.Lefteris.
11th January 2009, 17:02
THE battle for this season's Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge championship has come alive.
Australian driver David Reynolds dominated the latest round at the Southern 200 motor racing meeting at the Timaru International Motor Raceway during 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 had a slightly harder row to hoe in the reverse top six grid final, which he started from sixth 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.
"This is what we call a `perfect weekend' in racing."
Sharing the round podium with Reynolds were defending champion and round one and two winner Craig Baird and last season's runner-up and Rookie of The Year, Daniel Gaunt.
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 five.
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 not being able to hold on to his 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 did not finish in the first race after damaging a radiator. That 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.
from Timaru Herald (http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaruherald/0a6010.html)
Australian driver David Reynolds dominated the latest round at the Southern 200 motor racing meeting at the Timaru International Motor Raceway during 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 had a slightly harder row to hoe in the reverse top six grid final, which he started from sixth 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.
"This is what we call a `perfect weekend' in racing."
Sharing the round podium with Reynolds were defending champion and round one and two winner Craig Baird and last season's runner-up and Rookie of The Year, Daniel Gaunt.
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 five.
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 not being able to hold on to his 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 did not finish in the first race after damaging a radiator. That 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.
from Timaru Herald (http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaruherald/0a6010.html)