15/11/20

2020 MG CLASSIC MEETING

LOLA'S ON THE PODIUM AT MANFEILD.

2020/21 SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series
Round 1 MG Classic meeting
Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon
November 14-15 2020

EVENT REPORT

Defending SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series title holder Michael Collins (Leda LT27/GM1) got his 2020/21 series campaign off to a winning start and finish at the opening round at the 35th annual MG Classic race meeting at Feilding’s Circuit Manfeild Chris Amon over the November 14-15 weekend.

Now behind the wheel of famed Kiwi racing driver and car designer and constructor Graham McRae’s distinctive ‘hot-pink’ STP-liveried Leda LT27/GM1 001 the 24-year-old series ‘young gun’ from Christchurch qualified quickest and won the first race of the 2020/21 SAS Autoparts MSC NZF5000 series season on Saturday afternoon from second quickest qualifier - and fellow front row starter - impressive local driver Kevin Ingram (Lola T332).

Collins also won Sunday’s 10-lap feature final in the afternoon though with Kevin Ingram out with a gearbox issue on the first lap competition this time came from Race 2 winner Shayne Windelburn (Lola T400) from Auckland.

Widely regarded – around the world, not just here in NZ – for his knowledge and passion for ‘all things F5000’ – Shayne Windelburn, who runs the family gearbox and automatic transmission business on Auckland’s North Shore - is also an accomplished, and very quick driver.

For the new handicap initiative Race 2 was run under the order of the drivers’ best lap times of the weekend was reversed and the field split into six timed groups, each flagged off rolling start style.

Unfortunately, early race leader – and one of two newcomers to the SAS Autoparts MSC series making their debut at the MG Classic meeting - Toby Annabell from Hawera in nearby Taranaki in a Class A McLaren M10B - was an early retirement thanks to a fuel issue.

Fellow Class A runners Tony Roberts (high-wing McLaren M10A) and Frank Karl (McLaren M10B) then each briefly held the lead before both were overwhelmed by a hard charging Windelburn (who had started the race half way up the order), and Tim Rush in his Class A McLaren with category veteran Russell Greer (Lola T332) just hanging on to third place from a fast-finishing Michael Collins.

But that Collins, 24, reckons, was OK too.

“You can’t win every race you start, and I think it’s a good thing that the committee that runs the series is at least looking at – and now obviously trying out – some different starting formats. I know I was trying fairly hard to make up the deficit they gave me."

For his part Shayne Windelburn was buzzing – as much about finishing second to Michael Collins in the feature final on Sunday afternoon, as he was winning the handicap race earlier in the day.

“I actually prefer the longer races because I get more time driving the car. And the more time I get behind the wheel the better I seem to go. Obviously I didn’t help my case by missing qualifying and having to start the first race from the back of the grid, but my son Joshua had a big running thing on at his school on Friday which obviously neither he nor I wanted him to miss, so we drove down on Saturday morning.

We still got here in time for the race on Saturday and getting the win this morning was a real bonus.”
The other driver to make a big impression at the meeting was Anna Collins, driving the other Hey family-owned Leda LT27, the car which her younger brother Michael has been driving for the past three seasons.

Like Michael, Anna has a solid driving CV from 10 year racing karts at an Island and National level before spending the past five years contesting both the NZ Formula Ford championship and the South Island F1600 series.

Though she said that her plan at Manfeild was to ‘ease my way into the car and category’ the 28-year-old from Christchurch came away with two third places – in the scratch races – and seventh place on the handicap one on Sunday morning.

Not bad for a first attempt.

“Well, a first for the series anyway. I was lucky enough to get a race run in the car at the Wigram Revival meeting at Ruapuna last month but there is still a lot more for me to learn about the car itself and how I can get the most out of it.”

Category and series stalwart Tony Roberts (high-wing McLaren M10A) was back to his best in the now four-strong Class A category for older cars, twice leading home 2019/20 category winner Frank Karl (McLaren M10B) to the finish line and starting and finishing all three races. Compared to Karl’s two finishes and 1 DNF.

