Race win for Albany driver
Albany race driver Reid Harker has won his class in the North Island endurance motor racing series, logging valuable race time in his Toyota TR 86 race car in the process.
Harker, 20, says he is ‘‘ecstatic’’ to secure the result on the three-round series, having entered primarily to stay racesharp during winter and gain more experience on the three circuits used, all of which are also venues for the 86 Championship.
His victory confirms the adaptability of the 86 sports coupe in TR 86 race trim.
‘‘The car was perfect and the seat time I have gained is invaluable. Because it was my first time racing in the endurance series I didn’t exactly know what to expect and was unsure how the TR 86 would compete with the higher horsepower cars, so this class win is a fantastic boost,’’ he says.
Initially, a class win looked a difficult task due to problems at the opening round.
‘‘After puncturing a tyre at round one in Taupo, which put us out of the race, the class three title was looking doubtful but I was determined to push on and make the best of the series. Consistency counts for so much,’’ he says.
Heavy rain drenched the track in round two at Hampton Downs and gave the team an unexpected advantage over bigger, more powerful cars. Multiple safety car intervals as other racers crashed out of the race kept him on the lead lap until the dying minutes of the race.
Harker was ‘‘praying for rain’’ for the final round, held at Manfeild near Feilding over the weekend, but the track was dry for the race and he qualified in the middle of the grid.
‘‘I had an intense race with a V8 ute early on, struggling to solidify a pass with the power of the ute too much to match in a straight line. We used pit stop strategy to get in front and hold the position till the finish, doing enough to pick up the overall win.’’
Harker said he relished the complexity of endurance racing and the opportunity to formulate a pit stop strategy to gain time and track position.
‘‘Endurance racing also makes you consider tyre management and teaches you how to save your tyres to have consistent speed throughout the race and give you something to fight with when needed. Now for the Championship!’’