Motorsport: Teenager grabs first V8 win

John McIntyre is back in V8 title contention. Photo / APN

A number of New Zealand Motorsport premier motor racing championships were decided at Taupo Motorsport Park at the weekend, and the bumper crowd witnessed some great racing.

Crowd favourite, the BNT V8s, provided some of the best action.

Scott McLaughlin, 17, became the youngest winner of a New Zealand V8 race, but John McIntyre, despite not winning any of the three races, left the circuit as the happiest driver.

Nelson's McIntyre, with two second-place finishes and a fifth, won the round to haul himself back into contention for the series championship, which will be decided at the Hamilton 400 meeting next month.

Despite a less than productive weekend, Angus Fogg still clings to the championship lead, by seven points, from Kayne Scott, with McIntyre a further 38 points back.

The V8s, along with the ENZED V8 Utes, will not be crowning their respective champions until the dust settles after the Kiwi round of the V8 Supercars in Hamilton on April 15-17.

"A bit of luck deserted us this weekend but we're still in front heading to Hamilton," said Fogg. "It's not all bad, that's for sure. We were aiming to do better and we have bit of work to do before Hamilton and hope we arrive there on fire."

Find of the weekend was young McLaughlin. He has shown good pace all season and snatched his first win in the reverse grid last race.

"It's crazy, man. I learned so much and hope I can take this form into Clipsal [round two of V8 Supercars in Adelaide] next weekend," he said. "I hope I can get another win there."

Craig Baird continued his impressive resurgence in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and by race three had leaped to the top of the championship table for the first time this season.

"While it's great we overcame a 170-odd point deficit to lead the championship, it was the early rounds and the DNF that really hurt us. The reverse grid final race will be hard work," said Baird.

Prophetic words indeed, as Baird could manage only second place, after starting sixth, in the third race and so the six-time GT3 champion had to relinquish his crown to Daniel Gaunt. Jonny Reid finished the season in third.

Mitch Evans' dominance of the Toyota Racing Series, despite a hiccup in race one where he clipped a tyre and failed to finish, continued and the 16-year-old duly took out the series.

Rookie Nick Cassidy ended his season in second and won Rookie of the Year with another promising youngster, Jamie McNee, third.

Other championship series winners during the weekend were: Dane Fisher, the Suzuki Swift Sport Cup and Grant Liston, Production Racing Championship.

Andre Heimgartner, at 15, becomes the youngest winner of the Formula Ford Championship.

The V8 Utes head to Hamilton to sort out their champion and it is Caine Lobb who has the bragging rights after Taupo, with Chris Pither breathing down his neck in second and Simon Beirne in third.