Round two @Ruapuna

Didn't get the best start to round two because I spent Friday night before race day with some serious food poisoning. Managed to get there on Saturday morning only to not make it onto the track for qualifying and instead needing to go for a couple hours sleep to try and improve my chances at racing for the rest of the weekend. This meant I started race one of the back of the grid, despite still feeling sick I drove as hard as I could and gained four spots and got first in class. Luckily being a two day meeting I had Saturday night to try and keep feeling better. Sunday morning and I still wasn't feeling 100% for race two. Again starting off the back I knew I needed to work really hard if I wanted to get decent points. I made up six places and achieved a second in class which put me in a good position for race three.

By Sunday afternoon I was feeling a bit better again and really wanted my first round win in my class. Race three was disappointing as I started well up the grid but found myself being involved in two accidents in the first couple laps and had to work my way back up the grid. Happily I finished first in class again putting me in first equal for the overall round. This was really exciting as it would be my first round win and I was so happy considering I had been unwell all weekend as well. This put me currently in 3rd for the championship which is a  very comfortable place to be going into round three in. Next round will be back at Levels in November

Round one @Levels Raceway

Was good to be back in the car after a long six months off over winter. Plenty of work had been done on the car during the off season, the engine had a rebuild, new roll cage inserted and new improved brakes. Have to say a massive thanks to Autotech services and Braketech for their hard work and help to make the car better.

The first race saw that we were a little off the pace and with a change in tyre pressures improved for race two. I gained two places during race one but really wanted to improve my positions more for race two.

Race two again I was enjoying a great battle and managed to finish second in class and midpack overall. Found a little more car pace but had plenty more to find before round two.

During race three I was struggling to find grip as the track warmed up and found my laptimes were well off the pace of race one and two.

Wasn't a bad way to start the season though and I am currently sitting in 5th for my class championship. Looking forward to making some changes and becoming some real competition in the championship at round two.

OFF SEASON:

My circuit racing season is now over for the 3 months of winter so I've been spending some quality time with rally car driver M.Summerfield learning the engineering and driving side to his rally machine. Spending time behind the scenes at the workshop has been a really exciting way to learn some more about how the car functions and what makes them so strong and fast over the length of a rally. On top of this I have experienced being in the passenger seat of his rally car at a few rallysprints and am looking forward to the opportunity to get behind the wheel and have him mentor me around the gravel roads. This weekend the NZ Rally Championship will be heading to our hometown of Christchurch, this will be another chance for me to get involved in the Matt Summerfield Rallisport Team! So head along and show your support 🏁

Being cold and dark as winter usually is I have taken onboard extra fitness training for the off season and am enjoying feeling healthy and seeing some gains slowly coming along from dedication and hard work.

Looking toward the next season of circuit racing the team and I are looking at preparing something a little different for next season to take to the championship and hopefully win the class. Keep watching this space for a big announcement as next season gets closer!!

Update of round five of the 2kcup season 🏁

Friday night the rain dawned upon us making Saturday a wet race meeting. This would be the first round of the season where I was running myself as my other teammates and the team manager had not made the trip down.

Qualifying went well as I got plenty of good lap times and qualified 2nd in class. The weather was benefitting my driving and I found early pace in race one where I started in 16th, drove cleanly staying on track and finished 3rd in class. Race two didn't quite go as successfully. I failed to gain traction of the start line allowing several cars to pass me. On lap one I was involved in a crash by hitting a spinning car as I had no where to go. Once again I finished 3rd in class and managed 16th overall after losing over 10 positions. I hoped to make a return in race three and finish the day on a high. I started in 25th and found some speed but with a damp track I had to be smart about where it was safe to go off the dry line and make a pass. I finished that race in 20th and 4th in class which I was happy about. Overall an enjoyable day where I've learnt to appreciate my team so much because its a lot of hard work being the driver and the engineer of my car. See you all at the final round of the 2kcup championship at Ruapuna in April!

Update of round four of the 2kcup season 🏁

The fourth round of the 2kcup championship was held at Levels on the 25th and 26th of February. As we were supporting the NZ super trucks this meant there would be more enthusiastic fans and VIP to impress than what we would usually be use to. With rain falling on and off the track continued to change and was extremely slippery. On day one we had qualifying and one race. Qualifying was a struggle as I found myself with no traffic free laps and struggled with my car that continued to sledge. I qualified 3rd in class and started race one from 24th. Race one was also diabolical with cars leaving the track at almost every corner as the track dried and then the showers would make it greasy and slippery again. All day I was lacking pace and battling with the conditions but by staying on track I managed to finish 23rd and gain one position.

Onto the second day and race two which was rather uneventful, I finished the race in my starting position. For race three the team changed my tyre pressures to see if that would help stable the car. By this time the track had formed a dry line and I found I had pace straight away. I passed a few cars on the first lap to comfortably find myself in 11th and 1st in class. Unfortunately due to a major crash the race was red flagged and the race results were invalid. Luckily no one got seriously hurt. So overall we probably didn't have the weekend we were hoping for but on a positive I kept the car straight and gained more experience. Next meeting will again be at Levels on the 25th of March. Look forward to seeing everyone!

