Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Round 3 - 9-11 January 2009 Timaru

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2008/09 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge NZ Championship

Round 3, Timaru International Motor Raceway, Timaru

January 9-11 2009

TITLE CHASE COMES ALIVE AS REYNOLDS TAKES PORSCHE

BATTLE TO BAIRD

The battle for this season's Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge championship has come alive with Australian driver David Reynolds dominating the latest round at the Southern 200 motor racing meeting in Timaru over the weekend. Defending series champion Craig Baird continues to lead the series points standings after three of the six championship rounds but with three wins from three starts the round win saw Reynolds reduce the margin from 91 points to 60.He did it in style too, claiming his second pole position of the season in qualifying on Saturday morning then winning allthree Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge races -including the 16 lap reverse top six grid final - very much as he liked. In the first, on Saturday afternoon, he took advantage of a rare mistake by fellow front row starter Baird to lead from

start to finish, then in the second - on Sunday morning – he got the better of early leader and pace-setter Baird in a daring last lap move after a race-long battle. He had a slightly harder row to hoe in the reverse top six grid final, which he started from P6 in the grid, but was up to third by the end of the first lap and in a lead he would never lose by the eighth.

As if that wasn't enough he also set a new category lap record in the first race and the fastest race lap in the other two. It was an impressive and above all assured performance by the former Carrera Cup Australia champion, and one he was justifiably proud of. "It's unbelievable really but, you know, sometimes it just happens like this. The car's been

fantastic and I've just felt in tune with it all weekend." Sharing the round podium with Reynolds were defending champion and Round 1 and 2 winner Craig Baird and last season's Battery Town runner-up and Rookie of The Year, Daniel Gaunt. Baird was a worthy adversary, matching Triple X teammate Reynolds' every move but he was on the backfoot from the time his car bogged down at the start of the first race. While he recovered to lead the second race Reynolds matched his every move and claimed his second win from as many starts with a stunning last lap passing move on Baird through turns 2 and 3.

That just left the final and though the reverse top six grid format saw Baird start alongside Reynolds it was theAustralian who again got a better launch off the line and a better run through the traffic.

With poleman Jody Vincent blowing a clutch off the line it was fellow front row starter Daniel Gaunt and young gun Jono Lester who got the early jump and Baird was able to follow Reynolds past Ant Pedersen as Pedersen spun exiting Turn 5. Lester proved a harder nut to crack and the decisive moment of the race came when only Reynolds was able to find a way past. That gave the Australian some much needed breathing space and when Gaunt slowed after flat spotting a tyre Reynolds was in the right place at the right time. Lester and Baird weren't far behind but by the time they got past Gaunt Reynolds had the advantage. Despite the disappointment of not being able to hold on to his hard-won lead in the final race, the points for finishing fourth were enough to give Gaunt the final step on the round podium and third in the series points standings. After the first two rounds young gun Jono Lester held third but a dnf (did not finish) in the first race (after damaging a radiator) put him behind the eight ball and not even his strong and confident second place in the final could get him into the top six for the round.

Fellow young gun Ant Pedersen found himself in a similar boat, despite an impressive run to fourth (from seventh on the grid) in the first race and third in the second. Fortunately for him, he was able to continue after his early spin in the third race and salvaged enough points from his eighth place finish in the final to finish fourth overall for the weekend and move up a place (from sixth to fifth) in the overall series points standings. The weekend's Porsche GT3 Cup races were held in variable weather conditions in front of a large crowd with the Porsche GT3 Cup cars producing some of the best and closest racing of the weekend. It wasn't just the crowd who enjoyed them either. "That race," Reynolds said of the close and sometimes bruising 12 lap encounter with Baird on Sunday morning," was the best I've ever been in over here. And not just because I won it either. Even if I had finished second it would still have been the best. Winning just made it that little bit better!" The Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge joined fellow headliners the BNT V8s and the Toyota Racing Series on the programme at this weekend's Timaru meeting with support from the Super Trucks, MTA New Zealand Formula Fords, Suzuki New Zealand Production Racing series and Mini Challenge.

The battle for the 2008/09 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge championship continues next weekend with the fourth round at Invercargill's Teretonga Park Raceway.

Qualifying Race One

1-David Reynolds- 1.01.260

2. Craig Baird 1.01.333

3. Mark Russ 1.01.720

4. Daniel Gaunt 1.01.774

5. Rodney Forbes 1.01.795

6. Jono Lester 1.01.888

7. Ant Pedersen 1.02.158

8. Jody Vincent 1.02.253

9. Darryn Henderson 1.02.652

10. Shane McKillen 1.02.876

11. Courtney Letica 1.02.918