VINCENT VICTORIOUS @ ROUND 4

Horrendously wet weather conditions met the drivers for two of the three races over the weekend, but it was the SpeedSport scholarship winner Aaron Hodgson and 15 year old Andrew Vincent who shined through the dark clouds that covered the Manfeild circuit for the fourth round of Weldwell New Zealand Formula First championship.

The two drivers qualified first and second (with Vincent on pole) for the opening race, which lead to what would be the first ‘round’ of an epic battle for overall honors for the weekend. With weather conditions that demanded both great car set-up and driver skill, the two managed to pull a small margin of the series championship leader, Michael Shepherd over the opening laps.

It was an epic drafting battle throughout the race, as Hodgson would manage to drive past Vincent down Hulme Straight, with Andrew just getting past coming down into the sweeper onto the front straight. On the last lap though, it was evident that business was about to pick up.

Hodgson seemed to get a gap going into the Higgins turn as Vincent was setting up to draft his way to the victory. But coming out of the turn, Vincent slipped wide, running two wheels onto the dirt. This allowed Aaron to break free from the draft and gain a well deserved maiden victory, with Vincent in second only just managing to keep Shepherd behind him down the front straight.

In fourth was the returning Ryan Hellier who held down the spot the entire race, with an ever improving Jamie Gaskin managing to hold out former series champ Paul Butler for fifth overall.

Race 2

If the diehard fans thought race one was exciting, race two should have brought them to their feet, as the two young guns brought the house down, and stole the show for the weekend.

The conditions were worse than the first race, but both drivers had perfected their set-up and skills for a race that will no doubt go down as one of the greats of this season.

Vincent and Hodgson once again seemed to have the edge over the field, as they managed to pull away from the beginning of the race. It was then the classic duel recommenced, as both drivers practically ran two wide around the entire circuit throughout the course of multiple laps. Showing talent and maturity beyond their ages, the two drivers still managed to run with a decent gap to third, which set them up for the final lap showdown.

In what appeared to be the weaker spot, Andrew Vincent ran into Higgins in the lead, as Aaron Hodgson was getting ready to pounce, and in theory draft by for the lead, and win. But somehow, it was Vincent who held on, leaving both the commentators and crew stunned. They both ran side-by-side right to the very end with Vincent gaining the victory by only five hundredths of a second.

Michael Shepherd managed to fight back to third, after both Hellier and Gaskin got by in the early stages. Gaskin would manage to hold on to fourth, equaling his Personal Best finish, with Hellier in fifth.

Race 3

After “the race for the ages’ – the weather began to clear up, but not enough to have a clear decision on what kind of set up to run for the final race of the round, causing a few teams to make final adjustments on the dummy grid.

As the lights went out on a dry track, straight away it was clear to see that there was a new contender for the win, as the current points leader Michael Shepherd was right up the gearbox of the leading Sabre of Aaron Hodgson, with Vincent just behind.

The three drivers continued to push as they battled for the lead throughout the race, but as the laps wound down, Andrew Vincent in the Dodson’s Autospares/Squawking Magpie wines machine took the lead and tried to make a break for it. Just as it looked like it was about to happen, the safety car was called – as an incident in turn one needed assistance from the safety crew.

With two laps to go, the green flag fell, and recommenced the battle for the lead. This time around, the experience in the Go Rentals/Innov8 Challenge showed, as Shepherd held second place until the exit of Higgins, as he drafted past Vincent for the win. Hodgson remained in third which meant that Vincent, the 15 year old from Karaka, Auckland took his maiden Weldwell New Zealand Formula First Championship round win.

After a classic round of NZ Formula First race action, it all happens again in a matter of weeks, as the teams head to the brand new Hampton Downs circuit in Auckland for the fifth round of the championship.

Will the new circuit bring new contenders for race wins? Be sure to find out 6/7th February.