Update of round three of the 2kcup Season 🏁

The third round of the 2kcup championship was held at Levels raceway on the 28th of January. Coming to Levels for the second time this season I was feeling quite excited and confident. During qualifying the track was nice and dry and the sun was shining down, unfortunately I found myself stuck in a group of traffic for most of the session and only managed to qualify 5th. This just meant I would have a good opportunity to gain positions in race one where I would start from grid 27. Race one turned out to be a lot of fun and I battled with drivers to finish 23rd and once again 5th in class. Onto race two where I started at the back of the field in 32nd. I worked really hard to drive cleanly and move my way up to 24th and 4th in class. I was extremely lucky to have the support from a ralli-sport team for the weekend keeping me positive, hydrated and the car super quick! By race three the track had plenty of grip and I was feeling confident within the car. This lead to me achieving my personal best lap time around Levels raceway, 17th overall and 2nd in class which was an awesome way to finish a good days racing. I'm looking forward to the next round in February which will feature many south island racing championships and the main feature being the NZ Super Trucks!

Announcement

I would like to welcome onboard a new clothing sponsor:

Backflips Clothing

Go check them out for some comfortable, well priced gear that keeps me looking sharp at the track.

Instagram: @backflips_clothing

Facebook: Backflips Clothing

Website: www.backflips.co.nz

Update of round two of the 2kcup season 🏁

Round two was at Levels Raceway in Timaru on Saturday the 12th of November. I was feeling slightly nervous about going on track for qualifying as the rain was pouring down, making visibility nonexistent and the track was covered in puddles that had already caused many cars to crash off. During qualifying I drove carefully having never been around the track before i worked on finding my braking and turning points and most importantly keeping the car off the walls. Unfortunately I was having a few issues and had to bring the car in early meaning I would start race one from the back of the grid.

At the start of race one I wasn't feeling very well but managed to pass 3 cars on the start and 5 cars by the end of lap one. A clean race and steady pace allowed me to finish 6th in my class.

In race two I was starting mid pack and raced beside some faster cars until they eventually got past and I tucked in behind them to finish 7th in my class that race.

For race three I started from the back of the field also and worked hard to find some more pace as the track dried out, once I found a good rhythm I managed to pass some cars and finish race three also in 7th place. I enjoyed some quality racing between two guys also in my class, we exchanged places throughout the race many times and all congratulated each other when we came into the pits for the awesome racing/battles we shared.

Overall levels was a good weekend away racing and I was happy with my performance considering the weather conditions and that I had never been around the track before. I am going into round 3, 5th out of the 15 cars in my class and I hope to be back up to 4th place by the end of round 3, which is on the 28th of January at Levels Raceway, Timaru.

Update of round one of the 2kcup season 🏁

So the first round was a three day meeting held at Ruapuna. Qualifying went smoothly even though the track was still damp and I managed to do a 1.52.580 which put me in 3rd place for my class.

Unfortunately in race one I was pushed wide at the first corner and found myself quickly toward the rear of the field. During the race I had to work hard to move up a few places, finishing 5th in my class.

Race two was turning out to be more successful as I was battling at the front of the pack, enjoying some hard but clean racing; however on lap 3 at the hairpin my car started fuel surging and I struggled to the end of the race losing places but managing to still finish 3rd in my class. I was disappointed in myself for being unaware that I needed to run a full tank of fuel to stop fuel surging occurring in a fxgt as I believe I could have gotten some great results.

Onto race three where I started from the back of the grid, I knew id have to be smart and perform some good passes to move my way up the group. Race 3 was probably my best of the weekend because I drove well, gained positions and came into the pits with a huge smile on my face.

Overall I think I had a good weekend, I learnt heaps and kept the car straight which is always a bonus. Going into round two I was sitting 4th in my class out of 15 which I am really proud of considering this was my first race meeting in a car and over 50% of the other drivers in my class had prior racing experience in 2kcup!

Hey guys

Just letting everyone know, this weekend (29, 30 October) will be our first official round of the season at Ruapuna Park Raceway! Would love to see you all come along and enjoy a good weekend of racing. Yesterday we had our first team testing day of the season also. This was an awesome learning experience sharing the track with my teammates who had plenty to show me and some really helpful tips about where i need to improve but also what my strong points are. Can't wait for this weekend to get back onto the track and hopefully start the season with some decent points. Bring it on....👊🏁🏆👌

Test day 1

As much as I had butterflies in my stomach, the moment I put my helmet on I was hit with the familiar feeling and was ready to hit the track. At this point the track was still wet and being my first time on the track and first time in my car a few spins was expected along with a few lucky saves.

Throughout the day the track conditions improved and I got quicker and quicker. In every session I pushed a wee bit harder and learnt more about the cars limits.

Overall I can say it was a successful day and with my lap times already putting me in a good position for the series I can't wait to get the season going and see everyone out there enjoying the racing!

Only one day to go!

Tomorrow will be my first day out in the new racecar, I'm very excited to announce this as its been a long time coming. Final preparations are being completed today so we can head to the track nice and early in the morning. Will be a great opportunity to get some data from Ruapuna (Mike Pero Motorsport Park) before the season starts.

Also excited to share plans of doing the Winter Enduro Race at Levels Raceway mid June.

Just like to say a huge thanks to all the support I get, couldn't do it without everyones help.

Will be posting an update tomorrow night letting everyone know how the testing day went! 🏁🏁