M2 Motorsport supporters magazine:V8 SUPERTOURERS 2013 - ROUND TWO, RUAPUNA

TURN 1 (FLEXOPLAS)

110 KM/H

TURN 8(CAROUSEL)

85 KM/H245 KM/H

POWERBUILT INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY AT RUAPUNA PARKtrack info:

Welcome to round two of the 2013 BNT V8SuperTourer series, held at Powerbuilt International Raceway, situated 20 minutes west of Christchurch. Here’s a quick rundown of the venue.

Arguably the mainstay of South Island motorsport, the track is well supported on all fronts: the host club provide weekday management and maintenance, and then supply a small army of officials and volunteers on a race weekend. The track is popular with fans who can choose between regular grandstand seating, or parking their cars right next to the track fence and watching in comfort.

It’s a favourite with drivers too, and the photo shows why. The combination of long fast straights and tight and sweeping turns mean that speed at Ruapuna requires horsepower as much as agility, and a driver who can master the small sections of track individually then smoothly and consistently link them all together. With 11 turns on the ‘Grand Prix circuit’ we use, that’s easier said than done. Track website: www.canterburycarclub.co.nz

TURN 3(POTHOLE)150 KM/H

TURN 4(HAIRPIN)60 KM/H

TURN 11‘THE ROCK’ SWEEPER

105 KM/H

205 KM/H

START/FINISH LINE

205 KM/H

`180 KM/H

TURN 7105 KM/H

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introduction:ROUND TWO - RUAPUNA

It’s been a weekend of unlucky brakes for M2 Motorsport.

After a tricky round at Hampton Downs last month, we were looking forward to a straightforward and comfortable weekend at round two in Christchurch. We’ve had good results there in the past, we were a step ahead by already knowing how to adjust the car for the track, and it’s a track Simon really enjoys competing at.

Therefore, round two at Ruapuna in Christchurch should have been a good weekend for us.

However, the SuperTourer gods had other plans and we spent the weekend facing a raft of mechanical issues that really threw our weekend into disarray. Our bad luck began with a brake problem that snookered us during practice and qualifying, we broke an axle during race one, and if that wasn’t enough, a gearbox issue in race two finished our weekend early. Supersition is common within motorsport, but surely this is undeniable proof that trouble comes in threes?!

It’s not just our team having bad luck however; plenty of other teams had problems at Ruapuna, driving home for us just what a tough series this is to be in. And while we’ve faced our fair share of problems at this round, we accept them as part of motorsport, and we’re confident we can continue to deal with any challenges that come our way.

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QUALIFYINGcapture:

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report:RACE ONE

Qualifying hadn’t gone to plan for the M2 Motorsport team on Saturday afternoon; a problem with the brakes meant that instead of enjoying smooth braking into each corner, the car was locking wheels without warning, eroding Simon’s confidence around the track as well as his tyres and his chances of a competitive laptime.

The team had worked hard to diagnose and fix the problem that night, but hadn’t completely fixed it by the time race one arrived on Sunday.

Simon: “We weren’t too sure wether we had sorted the issues out from Saturday, so it was a matter of jumping in and hoping it would work ok. The car wasn’t too bad...I wasn’t on it the first few laps (I made a mistake at the last turn), but we settled in and then we had another massive vibration through the car and found that we had broken an axle.” With the car driveable but far from competitive, Simon’s only option was to tour around until the 75% distance mark, at which point he would at least be able to collect points.

Then, with the car back in the garage, the team set about pulling the rear section of the drivetrain apart to find and fix the new problem. A tough job with race two only a few hours away, and a situation that really shows what a team effort motorsport is and how important the pit crew’s contribution is to Simon’s results as a driver.

“When you come down here [to the pits] and have a look at how hard my guys work, it shows that without these guys, I’d be stuffed!”

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report:

With the broken axle replaced, the M2 Motorsport V8SuperTourer was cleared for take-off and Simon took his place on the grid for race two.

While the first race had only been 12 laps, race two was now 16 laps long, giving drivers a difficult choice: should they be agressive and push to make up places, or conservative and wait for others to fall away before the end of the race?

With the number of diffculties the team had experienced over the weekend already, Simon chose to play it cool, and by lap seven he was three places ahead thanks to mistakes other drivers were making.

Sadly, Simon’s journey up through the field was cut short by a third mechanical issue - this time with the gearbox. “Going down into the hairpin I popped it into second gear, and heard an almighty bang. I lost first and second gear...and third, fourth, and fifth were pretty rough as well.”

Although a replacement gearbox was available, the team decided to park the car and finish the weekend there. Until we had a chance to find out what had gone wrong during race two, it seemed a risky move to simply replace the part and risk another failure.

It was a tough weekend to say the least, but a newly renovated Pukekohe Park Raceway awaits for round three on 25-26 May, and Simon’s already savouring the opportunity to drive the ‘new’ track. “Murph’s put his tick of approval to [the new layout]....so I’m champing at the bit to get out there and have a go!”

RACE TWO

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RACE TWOcapture:

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With over 17,000 product lines housed in their central Wellington store, New World Metro on Willis are the perfect partner when it comes to ‘fuelling‘ our team at each round of the 2013 V8SuperTourer series.

The New World team first joined us when Kimball Thomson supported Simon in his Mini Challenge and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge seasons between 2009 and 2011. And despite Kimball’s passing a few years ago, current owner/operator Richard Taggart has been more than happy to continue the association, for a mixture of business and personal reasons.

‘The series is getting really good exposure, so we get a lot of mention from people who have watched the races on the weekend and have seen our logo on the car. So in terms of [the] advertising we do, we get a lot more comments about this than we do [for] a lot of other stuff.”

And the connection between team and sponsor is as strong as ever. “We’re really proud to be part of a young, emerging driver’s career and we’d like to continue our support in whatever way we can.” “We love going along to the weekends as well....all of their team make us feel really welcome. We’re made to feel part of the team, which is really good.”

You can find the store at 68 - 70 Willis Street in the Wellington CBD, phone them on (04) 471 6580, or visit their website by clicking here.

NEW WORLD METRO ON WILLISsponsor profile:

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We are currently looking for partners to join M2 Motorsport for the 2013 season. If you are a nationally based business, or local to one of the V8SuperTourers rounds in Auckland, Waikato, Taupo or Canterbury,

and are interested in an exclusive opportunity to accelerate your brand, please contact us!

Produced for M2 Motorsport by Championship Digital ©2013 Championship Digital

Simon McLennanPh: 0274 072808

simon.mclennan@m2motorsport.co.nz

Colin McLennanPh: 0274 407671

colin.mclennan@m2motorsport.co.nz

M2 Motorsport20 Dunns Street

SilverstreamUpper Hutt 5019

M2 Motorsport would like to thank supporters of our 2013 season: