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McIntyre to start from fourth for BNT V8s at Manfeild Heavy rain meant the top ten shootout for John McIntyre and other top NZ V8 competitors was cancelled this afternoon at the Manfeild racing circuit in Fielding. The starting positions for Sunday’s first 12-lap race were decided by the lap times set in the second qualifying segment when McIntyre and the Prime Explosives-backed Ford set the fourth-fastest time of 1:13.548.
“This morning we were out for testing – the first time we’d driven the car after its big repair job – and were happy to post the second fastest time of the first session. In the next round of practice, we were third fastest – again, we were happy with the car. “The first segment of qualifying was run in the dry and everyone was pushing hard; we were sixth quickest. Initially the second segment was dry as well, but spits of rain started partway through, and then the rain came down. Officials decided it would not be fair to run the top ten shootout in such changeable conditions – some drivers might get a fully wet track, some a track covered in puddles – so you can’t run a shootout in those conditions.” McIntyre says, as always, he loves being at Manfeild – it’s one of his favourite circuits. “From fourth, we’re on the outside which isn’t necessarily a bad place to be going into the first right-hander – that’s always a tight battle at Manfeild. “We’re very happy with the car and very happy to be up the front, so now we’re looking forward to Sunday’s races!” On pole for the 9:55 am race will be Tim Edgell, then Craig Baird, Kayne Scott, McIntyre and Angus Fogg rounds out the top five. Sunday also sees a second 12-lap race at 12:55pm followed by the reverse grid 22-lapper at 4pm. McIntyre is currently third on the championship points-table with 553 points, just two away from second-placed Eddie Bell and 115 points away from Baird, the current series leader. The Manfeild round is the penultimate round of the 2009-10 NZ V8 touring car series, so just six races remain with a maximum of 75 points for the winner of each race up for grabs. McIntyre and his team at John McIntyre Racing extends their thanks to sponsors 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, City Collision Repairs Napier, and others for their ongoing support. McIntyre 100% ready for Manfeild NZ V8s battle With the Prime Explosives-backed Ford repaired and looking 100% after suffering substantial damage on a slick, wet Timaru circuit at the end of January, two-time NZ V8 champion John McIntyre is ready to race in the Manfeild round of the BNT V8s Championship over the weekend of 13 and 14 February. “We’re still in the title hunt with two rounds of the championship to go,” says Johnny Mac. “There’s one thing about this team – we don’t give up – and you soon learn, in this series, never say never!”
“We’re looking forward to Manfeild – we’re there to win more races. We are completely focussed on keeping our strong performance from earlier rounds going,” says the Nelson-based McIntyre whose car and team are based in Hastings. “It’s quite exciting, facing this sort of challenge, and we’ll be doing our utmost to succeed, as we always do.” One of the key signs that the Prime Explosives Ford is in great condition after its rebuild is that the team’s engineer Perry Field could apply the established set-up geometry with all the settings working perfectly. “You can tell the car’s good, the chassis is straight and it’s all gone back together as intended.” The JMR team will get to test the car during the official practice sessions for the NZ V8 class at 10:15am and 2:05pm on Saturday. The three-part qualifying session gets underway at 3:40pm. Then on Sunday, the three races see Johnny Mac on track at 9:55am, 12:55pm and 4pm after the running of the NZ Grand Prix for the Toyota class. McIntyre and his team at John McIntyre Racing extends their thanks to sponsors 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, City Collision Repairs Napier, and others for their ongoing support. Speedshow backs top NZ V8 team John McIntyre Racing The popular annual automotive and motorsport show, Speedshow, is supporting John McIntyre’s bid to win a third New Zealand V8 touring car championship.
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“We’re very happy with how our weekend is going so far,” says McIntyre whose team has worked furiously for the past three weeks to repair the John McIntyre Racing Ford after an uncontrollable slide on a slick Timaru circuit at the end of January caused major damage.
After the uncontrollable aquaplaning on a super-slick Timaru circuit in January caused the John McIntyre Racing Ford to crash heavily, the team and many suppliers have worked incredibly hard to rebuild the car back to its previous top-performing best.
“We’ve known John for many years; since his early teenage years, in fact, when he helped out around the pits and clearly had a massive enthusiasm for motorsport, so it’s fantastic to see him doing so well with his own team in a very competitive class,” says Speedshow organiser Keith Sharp.
