Several drivers dominated their respective classes at the Evolution Motorsport Classic SpeedFest at Teretonga Park in Invercargill this weekend.

Don Nelson of Riverton, Brendan Mason and Andrew Cundall of Invercargill, Dunedin's Ralph Smith, Murray Sinclair of Christchurch and Brett Stevens of Motueka all established themselves as the men to beat in their classes throughout the weekend. However that did not detract from some great racing while spectators were again treated to another impressive array of classic machinery at the event.

Riverton driver Don Nelson proved to be the dominant individual in the Southland Times Racing Car class. Nelson qualified fastest in his Reynard SF89 and won three of the four races, a mechanical problem in one race taking away the opportunity of a clean sweep. Gordon McIntyre of Queenstown won the other race in his Elden while Invercargill drivers Trevor Earley, Stephen Heffernan and Dave McKenzie plus Cantabrians Doug Price and Barry Forth all took podium positions throughout the weekend. Young Southland kart graduate Brendon Leitch was prominent throughout his second motor racing appearance, qualifying third and scoring three top ten finishes while he and Heffernan had a coming together in the other race.

Brendan Mason of Invercargill set a new classic saloon lap record of 1 minute 03.605 in the first Ray White Real Estate Classic Saloon class race. Mason had qualified fastest in his Chev Camaro and won both of the races he started in the class. Canadian Jack Ondrack in his TVR Tuscan followed him home in the first race and it was Murray Sinclair of Christchurch in his Chevron B16 in second place in Mason's other win. John Osborne of Christchurch picked up two wins and two thirds in his Nissan 300ZX while Dunedin's David Hunter in a Jaguar, Graeme Sargent of Timaru in a Holden Torana XU1 and Hugh Joliffe of Kaiapoi in a Datsun 240Z also picked up placings over the course of the weekend.

Ralph Smith of Dunedin won all four races in the Allied Petroleum Vintage Car races in his Lycoming Special after the fastest qualifier Mark McFadden retired his 260m Zephyr early in the opening race. Graeme Hamilton of Lyttleton in an ACE III followed Smith over the line in three of the races with Paul Coghill of Dunedin in a HWM Jaguar Longmore RF third on three occasions. In the other race Coghill picked up a second place with Hamilton third.

In the Turntru Machining Sports Car class Murray Sinclair of Christchurch took pole position and won all three races that he contested in his Chevron B16. Jack Ondrack, contesting this class as well as the saloon races, finished second in the first race but struck problems in the second and did not reappear. Steve Scoles of Outram in his Triumph started the weekend third behind Sinclair and Ondrack, moved to second in the next two races in Ondracks absence and then won the final race with both Sinclair and Ondrack missing. Graeme Beck of Edendale in his Beck Special recorded a fourth and two thirds while Hugh Joliffe of Christchurch in a Datsun 240Z and Rob Boult of Queenstown in a Furi were second and third in the final race.

The Kumho Tyres Pre 65 Saloon Championship saw three different winners. Gareth Hall of Christchurch burst through from third on the grid to win the first race after a good dice with Invercargill driver Wayne Tuffley in his Ford Mustang. Tuffley was second with Jim Kelly of Dunedin third in his Mustang. Tuffley won the second race from Hall with Kelly again third while Kelly won the third race from fellow Dunedin driver Brian Scott and Manny Sim of Ashburton.

The Mini 7 South series supported by R&D Motorsport and Hanmer Refuse Services saw Mark Donaldson of Christchurch qualify fastest but in the first two races the bigger engined cars of Tuatapere's Doug Erskine and Invercargill driver Alan Crawford took first and second ahead of Donaldson. In the final race Donaldson took the win from Crawford and Mark Gavin of Hanmer Springs while Erskine did not finish.

Fastest qualifier Brett Stevens of Motueka won all the Jesco Hydraulics Historic Touring Car races in his Ford Sierra Cosworth with event sponsor Rick Michels from Invercargill in a BMW
M3 second on each occasion. Gary Wilkinson of Christchurch took third in his Zakspeed Ford Escort in the first race on Saturday after Warren Good of Dunedin received a time penalty for jumping the start. Gary Johnstone was third in the opening race on Sunday while Good bounced back from Saturdays disappointment to record two third placings.

After Invercargill driver Scott O'Donnell took pole position in his Porsche GT3 RSR for Class A of the Noel McIntyre Drainage Clubmans Series races Andrew Cundall went on to win all three
races in his turbocharged Toyota Levin. O'Donnell took a second, third and fourth while Brendan Mason took two seconds and a fourth in his Camaro and Pierre Neame of Winton took two thirds and a fourth in his Ford Capri, the trio featuring in some good battles. Cundall also won the Flying Farewell from Mason, O'Donnell and Neame.

In Class B of the Noel McIntyre Drainage Clubmans races young karting star Jamie Conroy qualified on pole but was slow off the line in the opening race on Saturday. He battled back through the field setting the fastest lap and was challenging Christchurch driver Glen Dunlop on the final lap when the red flag appeared. Dunlop took the victory in his Toyota Starlet from Conroy and Gore driver Paul Muir in a Holden Commodore. Dunlop won again on Sunday morning in another shortened race from Mark Quertier in another Star Car with Muir again third. After problems with his car Conroy stepped into the one used by Quertier for the final race to win from Warren Kett and Dunlop.

The final race meeting of the season at the circuit will take place over the weekend of 20/21 March.

Media: Southland Sport Car Club