With extremely wet, slippery and treacherous conditions experienced at
the ITM 400 in Hamilton over the weekend 15-17th April the spectators
who braved the weather were treated to many an incident from all racing
categories as they fought over position.
Whakatane driver Christina Orr-West always the head of reason amongst a
field of race-rabid males stayed off the concrete walls and put in some
creditable performances over the weekend returning home with her Holden
Commodore race car in one piece ready to take the boys on again when
the new season rolls around.
"I didn't over drive the car as there was no point in stacking it into
the wall and going home with it bent at the end of the season." said
Orr-West.
Placing 19th in the rain soaked opener on Saturday Orr-West followed
the next day with a 17th place in the morning and 18th that afternoon
when the rain hit once more.
"In the wet I wasn't so much worried about the concrete walls just the
others out there on the track with me and worried about them destroying
my races for me. In the last race when I
was on slicks in the wet the walls started to look a little closer than
they should have." she said.
After competing just four rounds from the seven round season in the
nation's most competitive motorsport formula, Orr-West finished the BNT
V8s Championship in 20th place ahead of five other drivers.
This is just her second season in the tough series which attracts the
country's best drivers and also a range of V8 Supercar drivers from
Australia. Already she has her crosshairs sighted on a Top 10 placing
in the new season.
"With the way the car is going if we can get some good sponsorship for
the upcoming season I will be looking at the top ten." she says.
To make the weekend enjoyable even more so for her and New Zealand
motorsport fans alike, Christina Orr-West's good friend Shane van
Gisbergen was able to finally get the race win which has eluded him
over several rounds of late. The young Kiwi won the second V8 Supercar
race of the weekend on Sunday afternoon in his Ford ahead of Holden
driver Lee Holdsworth.
"It was nice to see Shane at our prize giving. He did an awesome job
doing it for the Kiwis and it must have been satisfying for him to get
his first (V8 Supercars) race win and on home soil. It was awesome to
see the crowd on their feet for him - even the Holden fans were
cheering him on." said Orr-West.
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