There is now a break of just over two months until the second round of the 2020/21 SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 series at the annual Taupo Historic GP meeting featuring Ford in late January in the New Year.

Hopefully that will give the man behind series sponsor SAS Autoparts, David Banks (Talon MR1/A), the time to repair the damage to his car after a half (drive) shaft broke in the first race at Manfeild and put him out for the rest of the weekend.

Tony Galbraith’s Lola T332, only freshly re-built after a major crash at the Skope Classic meeting last year, also suffered early ‘meeting-over’ engine damage in qualifying at Manfeild, which – again, hopefully, can be sorted in time for the January - and subsequent 20/21 series meetings in February and March 2021.

The SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series is organised and run with the support of sponsors SAS Autoparts, MSC, NZ Express Transport, Bonney's Specialised Bulk Transport, Mobil Lubricants, Pacifica, Avon Tyres, Webdesign and Supercharge Batteries.

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Codie Banks (#50 Lola T332) was slowed by a clutch issue in Saturday’s race.
Fast Company/Matt Smith Photography


RESULTS
Qualifying
1. Michael Collins (Leda GM1) 1m02.90
2. Kevin Ingram (Lola T332) 1m04.22
3. David Banks (Talon MR1/A) 1m05.11
4. Glenn Richards (Lola T400) 1m06.55
5. Codie Banks (Lola T332) 1m06.68
6. Russell Greer (Lola T332) 1m07.90
7. Anna Collins (Leda LT27) 1m07.97
8. Tony Roberts (McLaren M10A) 1m10.45
9. Tony Galbraith (Lola T332) 1m10.64
10. Frank Karl (McLaren M10B) 1m10.75
11. Toby Annabell (McLaren M10B) 1m13.82
12. Tim Rush (McLaren M22) 1m33.44 +30.54s
13. Shayne Windelburn (Lola T400) (no time)

Race 1 (Sat pm 6 laps)
1. Michael Collins (Leda LT27/GM1) 6m29.55
2. Kevin Ingram (Lola T332) +2.63s
3. Anna Collins (Leda LT27) +24.43s
4. Russell Greer (Lola T332) +26.13s
5. Shayne Windelburn (Lola T400) +30.58s
6. Tony Roberts (McLaren M10A) +36.22s
7. Frank Karl (McLaren M10B) +37.01s
8. Glenn Richards (Lola T400) +40.50s
9. Tim Rush (McLaren M22) +44.68s
10. Toby Annabell (McLaren M10B) +59.47s
11. Codie Banks (Lola T332) +2 laps
DNF. David Banks (Talon MR1/A (half shaft broke) +2 laps
DNS Tony Galbraith (Lola T332) engine

Race 2 (6 laps Sun am rolling handicap start)
1. Shayne Windelburn (Lola T400) 7m14.00
2. Tim Rush (McLaren M22) +3.32s
3. Russell Greer (Lola T332) +4.39s
4. Michal Collins (Leda LT27/GM1) +4.70s
5. Kevin Ingram (Lola T332) +7.06s
6. Tony Roberts (McLaren M10A) +9.34s
7. Anna Collins (Leda LT24) +18.09s
8. Glenn Richards (Lola T400) +31.39s
9. Codie Banks (Lola T332) +51.59s
DNF: Frank Karl (McLaren M10B) 4 laps (Misfire) Toby Annabell (McLaren M10B) 3 laps (fuel).

