New Zealand V8s
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| New Zealand V8s | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Category | Touring car racing | |
| Country or region | New Zealand | |
| Inaugural season | 1994 | |
| Constructors | 2 | |
| Drivers' champion |  John McIntyre |
|
| Makes' champion | Ford | |
The New Zealand V8s (NZV8's) Official Site is the leading motorsport category in New Zealand.
Huge grids of distinctive Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores duel in this event that journeys to various racetracks around New Zealand. This series somewhat resembles but differs in many ways from the Australian V8 Supercars, primarily in terms of the level of technology. The NZ V8 series focuses on cost containment and control to make sure that the series is not dominated by one make or team. It is technically more basic than the Supercars, but also tends to be a bit more spectacular with a lot more close-action racing and plenty of biffo due to limited grip and braking capabilities. Unlike the Supercars, the NZV8 races are all sprint races so there is no requirement for elaborate pit crew setups. (In previous years a 500km endurance race was run, but this has been dropped). The vehicles themselves are visually almost indistinguishable from Supercars, and grids are typically 25 to 30+ vehicles in size. A number of Australian Supercar drivers now race in the NZV8's such as David Besnard, Luke Youlden and Cameron McLean for example, as the series has come to be recognised as an outstanding class in its own right, rather than a poor cousin of the Aussie Supercars. Supercar teams are also getting involved; Team Kiwi Racing has run two-car teams in the series in the past as a development ground, while Tasman Motorsport has been running a single car team with Andy Booth driving (Holden Commodore) since the 06/07 series.
The winner of the 2005/2006 season was Kayne Scott driving a Holden Commodore, who took the trophy after a controversial season that initially saw Angus Fogg (Ford Falcon) awarded the trophy, only to lose it in the court room. The 05/06 season saw Fords dominating for the first time, and there were loud cries of lack of parity from the Holden teams. It was clear that the Falcons had a considerable edge over the Holdens in power in the low and mid-range, so significant that MSNZ changed the rules and allowed the use of a carb spacer on the Holdens to shift their torque curve. This saw an improvement in the competitiveness of the Holden teams, with holden driver Kayne Scott dicing for the championship lead. However Andy Booth was the only other Holden driver consistently in the top-ten, and the Falcons continued to dominate in general. The series was ultimately won in convincing style by Johnny MacIntyre in a Ford.
The 07/08 series has seen a dramatic shift towards entries from Ford teams, with Fords outnumbering Holdens by nearly two to one, and many existing Holden-based teams switching to Ford, including former champion Kayne Scott. This is a direct result of the perceived lack of parity over the last two seasons, with the Fords being significantly more competitive. However, any disparity between the two camps is questionable after the first round of the 07/08 series at Pukekohe: Johnny MacIntyre (Ford) produced a convincing opening round win, but was dogged all the way by Andy Booth (Holden) who was clearly equal in performance and handling. That said, former champion Paul Manuell was the only other Holden to finish the round in the top 10.
The 07/08 series also sees a reduction to six rounds in the championship. A seventh round is still run in conjunction the the New Zealand round of the Australian V8 Supercars, but due to a conflict in television broadcasting rights it no longer forms part of the NZ competition series, and is instead treated as a separate trophy round. The 07/08 series also sees former V8 Supercar driver and two-times FIA World Touring Car champion Paul Radisich, driving a Ford Falcon in the series.
