Mahindra North Island Endurance Series ends with a tie

25 July, 2016

A series of unfortunate events. It may be the title of a Hollywood movie, but for the Mahindra North Island Endurance Series competitors, it has been a reality. The final North Island round, held on July 23 at Manfeild Autocourse, was full of upsets, especially from the Tulloch Motorsport team’s corner during the three-hour race.

After being collected in the pits by the Smeg Racing Holden Commodore, the team tried desperately to repair the damage during a tyre change. However, when they had to come into the pits once again, the Trass Family Motorsport (TFM) Ferrari 458, driven by Sam Fillmore and Danny Stutterd, took the lead — and the three-hour endurance win. The International Motorsport Services (IMS) Audi R8, driven by Jonny Reid and Neil Foster, fought hard for third place, with the Smeg Racing Commodore, driven by Simon Evans and Gene Rollins, crossing the line with a well-deserved second place.

What does this mean for points? Who wins the overall championship? Because of the close proximity of the racing throughout the series, and the unfortunate series of events that played out during this round, the TFM team shares the overall win with the IMS team. This caused ultimate confusion during the final moments of the series, and much controversy.

The one-hour endurance race was won by Nick Chester in his Holden Commodore, Matt Whittaker was second in the IMS Porsche, and Paul Verryt in the ex-NZV8 TLX Holden Commodore came in at third place. After qualifying in sixth place, Chester wasn’t in the lead from the get-go, however some staunch driving saw him progress to the front of the pack within no time at all. Maintaining the overall lead right until the end, Chester managed lap times two seconds quicker than those behind him, right until the end. However, Chester didn’t get the series win, which went to Whittaker after winning the first two one-hour rounds.

Unlike previous rounds, the final appeared to be dry and clear for a change. However, for the photographers and race marshals, walking trackside was like walking through a swamp. Many who went off course during both the one-hour and three-hour races had to be towed out. It does make for an interesting event, mind you.

Following the conclusion of the Mahindra North Island Endurance Series, the South Island Endurance Series will commence on September 10 at Teretonga Park. Round two will be held at the Mike Pero Motorsport Park on October 1, and the third and final South Island round will be held at the Timaru International Motor Raceway on October 15.

Results

One-hour race
1. Nick Chester
2. Matt Whittaker
3. Paul Verryt
4. Elliot Andrew
5. Rhys Warren
6. Jason Easton
7. Rick Cooper
8. Charles Rollo
9. Oliver Heycoop
10. Barry Kirk-Burnnand

Three-hour race
1. Sam Fillmore / Danny Stutterd
2. Simon Evans / Gene Rollinson
3. Jonny Reid / Neil Foster
4. Callum Quin / John Penny
5. John McIntyre / Simon Gilbertson
6. James Urquhart / Brett Rudd
7. Tim O’Connor / Craig Innes
8. Glenn Smith / John DeVeth
9. Stephen Farmer / Dean Farmer
10. Andre Mortimer / Warrick Mortimer

Janspeed recreates the Jaguar sports car

29 September, 2026

Thankfully, a few of these cars made it to New Zealand, the odd one being imported from the UK over the years. However, the 1988 British Racing Green example owned by Bill Slater in Upper Hutt was originally sold as a standard car but converted using the full Janspeed kit by the first owner within a couple of years of buying it.
Bill has owned a few other Jaguars. In fact, after he sold his Jaguar XJ12 in 2018, he found himself pining for another and, when the XJ-S came up for sale, he could not resist it. Having just sold the V12, he was not expecting much from the six-cylinder car other than more reliability and it being cheaper to keep on the road. Naturally, he had heard of the influence Janspeed had on the marque, but it was not until he took the car for a test drive that he became aware of just how superior it was to the car he had just sold. The price of a second-hand Janspeed XJ-S and that of a standard 3.6 XJ-S is quite comparable, making the Janspeed version an incredible bargain, even more so in comparison with other performance classic cars — or even modern cars, for that matter — which cost far more bucks for the bang.

The writing on the wall

25 September, 2026

Deven, a digital content producer in his 20s, says it was the rear-drive Nissan and Toyota drift cars that fired his imagination in his not-so-distant youth and soon had him wanting one of his own. However, like most of us, he had to start in something less glamorous – in his case, a 1997 Mitsubishi Galant. After that, he bought a four-litre V8 1991 Toyota Soarer, a big change from the Mitsubishi.
“It was my daily driver, and it wasn’t that bad to run back when petrol was affordable,” he says.
When he got fed up with filling it up, Deven bought a 1989 Ford Laser sedan, a 1.3-litre five-speed manual, to be his daily driver. It’s in very good condition, bought from a careful older driver, and he still runs it – although he will occasionally also drive the latest in a series of Nissan Laurel sedans. His current one, from 1993, has done the lowest number of kilometres yet, at 183,000. It has the single-cam version of the engine in his Skyline.
“I’ve had four different versions of that car. It was just a car I always liked. It’s really comfortable, quite luxurious. I bought it from a 90-year-old in Hamilton. It’s in mint condition, and everything is standard.”

Mahindra North Island Endurance Series ends with a tie

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