BNT: Fujitsu Racing Timaru summary

SCOTT SETS ANOTHER RECORD

Two-time BNT V8s Champion Kayne Scott of Hamilton continued to display the top form he has shown throughout this season at Round 4 of the 2010/2011 BNT V8s Championship at Timaru International Motor Raceway this weekend.

Scott and the Fujitsu Falcon were in superb touch throughout qualifying and the races, picking up their second lap record of the series in the process. Only an unavoidable incident in the final race of the round halted what had been a top class effort to that point.

The team played with a different set-up on the car for the opening test session on Saturday before returning to more historical settings for the second. That put Scott and the Fujitsu Falcon at the top of the timesheets as they headed toward qualifying late on Saturday afternoon. After comfortably making the top ten shootout Kayne, gunning for his third pole position in a row, narrowly missed setting the fastest time in a very, very close shootout.

Kayne lapped the circuit on his single qualifying lap in 1 minute 06.162 seconds just .162 of a second off pole position and good enough for third place on the grid for Sunday mornings opening race.

That race brought a second place and with it a new lap record of 1 minute 06.565. Scott was pleased with the Fujitsu Falcon as he reeled in race leader Angus Fogg who had established a break, finishing just .362 of a second behind him.

Scott repeated the result in the second race and reported that he was happy after stalking Fogg throughout the race to again receive the chequered flag in second place.

After an impressive start to the round Kayne would be required to drive through the field from the back of the grid in the 22 lap, reverse grid race. He quickly set about moving through the traffic, a demanding task on the tight Timaru layout. The Fujitsu Falcon was moving through with ease until disaster struck on the ninth lap. Unfortunately Kayne was an early arrival on the scene of an oil spill on the track. Like several other drivers he was powerless to stop the car sliding off the track where it was then collected by more cars as they hit the oil and lost control. The result was a badly damaged Fujitsu Falcon and no points from the race.

However despite the outcome of the finale Kayne still finished fifth overall for the round and although he went from third to fourth in the point standings he is very much in sight of those ahead.

"It was a great weekend, a fantastic beginning but not such a great end," said Kayne summing up after delivering another fine performance during the round.

"I was rapt to be top of the timesheets in the second test session and we only missed pole again by a very small margin. That was a closely contested shootout," he said of qualifying.

"In the first race we were really gaining on Angus. He had a huge lead and we pulled him in and finished on his bumper. We gave it a good shot in race two and in the reverse grid race I had an awesome car. We could move forward with ease. Unfortunately I was one of the first cars through the oil. It was probably the biggest crash of my career. A lot of the damage was sustained after I was already parked and wounded. Overall it was a fantastic weekend. The crew put so much into it and we had great pace. It is the round that got away!"

"The Fujitsu Falcon sustained huge damage and we will have to assess how to repair it. I had the belts loosened and was ready to get out and I saw the marshalls run and I got hit again. I tried to get out the door but I was having trouble as it wouldn't open properly. Then I saw the crowd running and I was tagged again."

The championship now moves back to the North Island with the next outing at Manfeild Park in Feilding, part of the New Zealand Grand Prix meeting at the circuit, from 11-13 February.

The team are pleased to retain their major sponsors Fujitsu and Altherm for the 2010/2011 season as well as other returning sponsors Trade Tools, Castrol, PPG and CRC. Welcome newcomers to the team this year are Hansen, Hirepool, South Auckland Ford, InterCity, Exedy, Century Yuasa, BOC Gases, King Springs and TL Print.

-source: fujitsu