Local racer Tristan close to title

230415RCHolley TRISTAN pointing to the 4 Barrel Holley carburettor.

Wanganui racer Tristan Teki heads to Taupo this weekend as the leader in the Enzed Central Muscle Cars Class 2 Championship series.
Tristan is running his Chevrolet '69 RS SS Camaro, a rare Rally Sport model a friend found on the side of the street in London.
Tristan purchased it seven years ago and stripped it completely, replacing all the rotted floor pan, inner guards, some of the back panel and firewall, getting it warranted and registered with the original running gear. He took it circuit racing five years ago after doing a bit of drag racing.
It was a fast car from the start and holds a couple of Class track records around New Zealand. At the Highland Park round earlier this year Tristan came 8th against a field of the top New Zealand and Australian cars but on the warm down lap his engine dropped a valve.
He pulled out the spare head but discovered the car had holed a piston instead. Over a few drinks after dinner the crew came up with the idea of taking out the valve gear and pushrods and running the car as a V7.
So after blanking off the ports they took the car out in the three Sunday races to collect points towards a championship win and in the first two races the crew was still tuning the new configuration but collected some points. In the third race Tristan and the V7 SS Camaro were passing other cars and the story has been reported in V8 and Petrolhead news across New Zealand.
The race crew are locals Chris Barry and Jason Channings with wife Joanne Teki team manager.
A Class 2 Muscle car must retain all original glass, suspension and steel body panels with Tristan building most of the engine himself while Dean and Grant Rivers finished off the technical stuff and dyno tuning. It's a 406 cu in Dart Chev racing block with full roller cams and rockers with a 4340 forged steel internals running 13.5 to 1 compression and a five stage dry sump - using Nascar circuit race technology modified for local conditions.
Drive is through a TKO600 Tremec five-speed special race gearbox and breathing via a four barrel 525HP Holley carburettor plus sports an MSD ignition, larger race alloy radiator plus a Griffin oil cooler.
Tony Galbraith of Hamilton is close behind in second place in his Valiant Charger so every placing in the four championship races will be crucial.
Tristan has to finish each race in front of Tony to secure the title. Tony was one of New Zealand's top Super Modified speedway racers for over a decade so knows how to drift a car when needed so the racing will be spectacular in the 22 car field; this is one meet you would not want to miss.
Michael Eden is racing his Falcon in the Central Muscle cars Class 1 while another keen Wanganui racer Shane Hobman will run his EJ Holden Pre '65 racer at the NZ Truck Festival at Taupo on May 1-3 as his '57 Chev Coupe is out of action.
The Holden runs a highly modified 186 cubic inch engine with triple 45mm Delorto carburettors and a Muncie 4-speed gearbox. The Pre '65 cars must retain the original silhouette of the body with 4 speed gearboxes only plus brake limits. Shane's car has 300mm diameter discs with two pot callipers and standard drum brakes on the rear. Another local is Graeme Lett, owner of Engine Rebuilders Wanganui, who builds a number of the local race engines. His race car is a PB Vauxhaull running a 3.3 litre modified engine with a Muncie M21 four- speed gearbox, Holden front discs and Ford drums rear and is going very well in its fourth year. Avon McDonald will be out in his Ford Anglia also in this 21 car Pre '65 field that also features Ford Mustangs, Cortinas, Anglia, Zephyr, Falcon, Thunderbird, plus Holden and Hillman Imp racers.
Three cars will be up from Dunedin including a very quick Chevy Nova SS.
Other Wanganui racers are expected to front in the classic car class, and a few local big rigs will be in the Show 'n' Shine event at the meeting. Billed as a "celebration of motorsport" to honour 25 years of Truck Racing in New Zealand it is the final round of the NZ Super Truck Championships and also features 24 drift cars in the Battlemania event.
¦Tickets from $10, children under 12 free and further details at www.nztruckracingfestival.co.nz.