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An overjoyed Fast Eddie wins the inaugural MINI Challenge It was a classic story of the Kiwi battler who won his first major New Zealand Motorsport title on a shoestring budget, even the car trailer was borrowed. "Fast Eddie" Bell from Woodend in North Canterbury is New Zealand’s first MINI Challenge champion after placing second in race one and two today at Pukekohe Park Raceway. Brent "Bones" Collins takes second place overall in the championship and German international Peter Sharmach was third overall. "I am absolutely overjoyed and not just for myself, but also my wife and son, my family and my sponsors ESWA Radiant Heating, Independent Fisheries, Global Diesel Parts and Metalman," said Bell. "Without their help and support I would never have won my first Tier One Motorsport title, it’s such a great feeling but I am looking forward to a well earned rest." Bell joked that the budget had been tight and the pressure on him self to do well had been immense. "Yes, the car trailer was borrowed, that’s not an old wives tale." Brent Collins was equally pleased with his performance in the PDL MINI winning race one and taking third place in race two at Pukekohe this afternoon. "The MINI Cooper S has just been brilliant thanks to the work by my team mates Jacko, JP and Brownie; it’s finally performing well, just a pity it wasn’t sooner in the season." Peter Sharmach was quick to compliment the camaraderie of the MINI Challenge drivers but was far less complimentary about the officials of Motorsport New Zealand. "The camaraderie of all the drivers and the family spirit has been great, you would not find that in German Motorsport," said Sharmach. "But what you wouldn’t find in Germany is such overzealous officialdom with such harsh penalties; the rules need to be governed more fairly."
Race two started well with International Motorsport team member Richard Moore on pole position with Gavin Yortt of Motorsport Services in the Squawking Magpie MINI beside him. Bell was on position three along Sharmach in position four behind him was Motorsport Services driver Kevin Cantwell in the Visual Group MINI on position five and Collins on position six. Moore led the ten lap race from start to finish followed by Bell who held onto second place until the chequered flag. Peter Sharmach held third position in front of Brent Collins until lap five when "Bones" got the jump on the German competitor finishing third. Sharmach served a drive through penalty finishing the race in 15th place. Behind the top three, there was a battle unfolding between Anthony Pederson in the J A Russell MINI, followed by Motorsport Services team mates Will Selles in the Teng Tools MINI, David Grigor in the Golden Homes MINI and Kevin Cantwell. Unfortunately it was Gary Johnstone’s Transcold MINI that came to grief in the kitty litter forcing the safety car to come out which slowed the ten lap race. Once the race got underway the drivers held their positions for one lap until the chequered flag. Boyd Norwood retired his Motorsport Services MINI with a flat rear right tyre and sadly Anthony Houston in the G J Gardner MINI did not make the starting grid despite the Motorsport Services team’s best effort to repair his car after the carnage in race one. Race one saw Brett Collins on pole with Kevin Cantwell alongside him on position two. Behind Collins and Cantwell sat the Championship leader "Fast Eddie" Bell on position three alongside Peter Sharmach. Gavin Yortt in the Squawking Magpie MINI was fifth on the grid with Richard Moore on sixth. With only 27 championship points separating Bell and Bones, the pressure was on "Fast Eddie" to maintain his composure and drive for maximum points while keeping out of trouble. Bell also wanted to try and maintain consistent lap times for the start of race two, where the top six fastest cars from qualifying and race one then have start race two in reverse order, with the slowest cars front to rear. It was a clean start for Bones, Cantwell and Bell with a tense pack of 14 MINI Cooper S cars with John Cooper Works racing kits jostling for position as the cars raced down the infamous Pukekohe back straight towards the hairpin. Sure enough the red mist descended early as Motorsport Services team driver Will Selles in the Teng Tools MINI collided with the Scutum MINI driven by Richard Moore. Moore recovered well from the incident working his way back up to third place, while Selles served a drive through penalty for his misdeed. Tony Houston in the G J Gardner MINI and Gavin Dawson in the Scalextric MINI had a coming together and both ended up nudging the wall. Dawson retired and Houston finished the race in 16th place. Gavin Yortt also had a spectacular off track excursion while trying to get around Shaun Turton at the Sweeper before Castrol corner. "I just went a bit too far over, ended up on the marbles, braked like a demon and missed the wall by a metre," said a rueful Yortt who was shaken but not stirred. Peter Sharmach lived up to expectation by trying to take the inside line on Kevin Cantwell on the infamous Pukekohe Hill, which is the fastest corner of the track. Cantwell was having none of it and held his line and kept his foot on the gas while Sharmach skidded off the track and retired with a damaged rear wheel. After the race Cantwell declared he was not impressed with the behaviour of the German International. "It’s completely unacceptable behaviour on the fastest corner of Pukekohe, this is not a stock car race," said Cantwell. "It had the potential to become a serious accident, but I kept my foot down and held my line. I’m not going to protest because it’s pointless at the end of the season, but I am not amused." Collins clearly raced away with the lead to win the 8 lap race followed by Fast Eddie who was maintaining a consistent pace and preserving his tyres and points position. Richard Moore and International Motorsport team mate Anthony Pedersen in the J A Russell MINI were third and fourth respectively followed by Neil Foster in the Pak N Save MINI and Boyd Norwood in the Motorsport Services MINI in fifth and sixth place. Motorsport Services team member Jeff Hogg brought the bright blue OptiFlex MINI home in seventh place followed by Pukekohe’s favourite driver Shaun Turton in the bright yellow PW Cars MINI in eighth place. Ross Hill brought MINI #20 home in ninth place followed by the Squawking Magpie MINI of Gavin Yortt in tenth. MINI Challenge Race Two Pukekohe Park Raceway April 21st 2007. Pos MINI# Driver Hometown Time
Pos MINI# Driver Hometown Time
MINI Challenge 2006/2007 Round One: 3-5 Nov 2006 Pukekohe
This release was prepared by Robert Barry on behalf of MINI Challenge 2006/2007 (www.mini.co.nz). For more information please contact Robert on 021 784 771.
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