MOTOR RACING: Gamble set to pay off

HAMISH BIDWELL
How sweet it would be. A year after he was robbed of the Parker Enzed NZV8s Championship, when the cylinder heads in his Tracer Motorsport Ford Falcon were deemed not to comply with regulations, John McIntyre is in "pole position" to drive away with the title in his first season at a privateer.
The John McIntyre Racing BP Ultimate Ford Falcon has a 43-point lead over Kayne Scott, heading into this weekend's final round of the championship at Pukekohe. Having taken a massive punt to base a one-driver team out of Hastings' Lodge Auto Centre, the pay off could be right around the corner.
"It would be huge (to win the title)," McIntyre told SportToday ahead of tomorrow's two qualifying sessions at Pukekohe.
"The goal at the start of the season was to win the series, which was very ambitious for a team in its first year. As we got going, we soon found out how ambitious that goal was but, as the team has gained more experience and the sponsors came on board, the more it has started to become a reality.
"A lot of people told me I was dreaming, but here we are, leading the championship into the final weekend." With Scott still nipping at his heels and David Besnard 81 points adrift in third, McIntyre says the equation at Pukekohe is pretty simple.
"Let's say Kayne Scott wins the first two races and I finish fourth in both. I'd still go into the final reverse-grid race with a one-point lead. Because I'd be starting ahead of him on the grid, he'd have to beat me in that last race to win the championship," McIntyre said.
Which isn't to say McIntyre will just nurse the car around, in an effort to stay in front of Scott.
"We always take every point that's on offer. We're there to win. I don't know any other way," he said.
"We'll be going for pole position during qualifying on Friday evening and trying to win the first two races."
The most visible and well-known of New Zealand's domestic motor racing drivers, McIntyre has worked very hard to give mileage to his Hawke's Bay sponsors. And with the final round of the championship, also marking Pukekohe's swansong on the Australian V8 Supercar calendar, he's at it again.
"With all the Australian teams here, 100,000 fans over the three days and live coverage on TV One, we're delighted that Squawking Magpie have come on board. We've always had Hawke's Bay emblazoned on the side of the car, but that's been replaced by Squaking Magpie, who saw an opportunity to promote their wines on a much bigger stage.
"So we'll have an award-winning Hawke's Bay wine on the side of what will, hopefully, be a championship-winning Hawke's Bay car."