Sport + Motorsport
Alex Little of Lower Hutt in a Freightliner Century has continued his stunning run of success at Teretonga Park in Invercargill, winning the Mobil Delvac 1 Trophy for the seventh time.
Little, competing in the Kings House Removals supported Teretonga Park round of the NAPA Auto Parts NZ Super Truck Championship, took overall victory across the three races accumulating 55 points to head off Troy Etting of Auckland in a Kenworth (51 points) and Ron Salter of Auckland in a Scania.
Little first won the trophy in 2018 and apart from 2024 when Dave West took the honours and 2020 when the pandemic cancelled the event, he has won it every year since. Little, Salter and Etting took a race win apiece across the round.
Troy Wheeler of Gisborne rolled his Freightliner onto its side at Bonisch Corner in the second race of the round on Sunday morning, causing that race to be stopped. Wheeler walked to the ambulance and was taken to hospital to be checked.
The Gulf Western Oil Development Series runs in conjunction with the main series and Ricky West of Pukekohe took the honours in his Freightliner from Connor Etting of Auckland (Kenworth) with Craig Mason of Rangiora (KM Bedford) and Peter Bartlett of Lower Hutt (Freightliner) tied for third.
Brayden Phillips of Christchurch in a Chevy Monza took overall honours in the Allied 24/7 Fuel Mainland Muscle Car class from Timaru driver John Hepburn (Monaro) and John Smoelnski of Invercargill (Falcon). Dunedin driver Paul Clarke in a Ford Mustang won the first of four races by .345 of a second from Phillips on Saturday before Hepburn won Sunday morning’s handicap race from Clarke and Phillips. Phillips won the third race on Sunday afternoon from Clarke and Hepburn. Colin Campbell of Tauranga won the final race in his Torana from Sandra Eden of Whanganui in another Torana and local driver Tony Forde (Commodore). Clarke did not start the final race and series points leader Brian Scott of Dunedin did not race after suffering a mechanical issue in testing.
Little And Clarke Winners On Day One Of Southern Thunder
Alex Little of Lower Hutt in a Freightliner Century and Paul Clarke of Dunedin in a Ford Mustang were the winners in the headline classes on the opening day of Southern Thunder at Teretonga Park in Invercargill today. While the early qualifying sessions were wet the track dried out for
Lindsay Beer
Bruce Farley of Nelson won three of the four Pre 78 Classic Saloon races in his Vauxhall Viva with Gerald Hargreaves of Winchester in his Daimler winning the other. Farley won the finale, the Brian Crosbie Memorial Handicap race, heading off Jason Lambert and Shane Caughey to become the fourth person to win the coveted trophy that remembers one of the Southland Sports Car Club’s best ever saloon car racers.
Chris Symon of Palmerston North took the top step of the podium as Formula First made its first appearance at Teretonga Park since March 1996. The class provided four great races with Symon winning one, Liam Nicholson of Taupō who finished second overall winning two, with Cooper Prout of Miramar third overall. Liam Foster of Papatoetoe was the other race winner.
Harry Wilson of Invercargill was the overall winner in the Noel McIntyre Drainage Club Saloons winning three races in his Falcon and finishing second to Balfour driver Dave McLean in the Flying Farewell after a ten second penalty. McLean was second overall for the weekend with Nieko Scoles of Invercargill (Toyota GR86) third. In the class race Wilson took the 2501cc & over class, Scoles 1601-2500cc and Cindy Cooper, 1301-1600cc.