Contents |
[edit] 2007/08 Calendar
| Venue | Date |
|---|---|
| Pukekohe Park Raceway | 2-4 November 2007 |
| Ruapuna Park (Christchurch) | 23-25 November 2007 |
| Taupo Motorsport Park | 18-20 January 2008 (A1GP Round) |
| Manfeild Autocourse (Feilding) | 15-17 February 2008 |
| Timaru International Motor Raceway | 29 Feb - 2 March 2008 |
| Teretonga Park | 7-9 March 2008 |
| Hamilton Street Circuit | 18-20 April 2008 (V8 Supercar Round) |
[edit] 2007/08 Drivers
| Driver | Car |
|---|---|
| Adam Brook | Ford Falcon BA |
| Andrew Anderson | Holden Commodore |
| Andrew Fawcet | Ford Falcon BA |
| Andrew Porter | Holden Commodore |
| Andy Booth | Holden Commodore |
| Angus Fogg | Ford Falcon BA |
| Cameron McLean | Ford Falcon BA |
| Cam Hardy | Holden Commodore |
| Chris Adams | Holden Commodore |
| Clark Proctor | Ford Falcon BA |
| Connel McLaren | Ford Falcon BA |
| Dale Lambert | Ford Falcon BA |
| Darryn Henderson | Holden Commodore |
| Dave Stewart | Holden Commodore |
| David Besnard | Ford Falcon BA |
| Dean Perkins | Ford Falcon BA |
| Eddie Bell | Holden Commodore |
| Gene Rollinson | TBA |
| Haydn Mackenzie | Ford Falcon BA |
| Inky Tulloch | Ford Falcon BA |
| John McIntyre | Ford Falcon BA |
| John Penny | Ford Falcon BA |
| Julia Huzziff | Holden Commodore |
| Kayne Scott | Ford Falcon BA |
| Kevin Williams | Holden Commodore |
| Luke Youlden | Ford Falcon BA |
| Mark Pedersen | Ford Falcon BA |
| Michael Bristow | TBA |
| Michael Wallace | Holden Commodore |
| Nick Ross | Holden Commodore |
| Paul Manuell | Holden Commodore |
| Paul Pedersen | Ford Falcon BA |
| Paul Radisich | Ford Falcon BA |
| Shaun Turton | Holden Commodore |
| Simon Richards | Holden Commodore |
| Tim Edgell | Ford Falcon BA |
[edit] The Car
- Power: The engine is a controlled 5.0l V8 (R302ci for the Ford and 304ci for the Holden). Most parts of the engine are controlled and unlike the Australian Touring Cars (V8 Supercar Championship) which uses fuel injection, the series uses a controlled caburettor. The other control parts for the engine are manifolds, exhausts, cam-shafts, rockers, air-filter/cold air box and ignition. The engines are rev-limited to 6400rpm. Top speed is 240 km/h.
- Gearbox: The gearing of a NZ V8 is also controlled. All teams use a controlled 4 speed gearbox produced by Richmond. The gear set, clutch, flywheel and gearbox are also controlled and made by Richmond.
- Tyres: A controlled Dunlop D14 non tread "slick" and R92 W08 treaded wet weather tyre. The contact patch is very small and therefore there is very little grip. Only six new tyres are given out to teams per round to spice up racing.
- Brakes: Brakes are controlled Wilwood six piston front and four piston rear brakes with controlled calipers, rotors and pedal box.
- Aero: A standard aerodynamic package (which is very similar to an Australian V8 Supercar in terms of look) of a rear wing and end plates/mounting pedestals, a front splitter and side skirts are supplied to the teams of each make.
- Suspension: Control Koni shock absorbers. Bars and springs are not controlled.
- Bodyshell: Each car is loosely based on either the Holden VY Commodore or Ford BA Falcon production bodyshells, with an elaborate roll cage constructed into the shell from aircraft grade materials. Other modifications include wider wheel arches and pick up points for the front splitter and rear wing.
- Weight: Minimum weight is 1420 kg with the driver included.
- Cost: Has been said that costs can have been over NZ$100,000 to build a NZ V8 and up to NZ$400,000 to build a car from scratch and running costs.
Past champions include Andy Booth (two times), Mark Pederson, Paul Manuel and the late Ashley Stitchbury, amongst others.
[edit] Circuits
- Pukekohe Park Raceway
- Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna Park
- Taupo Motorsport Park
- Manfeild Autocourse
- Timaru International Motor Raceway
- Teretonga Park
- Hamilton Street Circuit
