you don’t want to.”  

Between races, teams will have just 20 minutes to refuel the cars and prepare them for race two at 1:45 pm. In the break, race fans can actually come down and watch the teams completing their pit stop tasks; putting 110 or so litres in each car will take some time, so there’s plenty of action in a safer environment.

McIntyre says excitement is building among JMR fans and sponsors. “Everyone’s looking forward to the season getting underway again after the winter break. With four hours of television coverage on TV3, screening Sunday 2 September from 1-5 pm, we’ll be looking for both JMR Falcons to feature as they’re both carrying in-car cameras.”

After the Father’s Day 400 in Taupo, the V8 SuperTourer endurance series continues at Pukekohe on 27 and 28 October and wraps up at Ruapuna in Christchurch on 24 and 25 November.

New CRC motornews.co.nz livery as JMR readies for V8 SuperTourer enduros

The John McIntyre Racing #556 Ford FG V8 SuperTourer driven by Steven Richards has a smart, new livery ready for the first of three endurance race events starting on 1 September.

Evolving from the car's previous CRC branding, the new CRC motornews.co.nz imagery looks fantastic, according to team owner and winner of the first-ever V8 SuperTourer sprint championship John McIntyre.

"We established a fantastic relationship with the team from CRC during the four-round sprint championship," says McIntyre from the team's Taupo workshop where preparation work on both Ford V8 SuperTourers are progressing well for the opening endurance event, the Father's Day 400, at the Ricoh Taupo Motorsport Park.

"The New Zealand-owned and hosted website motornews.co.nz has recently been re-launched," McIntyre adds. "CRC is a key backer behind this site which shares an incredible array of news for Kiwi motorsport fans. I'm delighted that JMR has the opportunity to be linked with such a positive initiative for motorsport enthusiasts."

Jeff Bennet, general manager of the site, says: "Motornews.co.nz is still in its launch phase, so this is a very timely opportunity for us to promote the site via the championship-winning team to the thousands of V8 SuperTourer fans who will follow the action for the remainder of the season.

"The JMR V8 SuperTourer branding which I think looks terrific – very contemporary – is certainly a special promotion for us and not something we would expect to be able to do very often."

Bennet highlights the existing links between motornews.co.nz and JMR via Jono Lester who is co-driving for John McIntyre in the endurance races.

"Jono Lester is a major contributor to motornews.co.nz and his involvement in the sport frequently provides fresh opportunities. It's still early days with the site but we are very pleased with the reaction from motorsport fans as we build toward being the premier motorsport website for New Zealand fans."

With both JMR cars having finished every single race of the first four rounds, the team aims to build on that level of consistency and performance as they prepare for the two 60-lap races on their home circuit.

Teenage race champion William (Will) Bamber is joining Richards in the #556 CRC motornews.co.nz Ford for the Taupo event and McIntyre rates the combination a strong one.

"Steve is a two-time Bathurst winner so obviously brings vast knowledge of the endurance format to share with Will, who's one of New Zealand's most talented young drivers," says 'Johnny Mac'.

Bamber, originally from Whanganui and now based in Auckland, enjoyed working with CRC and JMR at July's CRC Speedshow where the #556 car was on display.

"We had my name on the car for the first time and we had posters featuring Steve and me, so our combination was definitely put forward to the public," says the 18-year-old former Suzuki Swift Cup champion. "From all the people we had through the car over the weekend, everyone seemed excited to see what Steve and I can do at the Father's Day 400."

Bamber has been working hard on his own preparation with personal training, running and further training at the high performance-oriented AUT Millennium Institute. "Over the last few months I have stepped up my training programme to ensure I am in the best possible shape for those brutal 45 minute stints powering the JMR Ford around the 3.3 kilometre Taupo circuit."

The Father's Day 400 event sees JMR join fellow V8 SuperTourer competitors for promotional activities in downtown Taupo on Friday 31 August, before Saturday's two 60 minute practice sessions and two 20 minute qualifying sessions – one for the co-driver and one for the main driver. Sunday's schedule sees the first 60 lap race start at 11:25 am and the second 60 lapper at 1:45 pm.

The endurance series continues at Pukekohe on 27 and 28 October and wraps up at Ruapuna in Christchurch on 24 and 25 November.