NZ: International Motorsport Pukekohe Park summary

THREE PODIUM PLACINGS FOR INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORT

International Motorsport drivers Jonny Reid and Mitchell Cunningham have hung on to finish 2nd and 3rd respectively in the overall points for Round 1 in the 2010/11 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge at Pukekohe this weekend,while young Simon Evans backed up a strong weekend to win the 996 class.

Both Reid and Cunningham struck troubles early on in the weekend, however they fought back to claim podium positions, opening their points account for the season. Reid, suffering from a fever, struggled in Race 1 and had to make an additional pit-stop in the mini endurance race to carry out quick adjustments to his Rayglass/Giltrap 997, finishing 7th, however strong performances in Races 2 and 3 saw him finish in 2nd for both races, securing 2nd overall for the weekend.

Cunningham performed well in qualifying, positioning his car in P3 before a heavy impact with the wall put the pressure on the team to repair the car for the Saturday afternoon race. Despite the mistake in qualifying, Cunningham drove a disciplined race to finish 2nd. He then backed up his performance in Race 2 by quickly moving into the lead off the start, where he lead the charge for 10 laps before putting his foot wrong at the hairpin, opening the door for Craig Baird to slip through into the lead. Cunningham held his position in second for the remaining two laps but it wasn't enough to keep a fighting Reid from pipping him across the line for 2nd. Race 3 didn't unfold as well for Cunningham as he was punted off the track early on by Baird, however he fought hard and retained a podium spot for the weekend.

Meanwhile young charger Ant Pedersen had a mixed-bag weekend with two 4th place finishes and an 8th, suffering from clutch problems in Race 2 and sacrificing several positions, but adjusting well to the SCS Signage 997 following a season in the Fujitsu Australian V8 Supercar series. Simon Evans wrapped up his weekend taking outright honours in the Porsche GT3 996 class, winning one race and finishing 2nd in two.

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge now moves to Ruapuna Raceway in three weeks time.

-source: internationalmotorsport.co.nz