V8 Ute debut for Gibson

NEW RIDE: Wanganui's Matt Gibson has had success in his regular Mazda Pro 7 class, but now he is stepping up to the BNT Ford Falcon Ute in Taupo next weekend. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Wanganui racer Matt Gibson will take a step up to the big leagues of V8 racing when he makes his UDC V8 Ute series debut in Taupo next weekend.

A standout sportsman in both motor racing and judo, the now Auckland-based Gibson has been competing in the Mazda Pro7 Plus Championship class for the past two seasons, earning a top three national placing this year.

He has been given the opportunity in the Ute series to stand in for Hamish Cross and drive the BNT Ford Falcon for at least one round.

Gibson started racing when he was 12, first in karts and then in Formula Vee, before getting the coveted Castrol Scholarship to drive in the Suzuki Swift series.

He also raced a BMW Mini in Team Kiwi colours before focusing on the Pro 7, where he finished second in the North Island series and third in the New Zealand series for season 2012-2013.

But it is a big step up to take the wheel of a 400 horsepower 1850kg Ute Gibson saying he is looking forward to the challenge but acknowledges the changes from the machinery he is used to racing.

"My first impressions at our initial Taupo test was that it is a big brute of a thing which you have to muscle around the corners.

"It was huge fun and definitely requires plenty of concentration and skill to wring out a good lap time.

"The more and more time we get on track, the quicker we'll be.

"We did some respectable times in the testing. I don't expect to win, but it would be great to get up at the front and mix it with the faster boys."

Gibson is more than used to pressure as well as his motor racing accomplishments he represented New Zealand at the OJU World Cup in Samoa last year, having won virtually every national title available as he advanced through the age and weight divisions.

He also tried his hand at MMA, being victorious at the River City Rumble in March.

"At this stage the drive is a one-off for Gibson, though he has good sponsors in Lighting Plus and could be back if the weekend goes well," said Richard Gee, media manager for NZ V8 Ute Racing Ltd.

"With Gibson, Kris Walton and Rod Dawson from Australia, and Ute's marketing man and Honda Cup racer Richard Gee making his series debut, the grid of Utes should swell up to a mouth-watering and action-packed field for the Taupo weekend."