Motorsport: Reid heads into Fielding's V8 circuit with high hopes

Jonny Reid. Photo / Colin Smith.

Top New Zealand motor racing team International Motorsport drivers Jonny Reid and Ant Pedersen will return to a favoured track as the third round of the country's new V8 SuperTourer series heads to Feilding's Manfeild circuit this weekend.

Reid and Pedersen have both been at the pointy end of the V8 SuperTourer field since the first series round at Hampton Downs in February; Reid claiming a second and a fourth at the opening round and a second and a third at the second, and Pedersen claiming a debut series race win in the third race at the first round and going on to claim a fifth and two sixths at the second.

Having been quick out of the box at Hampton Downs then been in a position to challenge for - and in the third race briefly hold - the lead at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway, Reid heads into this weekend's round at Manfeild with high hopes.

"I really enjoy the Manfeild circuit and I have had a lot of success there with International Motorsport," Reid said.

"It's also great to have Greg Murphy back and with the even platform that we have I expect the racing will be as hard and as close as it was at Hampton Downs and Ruapuna. One thing we're all going to have to keep an eye on, though, is the weather. We haven't had a wet round yet but by the look of the forecast we could this weekend."

Reid and Ant Pedersen lie second and fourth respectively in the series points standings after the first two rounds and team manager Nick Williamson said that everyone in the team was looking forward to "getting back into the groove".

"In previous years, obviously, we would have been there in force, either with the Porsche GT3 Cup cars or NZV8s, but this time there was nothing for us to do but watch and I know, for me, that was quite hard."

Since the second round of the new series in Christchurch the team's two Ford Falcons have been stripped and re-assembled and put back in the transporter for the trip to Manfeild.

The team has also prepped and dispatched a third car, the NZV8s Ford Falcon formerly driven by Ant's father Paul which is being driven in the new Challenge Cup support category this weekend by Ant's cousin Hayden Pedersen.

There are again three races on the programme this weekend, a 20-lap preliminary on Saturday, and two longer races on Sunday a 25-lapper in the morning and 30-lap final in the afternoon.

Reid and Pedersen have both been at the pointy end of the V8 SuperTourer field since the first series round at Hampton Downs in February, Reid claiming a second and a fourth at the opening round and a second and a third at the second, and Pedersen claiming a debut series race win in the third race at the first round and going on to claim a fifth and two sixths at the second.

Since signing on for the V8 SuperTourer series here Reid's services have been in demand on both sides of the Tasman, the 27-year-old able to confirm both an on-going drive in the Porsche GT3 Cup-based Carrera Cup Australia series (in which he finished second last year) as well as a co-driver spot with the Tekno Autosports team alongside fellow former kart and single-seater star Michael Patrizi in the V8 Supercar series enduros at Sandown and Bathurst.