V8 SuperTourers 2012 update: Round four, Hampton Downs, 1st to 3rd June 2012

Andy Knight Motorsport

Track info: Hampton Downs (International Circuit) 2.8 km

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Turn four: AustinsApproach speed: 160 km/hApex speed: 65 km/hTurn four (a tight right-hander) is a favourite spot for overtaking, so you’ve got watch your mirrors for other drivers as you brake and position the car on the entry to this corner.

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Turn five: Barrel 51Approach speed: 160 km/hApex speed: 60 km/hJump on the brakes as you pop over the crest, and turn in late before powering out and down towards turn six. The landscape forms a natural ampitheatre where big crowds gather and it’s great to hear a cheer as you pull off a passing move through this section.

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Turn six: MetalmanApproach speed: 200 km/hApex speed: 100 km/hA long right hander that can be approached as a single or double apex corner, depending on the track condition. It’s important to get this one right, as a fast clean exit here makes you faster than your competition all the way up to the flag and into turn one.

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Top speed: 240 km/hTS

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Turn one: HyndsApproach speed: 240 km/hApex speed: 115 km/hOne of Andy’s favourite parts of this track, turn one drops seven metres down to the right, so you can’t see or aim for the apex as you enter. A challenge to get right, but satisfying when you do.

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Turn two: Coca-ColaApproach speed: 185 km/hApex speed: 90 km/hA tight right hander that takes practice as your line through turn two can have a big effect on your line through three....so much so that we think about these two corners as one instead of two. Turn in too early and you’ll lose momentum into three; leave it too late and you risk overshooting and running off.

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Turn threeApproach speed: 115 km/hApex speed: 110 km/hThe ‘second half’ of the turn two-three complex is another third gear corner; a left hander that goes up and over a small hill. You can’t see the exit until you’re past the apex, and as the car goes light over the brow, you’ll need to be careful how much horsepower you feed in trying to get a fast exit.

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Team profile: Jody Wilson, Senior Engineer

Jody Wilson is the lead mechanic for Knight Motorsport and has been with the team for four seasons. The relationship with the team is a long-standing one, with the Wilson and Knight families both having a long association with New Zealand motorsport. Jody’s father was the engine builder for Peter Knight (senior)when he was racing Powerboats from the 60’s right through to the late 90’s, while Jody’s own association with Knight Motorsport started with Peter Knight junior (PG) when PG was running a car in the TraNZam series in 1997.

Jody’s involvement with the team goes well beyond just being lead mechanic during a race weekend. He was the primary person responsible for the assembly of the brand new KMS V8 SuperTourer during December 2011 and January 2012. The assembly saw Jody working long days preparing the race car for it’s debut at a test session at Ruapuna late in January.

Like the Knight’s, the Wilson family have had a long Involvement in motorsport. Besides building race engines for Peter Knight (Senior), Jody’s father also owned a XD Ford Falcon that won the 1984 Australia/New Zealand Touring Car Championship, meaning Jody literally grew up in the motorsport fraternity.

His extensive motor racing CV shows work in the Pre-65’s class as a teenager, and a stint with Nigel Barclay’s Prancing Horse Racing team in Australia which saw him help them build a V8 Supercar. There was also a six month stint with Mark Petch in the US with the Transam series before he returned to New Zealand.

Jody’s other current motorsport duties include preparing a C5 Corvette which will have a tilt at the land speed records in the CGT and DGT categories in Bonneville, USA, in August 2012.

When quizzed about his involvement in motorsport, Jody is emphatic about why he stays so committed. He enjoys the people associated with the sport, the buzz when great results are achieved and says, “It’s in the blood!”

Born and raised in Timaru, Jody continues to reside in the city, which is also where the KMS V8 SuperTourer is based. His nine-to-five job sees him at the local Nissan and Holden dealership ‘Drummond and Etheridge’, where he is After Sales Manager. He is married to wife Mandy and has a nine year old son James who he is very conscious does not see his father as much as he would wish due to Jody’s extensive motorsport commitments.

Race one: ‘Hampton comes alive’ as the V8 SuperTourers return for round four

Saturday dawned bright and clear at the Hampton Downs racetrack for Qualifying and Race one of round four of the V8 SuperTourer series.

Qualifying kicked off with just a 20-minute session to determine grid positions for race one. Andy Knight was consistently posting lap times in the 1:05 area but the fastest cars were posting times in the low 1:04’s. Then with just a few minutes remaining, Andy played his ace card and posted a time of 1:04.181 which saw him third on the grid for the start of race one. Demonstrating how incredibly competitive this new race category is, only 0.8 of a second separated the top 15 cars in the class!

Race one proved to be a dramatic affair. At the rolling start, pole sitter Scott McLaughlin ran slightly wide, forcing Jonny Reid to the outside of the track. This was the opportunity Andy Knight was waiting for and he swiftly manoeuvered the car into the inside line on turn one to take the lead.

The ensuing laps saw a battle with McLaughlin, Reid and Andy Booth. These drivers eventually got around Knight, and then a repeat duel with John McIntyre developed. Just like round one at Hampton Downs back in February, the racing between Knight and McIntyre was extremely close, with positions changing backwards and forwards for both drivers.

Then on the final lap, McIntyre took the inside line through turn one to edge ahead of Knight. Attempting to re-take his position from McIntyre, Knight spun the car through turn two. Rejoining and getting back up to speed cost Knight several positions and he closed out the race in ninth position.

Scott McLaughlin took first place from Andy Booth and Jonny Reid.

Fastest lap 1:04.790

Race one 9th

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Race two: Safety cars and cool weather affect Knight’s charge through the field

Sunday dawned fine, but considerably cooler than the first day of racing. The race was going to prove to be a difficult and technical one for all drivers. All drivers have noted the Hankook tyres need four or five laps of racing to get up to race temperature when conditions are cool. This meant the start of the 25-lap race was going to be particularly treacherous for teams and drivers as tyres wouldn’t have as much grip through the turns and under braking.

Following his result from race one, Andy Knight started from grid position nine. With racing underway, Knight got a clean start, but others did not fare so well and the race will be remembered for the number of times the Safety Car was deployed; an incredible five times during the course of the race. This not only interrupted driver concentration and flow, but also meant all cars were battling to get heat into the tyres.

Driving consistently between Safety Car periods, Knight picked off those in front of him, passing Craig Baird, Paul Manuell and Kayne Scott. Knight was finishing the race strongly, setting his fastest time in lap 24. Too many safety car incidents prevented further progress up the field however. and Knight finished the race comfortably in position six.

Scott McLaughlin took first again with Andy Booth second and John McIntyre third.

Fastest lap 1:05.149

Race two 6th

Race three: The sprint series finishes with a five lap dash to the flag

The final race of the Mike Pero 250 weekend at Hampton Downs was also the final race in the sprint series, as the next three rounds feature long distance endurance races. With a number of drivers in contention for the sprint series championship, there was never any doubt the race was going to be hard fought over.

Andy Knight started from grid position six; his position determined from results in the first two races. When racing got underway it was evident that things had indeed hotted up with a lot more contact between cars battling for precious points. Just as in race two earlier in the day, Safety Cars were a regular occurrence with the first one deployed on just the second lap of the race.

With two more appearances on track, the Safety Car closed the field up each time and made for dramatic re-starts. The final Safety Car left the track on lap 30, leaving the drivers with a five lap sprint to the chequered flag.

Continuing the pace he had shown all weekend, McLaughlin pulled away followed by Andy Booth and Greg Murphy. Andy Knight battled in a group that included Ant Pedersen and John McIntyre. Knight closed out the race in seventh position, behind Pedersen but in front of McIntyre.

Scott McLaughlin again took first place, with Andy Booth second and Greg Murphy third.

A points haul of 383 for the round saw Andy Knight finish in seventh place for the Mike Pero 250. This result saw him climb two positions in the sprint series to finish the championship in eighth position overall.

Fastest lap 1:04.987

Race three 7th

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Team Manager’s report

‘Consistent’ was probably the word to best sum up the Knight Motorsport team’s performance at round four at Hampton Downs. A good Qualifying result and three top ten results from the three races meant the team had another good round from a points perspective, following up from Manfield. I made the comment before the race that tyre management was going to be a key component of the weekend, and with the cooler conditions on Sunday that was certainly the case.

Looking forward, there is now a bit of a gap until the endurance race series kicks off. The just-announced first endurance race will be at Taupo on the September 1 and 2 weekend, followed by Pukekohe in October and the final endurance race at our home track, Ruapuna in November.

Like other teams we will use the mid winter break to refresh the car, and we will also be planning for the endurance races themselves. There are aspects to consider such as pit stops, refueling techniques and tyre changing strategies that need to be prepared for. This is uncharted territory for a New Zealand touring car class so it is going to be exciting for teams and spectators alike.

I would like to take this opportunity to thanks all of our sponsors for your continued support. Your contribution to our very first campaign in the V8 SuperTourers is invaluable.

Thanks too to the Knight Motorsport supporters and fans. We will keep you all updated as the team prepares for the endurance series.

Kind regardsAndy NealeTeam Manager

Next race: Round five, Taupo, 31st August-2nd September 2012

Series calendar

Round one: Hampton Downs, Waikato, 17-19 February 2012

Round two: Ruapuna, Christchurch, 7-8 April 2012

Round three: Manfeild, Feilding, 27-28 April 2012

Round four: Hampton Downs, Waikato, 1-3 June 2012

Round five: Taupo Motorsport Park, 31 August-2 September 2012*

Round six: Pukekohe, Auckland, 26-28 October 2012*

Check www.v8st.co.nz for more information and to buy tickets*These dates are different to those originally published, and were confirmed by V8SuperTourers on 5th June

Round seven: Ruapuna, Christchurch, 23-25 November 2012*

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Andy Knight Motorsport wishes to thank our sponsors for their generous support

Published by Championship Digital for Andy Knight Motorsport • Design and images by Andrew Bright/Championship Digital • Text by Gerard Wade/GDub Marketing

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