ST HI-TEC DRAG R35 TOPPLING RECORDS

After four long years in the works, the ST Hitec / Dodson Motorsport prototype R35 drag car has finally spun a wheel in anger. Not only has it racked up back-to-back eight-second passes and reclaimed the title of quickest/fastest R35 in New Zealand but as of 17 May it set a mid-sevensecond personal best!

Making use of private testing opportunities at Meremere Dragway, owner Iain Clegg was behind the wheel and told us that, despite battling misfire issues on the first two outings, the team managed to bank a 8.91 at 163mph pass straight off the trailer followed by a 8.57 at 169mph (272kph) the following outing.

“We had persistent misfire issues every time. Fighting the miss we changed the plugs and leads. It was still missing, so we changed the leads, regapped the plugs, and boom, we hit a 7.7-second pass on 39psi,” explains Iain. “Once the miss was gone, it was a pleasure to fight with this beast — a better feeling even than jumping over to fight in the kick boxing arena! The rush was insane!”

That latest pass saw the car clocking in a staggering 7.64 at 182mph, making it Australasia’s quickest and fastest R35 GT-R. With its 1.307s 60-foot time on that run, and a best of 1.249s so far, Iain says there’s heaps of room to improve. With solid assurance of the car’s capability under their belts, they “ain’t stopping now” and are taking aim at claiming the records for New Zealand’s quickest GT-R.

“Reece McGregor and Robbie Ward are people I have looked up to for a long time; I would love to aim for those records now,” says Iain. “Then on to the world records.”

In New Zealand, Robbie Ward holds the GT-R/AWD title with a 7.28 at 194mph (312kph) in the ‘MGAWOT III’ R32 GT-R, while Reece McGregor is the second quickest on a 7.41 at 193mph (311kph) in the Heat Treatments Racing R32 GT-R. On the world stage, a tightly contested battle between the Extreme Turbo Systems ( ETS) R35, Maatouks Racing R32, and Alpha Logic Performance R35 rages at the 6.5 mark. ETS currently holds the quickest GT-R and AWD records with a 6.541 at 225mph (362kph) pass.

The ST Hi-tec team plans to run a bigger wheel package in future and, when the time is right, turn the wick up to 100psi for one shot at the world records.

“I know there’s a 6 in this car,” Iain tells us. “Nothing could have been achieved without the combined teams of Dodson Motorsport and ST Hitec. From the bottom of my heart thank you all for believing in my crazy ass dream!”

With motorsport dates wiped off the calendar for the foreseeable future, those series part way through a season have been left with not much choice but to call things early. This was the decision made by organizers for the 2020 Mazda Racing Series after cancelling the final two rounds set for Hampton Downs and Taupo, leaving the current points table to determine the final placings.

Committee spokesperson Steve Spear says racing is highly unlikely to continue under current conditions: “As a committee we decided we had enjoyed a strong season and it was time to be realistic, crown our champions, and look forward to a full season in 2020–2021 … We’re disappointed to miss running at Hampton Downs and Taupo to close our season off, but we’re not complaining, because everyone understands where we are at as a country. Driving out Covid-19 is the only priority.”

The series is split into three cups. Both the RX-7 Cup and the RX-8 Cup consist of the North Island Championship and New Zealand Championship, while the third cup, the MX-5 Cup, is a North Island–only series.

With the points finalized, Roger Beuvink has come back after a one-year absence to claim the North Island Championship RX-8 Cup, while Keith Wilkinson took overall honours in the New Zealand Championship RX-8 Cup. For the RX-7 Cup, Rowan Shepherd earned both North Island Championship and New Zealand Championship titles. Mark Smith dominated the MX5 Cup 57 points clear of the secondplace finisher.

We’ve all heard of the gentlemen’s agreement among Japanese car manufacturers in the ’90s that saw power figures ‘capped’ at a measly 206kW on paper, despite models making far more in reality. The pact died long ago, thankfully, and manufacturers have been slapping far higher figures on their latest incarnations for years now — although in some cases, these figures prove to be even more than stated. But why?

There’s a raft of reasons: fear of putting off potential buyers, opportunities for further up sales on performance packages, or even not to overshadow those of a shared chassis.

We would hazard a guess that it’s the last of those that has led Toyota to

As is the case with most businesses not only within New Zealand but around the world, local motorsport sanctioning body MotorSport New Zealand (MSNZ) has taken a massive hit to its income streams. The loss of revenue has forced it to look at the books and make drastic changes to ensure that it can come out the other side. Some sources suggest that up to half of the organization’s current 12 employees could face job loss.

In May, MSNZ issued a statement: “The board has proposed the restructure due to the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting Government-imposed lockdown, which saw all motorsport events in New Zealand cancelled. We find ourselves in the regrettable position of needing to consider how we can reduce costs and ensure that we are operating in the most efficient manner possible to remain sustainable.”

The blow comes at a time when MSNZ is locked in a disagreement with affiliated car clubs over the recent sale of MotorSport House, located at 69 Hutt Road, Pipitea, Wellington. In an email signed by 27 affiliated clubs, concerns are raised over the lessthan-expected sale value of the commercial building and questions have been asked about how and why.

In an unexpected turn of events, CEO Simon Baker has said that he is siding with the clubs, citing a ‘gagging order’ from the president of MSNZ, Wayne Christie, and has resigned from his position, effective from 15 May, due to irreconcilable differences. under-declare the at-the-wheel power of the latest Supra offering. Independent testing has already proved that Toyota’s claim of a rather sedate 250kW at the engine was more like 281kW at the wheels, making it not only more powerful than the equivalent Z4 that it’s engineered from but also quicker to 100kph and quicker down the quarter-mile.

Now, Toyota has claimed an increase from 250kW to 285kW at the engine in a refreshed 2021 offering and a dyno test recently performed by Car and Driver showed it made that, and more, at the wheels, with 289kW on tap. Factoring in roughly 15 per cent drivetrain loss, that’s around 339kW at the damn engine.

Traditional motorsport has all but been cancelled for the past couple of months, and in its place e-racing has thrived. Not only have real-world series been forced to adapt to the virtual realm, but now some of the biggest names are banding together to raise money for struggling Kiwi businesses amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Dubbed ‘Racing Local’, the event will take place on the iRacing platform with the likes of Scott McLaughlin, Shane Van Gisbergen,

Hayden Paddon, Nick Cassidy, Simon Evans, Earl Bamber, Greg Murphy, and Liam Lawson already signed up.

With 25 drivers registered, 25 more spots are available for any motorsport-licence holders. The other 10 spots will be guest wild-card entries, including those who don’t hold a motorsport licence.

The event will be live-streamed via the Racing Local Facebook page and YouTube channels.

Driver’s entry is a minimum of $20 each week.

They can donate more if desired, and get to choose a local business from the SOS platform to receive the entry fees and sponsorship money — every nominated business will receive a donation. The top eight finishers on the night will get an extra percentage from the pot for their business, plus there will be spot prizes for best liveries, best overtakes, the hardest charger, and a hard luck award.

Visit facebook.com/racinglocal for details. further

With drivers chomping at the bit to get behind the wheel again, there’s good news out of the Golden Homes North Island Endurance Series (NIES): it has announced a revised calendar for this season. The two events — one fewer than normal — will be based in Auckland, with Hampton Downs Motorsport Park playing host on 18 September and the finale to be held at Pukekohe Park on 24 October. The reduced season is aimed at allowing those with the necessary funding to campaign the MotorSport New Zealand (MSNZ) Endurance Race Championship at Highlands Motorsport Park on 6–7 November.

Vehicle eligibility has been extended to the likes of Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)– complying Trans-Am and TA2complying cars. The new schedule avoids any clashes with the South Island Endurance Racing Drivers Club (SIERDC) events.

Got Instagram? Want print fame on top of all those likes that fly your way each time you post a photo? Want to show us your whip without actually talking to us? Want to see what other readers are up to in their sheds? The answer to all these questions and why these two pages exist lies in the use of the hashtag #nzpc. Search it, use it, and thrash it! We keep a very close eye on it and will be choosing a bunch of hashtagged posts each month to print right here. And that’s not all — the best shot will earn its photographer a little prize for their trouble. So remember, next time you’re gram’n’, use #nzpc.