The recent Endurance Series in New Zealand at Hampton Downs Race Course saw Innovation Race Cars (IRC) fielding three cars.
In the 1-hour race, John Goodacre and Danny Stutterd were joined by one of IRC’s latest clients Rhys Gould who debuted his new Mustang inspired GT. Their showdown commenced at 11:25 am on Saturday following practice and qualifying sessions.
Later, at 1:30 pm, Daniel Jilesen and Danny drove in the 3-hour race.
Despite fluctuating track conditions during Friday’s open practice, the IRC team gathered valuable data, aiding their performance during Saturday’s qualifiers and races.
Rhys Gould’s dedicated track time during the week paid dividends as he secured second place overall in the 1-hour race. Despite making consistent progress and running third, a collision at Turn 1 set him back, leading to an unfortunate retirement triggered by a Safety Car intervention with only 12 minutes remaining.
John Goodacre delivered consistently impressive lap times throughout the 1-hour race, securing a commendable fourth-place finish.
Unfortunately, Daniel Stutterd encountered mechanical issues after a collision on Lap 2, sidelining him with damage to the left rear and unable to rejoin the race. However the team at Mackenzie put in a massive effort to repair the car in time for it to be ready for the 3 hour race later that afternoon.
The 3-hour race saw Danny and Daniel Jilesen behind the wheel. Despite running in 7th place, a failure in the left-rear toe link caused a spin, ending their race prematurely. Despite these setbacks, these challenges served as testament to the car’s repairability.
Overall it was a great weekend for the IRC team and we look forward to even better results in rd 2. See you in Taupo.