This weekend’s round of the Carters Tyres South Island Endurance Series continues to spice up, with confirmation that two former NZV8 champions are set to unite for tomorrow’s three-hour race at Mike Pero Motorsport Park.
It’s been confirmed that Nick Ross will replace Simon Gilbertson alongside John McIntyre in his SaReNi Camaro GT3, after Gilbertson became unwell in the event build-up.
Ross will now perform double duty on the day; racing in both the one-hour race and the three-hour race.
It’s the first time Ross and McIntyre have paired up in the same car. The duo are former NZV8 rivals, battling with each other during the domestic V8 championship’s halcyon days — each driver eventually claiming the title. McIntyre won the series during the 2006–’07, 2007–’08, and 2010–’11 seasons, while Ross went on to win it in its 2013–’14 season.
The pairing now sit as one of the most compelling driver combinations on the grid. Their key rivals will be International Motorsport’s dual Audi R8 Ultras driven by Jonny Reid/Neil Foster and Andrew Fawcett/Sam Fillmore, the Heart of Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage of Alex Riberas/Darren Kelly, the McLaren 650S of Glenn Smith/John De Veth, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Greg Murphy/Dwayne Carter, and the Audi R8 Ultra of Brendon Leitch/Christina Orr-West.
Q1 for the three-hour enduro kicks off at 9.00am, with Q2 following at 10.20am. The race proper is scheduled for a 1.15pm start.
I was there today and absolutely fell in love with that car!! 🤣.. Unfortunately i had to leave mid race the second hour. I’ve got plenty of footage and just can’t express enough how the racing made my day ❤️🏁😁..
Well done guys!!