Current series champion Caine Lobb smashed the ENZED V8 Ute Racing Series' lap record at the weekend when he put the Mark Cromie Holden Racing Commodore around Pukekohe Park Raceway in a time of one minute 08.869 seconds becoming the first driver to break the one minute 10 second barrier.

The time, which was well over a second faster than his previous best, was recorded in lap four during the third and final race of the weekend, a nail biter which from the start was a truly exciting duel between Holden driver Lobb and Ford's Chris Pither.

The spectacle of the race brought spectators to their feet cheering on the two drivers as they went wheel to wheel against each other also pulling way ahead of the main pack in an action filled battle around the furious high-speed South Auckland circuit.

A compulsory pitstop was called for in the third race and Lobb was first of the two to come in while Pither held off until later hoping to gain distance on a clear track with Lobb out of the way.

Nearing the end of the race Pither went in for his stop and while he made for pit exit the excited crowd began to roar as they saw Lobb come hurling down the home straight at full speed.

It was far too close to call as to who would be in front but it was Lobb who succeeded and retaking the lead from Pither by a breath the two entered the first bend of the circuit nose-to-tail travelling at approximately 200kph while the crowd stood in awe.

The passing move out front of the main grandstand and ensuing battle between current champion Lobb and points leader Pither all the way to the chequered flag were the highlights of this weekend's Independent Race Classes meeting at Pukekohe Park Raceway.

The huge race weekend saw competition between nearly 250 cars from various classes and included a well presented lunchtime show on Sunday featuring slalom competitions, drifting and burnout demonstrations.

At the start of the weekend Lobb was a little off the pace qualifying second to Pither on Saturday morning.

With a marble draw determing the start grid for race one Lobb started in 11th place and moving up through the field was able to cross the line in third but with Pither taking the win.

Unfortunately for Lobb a technical issue with his timing transponder led to him being relegated to fourth.

On Sunday the start order was reversed for race two and Lobb was on the front row.

He immediately took the lead and pulled a good distance from the following cars until Pither began to close in and Lobb began to struggle for grip.

He was able to hold off the charging Palmerston North driver for most of the race but was passed near the end finishing behind him in second.

After that race the Mark Cromie Holden Racing crew were quickly on the job making adjustments to the car before the final stint of the weekend to combat Pither's domination.

The team did their job well with the improvements to the car's handling resulting in nearly one and a half seconds in increased pace and Lobb's smashing of the series' lap record.

"It was like jumping into another car - it just shot off."

"It's just a shame we were unable to do some testing before this weekend but we have some sessions booked in at Hampton Downs before we go there for the first time in February." said Lobb.

Lobb's lap record and resulting win in race three not only established him as the fastest driver at the weekend but also halted Pither's winning streak.

The Aussie based driver had won five races in succession and was looking for six until Lobb ended the run.

Chris Pither is currently leading Lobb by 308 to 268 points and entered the ENZED V8 Ute Racing Series for the first time this year coming directly from the Australian version of the series and also having several stints in V8 Supercars over there.

The news is out and official!

The ITM 400 V8 Supercar event held in Hamilton April 2010 will offer motorsport fans even more V8 heaven with the addition of a trans-Tasman ute race.

As a major support class for the Supercars, the Trans Tasman Test will see 16 of the best ute drivers from the Australian series pack up their suits, helmets and of course race cars, travel to New Zealand and go wheel to wheel against 16 New Zealand drivers.

Jamie Kett from the ENZED V8 Ute Racing Series is stoked to see the hard work of organising the contest pay off and looks forward to seeing the on-track rivalry between the Ockers and the Kiwis.

“There’s nothing that we Kiwis enjoy more than knocking the stuffing out of any Aussie team and the fact that we get to do it at New Zealand’s premier motorsport event in front of thousands of fans is just the icing on the cake; it is our absolute intention to send them back home with their tails between their legs.” said Kett.

Before the big event however there still remains three action filled rounds of the series with the next one being held at the brand new circuit of Hampton Downs near Meremere south of Auckland over the weekend of 5-7th February 2010.

The final two meetings of the series take place in the South Island at Ruapuna's Powerbuilt International Raceway 19-21st March and Timaru International Motor Raceway 26-28th March 2010.

The Trans Tasman Test will be held as a stand alone competition from the regular series and takes place over the weekend of 16-18th April 2010.

Media: Iain Whitaker