Race 3 10 laps Sun pm rolling start with grid based on finishing order of R1)
1. Michael Collins (Leda LT27/GM1)
2. Shayne Windelburn (Lola T400) +8.13s
3. Anna Collins (Leda LT27) +16.37s
4. Glenn Richards (Lola T400) +19.38s
5. Russell Greer (Lola T332) +20.53s
6. Codie Banks (Lola T332) +20.91s
7. Tim Rush (McLaren M22)+38.62s
8. Tony Roberts (McLaren M10A) +43.42s
9. Frank Karl (McLaren M10B) +66.01s
DNF: Toby Annabell (McLaren M10B) 7 laps (fuel) Kevin Ingram (Lola T332) 1 lap (gearbox)

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Codie Banks (#50 Lola T332) was slowed by a clutch issue in Saturday’s race.
Fast Company/Matt Smith Photography


Calendar
Rnd 1: 13-15 Nov 2020 - MG Classic, Circuit Chris Amon Manfeild Feilding NZ.
Rnd 2: 22-24 Jan 2021 - Taupo Historic Grand Prix featuring Ford, Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park Taupo NZ.
Rnd 3: 05-07 Feb 2021 - Skope Classic - Mike Pero Motorsport Park Ruapuna Christchurch NZ.
Rnd 4: 20-21 Mar 2021- HRC Legends of Speed Hampton Downs Waikato NZ pic

Codie Banks (#50 Lola T332) was slowed by a clutch issue in Saturday’s race.
Fast Company/Matt Smith Photography


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The last time there were more than two Lola T400s on an SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series grid was in 2013 where Michael Lyons (#64 on inside) leads the similar T400 of Andrew Higgins into the first corner at Hampton Downs.
Photo credit: Fast Company/Alex Mitchell


Defending series title holder Ken Smith heads the list of Lola T332 drivers heading to Taupo with his familiar red ex-Danny Ongais HU54 model. Joining him will be young Auckland driver Codie Banks in his father David’s ex-Johnnie Walker Australian Grand Prix-winning T332, former NZ Formula Ford champion Kevin Ingram in his ex-Charles Haines/Ian Clements HU48R and expat Kiwi Warren Briggs making his SAS Autoparts MSC series debut behind the wheel of the 2017/18 Series-winning T332 owned by Aucklander Stuart Lush and driven to victory by Andy Higgins.

Fellow former SAS Autoparts MSC Series title holder Brett Willis will be driving his similar-looking but earlier model (1973) ex-Colin Hyams/Tom Belso/Tony Trimmer Lola T330 (HU6).

The three McLarens are an early (1969) high-wing M10A (300-09 A) owned and driven by Tony Roberts, a ‘low-wing’ 1970 M10B (400-18 S) of Aucklander Frank Karl, and the only 1972 M22 still in active use, the ex-Thomas C. Jones/Vic Todia car now owned and raced by Tim Rush from Feilding.

The two Talons will be in the hands of David Banks (the ex John Woodner MR1 74-07.1 recently rebuilt and now presented in the colours of Woodner’s period sponsor Interscope) and the later model ex-Chris Amon/Jack McCormack MR1A now owned and raced by Grant Martin from Auckland.

Of the two ‘McRae GM1s’ is in fact one of the original Leda LT27 models (004) built in 1972, owned since 2008 by Queenstown man Alistair Hey and raced by young Christchurch driver Michael Collins. The other is the 1973 model McRae GM1 (008) originally raced in the US by Jon Woodner and Bill Cuddy and owned and run in the SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series since 2009 by Aucklander Aaron Burson.

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Shayne Windelburn (Lola T400) won the first of the series’ new handicap races on Sunday morning.
Fast Company/Matt Smith Photography.


Calendar
Rnd 1: 13-15 Nov 2020 - MG Classic, Circuit Chris Amon Manfeild Feilding NZ.
Rnd 2: 22-24 Jan 2021 - Taupo Historic Grand Prix featuring Ford, Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park Taupo NZ.
Rnd 3: 05-07 Feb 2021 - Skope Classic - Mike Pero Motorsport Park Ruapuna Christchurch NZ.
Rnd 4: 20-21 Mar 2021- HRC Legends of Speed Hampton Downs Waikato NZ

You can follow the series on Facebook at F5000 New Zealand or on the NZ F5000 Association's website www.F5000.co.nz.

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The opening lap of Saturday's race.
Fast Company/Matt Smith Photography