ENZED CENTRAL MUSCLE CARS ROUND FOUR
ROUND FOUR OF THE ENZED CENTRAL MUSCLE CARS SERIES FROM HIGHLANDS MOTORSPORT PARK
There was never any doubt that the fourth round of the Enzed Central Muscle Cars (CMC) series was going to provide entertainment and drama, and the reasons for this were quite simple. The points table for both Group 1 and Group 2 had been turned upside down after the previous round at Pukekohe, the extremely quick South Island–based teams would be in the mix, and the Highlands circuit is an incredible place that can make or break a driver. Five-time CMC champion Dean Perkins was on a mission from the get-go, and he needed to be if he was going to have any chance of making up for the major points losses from round three. With a refreshed engine under the bonnet, he roared around the track in the practice and qualifying sessions, staying within reach of his main rival Angus Fogg. But Fogg was also there with purpose. He was leading the championship and wanted to cement that spot as the halfway point in the season went by. He stayed ahead of Perkins during the same sessions, but was well aware that the red Falcon would pounce at any given opportunity. It wasn’t just about those two drivers though. Dean Hansen was genuinely starting to find the sweet spot between his driving style and the car set-up, and he was hoping for a result similarly strong to that which he had achieved a few weeks earlier at Pukekohe. There was, in fact, a long list of drivers who wanted to pinch the joy away from Fogg and Perkins. Tristan Teki — just like Hansen — had finally found some positives in his car set-up, Clarke Hopkins had returned to the mix and wanted to make a splash, and Steve Ross was also having a good run and looking to retain that form. In all of that, there was the other battle being fought within the Group 2 pack. Paul Boden was back in the pilot seat after taking a break from the previous round, and Bruce Kett was still keen to steal points away from Shane Holland and Steve Noyer — the latter holding sway with the championship after an average third round from Holland. So again, when you combine all of that, along with South Island drivers such as Michael Wallace, Andy Knight, and Craig Boote, then yes, the expectations of an exciting round forming were quite high.
The first race kicked off with a beautiful roar and a beautiful backdrop. The returning Andy Knight
immediately made his presence felt by getting around both Perkins and Wallace and was starting to chase down Fogg. The red and black Oldsmobile Starfire had proven many times over previous rounds that it was equally as quick as Fogg’s Mustang, but it was struggling to make inroads on the results due to regular mechanical faults — and this race was no exception. Yet again, Knight had to live with an issue slowing him to a circulating pace only. His wasn’t the only car to have an issue during the opening lap either. Steve Scoles in his orange Camaro came out of the last turn and connected heavily with the concrete wall — his car was too damaged to bother repairing to take part in the rest of the weekend. But, aside from those two dramas, it was a fight between Perkins and Fogg, although the returning Wallace was making a good run in his Chevrolet Monza. His pace was good, his driving was excellent, and he crossed the finish line in third spot — only to have the result removed post race due to an accidental false start.
“It’s a real shame, because I actually had a terrible start.” Wallace stated afterwards. “I’ve got an issue to sort as the car jumps when I slam it into gear. We’ll certainly need to fix that or change the way I do things.” His misfortune, however, was a bonus for Teki, who was finally finding the sweet spot in his Batman-themed Camaro, moving from a fourth placing to a podium third. Hansen moved to fifth, which was a points bonus, but the interesting finishing position was Brendan Mason in fourth. He is the new owner of the Grant Dalton Camaro and has immediately gelled with it — something the Mainland Muscle Cars class will be fully aware of! The second session for the weekend became a non-event in regard to a race, as the field had to circulate behind a safety car for the majority, and it became a one-lap sprint to the flag.
It was, though, an insane last lap. It was a handicap race, which meant by the time the safety car had come out, the fastest cars were well mixed in the field, but Janine Douglas, Tony Boyden, and Paul Boden were at the front.
On restart, it was as hectic as you’d expect. Cars were making contact and mistakes were being made. Some were lucky to get through unscathed, others not so much. But when the dust settled — and there was actual dust flying — both Douglas and Boyden had lost their spots and Fogg had once again pulled a rabbit out of the hat. He had squeezed past Teki and powered past Boden to claim the win. Teki learned another valuable lesson; when it comes to Fogg, you either fully shut the door or leave it completely open, because, if there’s any sign of a gap, Fogg will have a go at taking it.
There were casualties from the race that necessitated repairs. Steve Ross had front damage that the crew was able to rip into, but the major was for Clarke Hopkins: his Torana had a big enough hit to bend the rear diff.
Hopkins was at the point of packing up and heading to the ferry for an early trip home, as he had already had to get the rear end repaired after finding a crack on a spigot, grateful to a local
engineering shop for welding and machining. Now, he had a major repair to make, and the team were in Cromwell. Fortune favours the CMC category, though, as there are plenty of engineers around the country always willing to help, and they found a local with a 100-tonne press who reset the diff to within a single millimetre, and, come Sunday morning, his crew, along with help from the Perkins camp, the car was reassembled to allow Hopkins to continue on. It was then to become the story of the weekend …
The Sunday morning race was again a handicap start, the fastest at the back trying to catch those in front. It’s always an epic watch, nerve-racking at times but more than usual on this particular occasion because, as the final few laps were closing in, Clarke Hopkins was leading the race. Knight was on the charge; he had also threaded his way through the pack, and, with one lap remaining, he was hunting Hopkins down. It was a crazy lap though — crazy because the entire championship changed in the blink of an eye. Fogg had spun his car and was in the gravel unable to rejoin, the resulting did-not-finish (DNF) setting the points chase on fire.
But, without Fogg, the racing continued. Hansen had moved into third, and Knight was ready to pounce. Perkins was back in seventh, but, with the demise of Fogg, it was still a valuable position to be in.
As the final bend was negotiated, Knight started to pull alongside Hopkins, and it was a drag race to the line, but the Torana had made it, and the glory went to a team that less than 24 hours ago had been ready to head home.
“Last lap, I saw a red thing coming,” said an elated Hopkins. “I actually thought it was Perkins, but then I realized it was Knight, and I had to tell myself just to look forward and hope we cross the line first, and we did!”
Shane Holland ended up in fourth position, once again showing that he and his Group 2 Camaro are a fine pairing.
It then came down to the final race, a race in which Fogg could not make any more mistakes, and, aside from a poor start off the line, there was none. Perkins did have the glory for a lap, getting the better start and leading the mob for a while, before Fogg was able to grab the lead and hold it to the end.
The drama for this outing was with Knight. He stalled on the start line and the field had to take evasive action around him. The fear shown by the spectators would have been half of what Knight would have been going through as he frantically tried to restart. He eventually achieved it, surviving the moment, and launched himself into the race. From there, he had the drive of the weekend.
If a trophy could be given for such things, he would have received it. Starting almost last, he was able to achieve the incredible — he finished the race in third spot. He was not going to catch Fogg or Perkins, as the deficit was just too large, but to get where he did is deserving of some kind of medal. If you were to sum up the event with a single statement, you would say that Highlands had produced a gem of a weekend for the bi-annual South Island trek. The weather was outstanding, the track unquestionably fantastic, and the competition was served on a platter. The points table and championship are still open, and maybe the club needs to go there twice a year.