Well, here it is. About time, too, seeing as the second round of the New Zealand Burnout Championship wrapped up on Saturday, August 19. Anyway, here’s the lowdown on all the sweet burnout action, as well as a huge photo gallery to dip into.
If you were present at either of the opening two NZBC rounds, you should be under no illusion that we’re looking at a major step up towards the rarefied air of Australian scene — one with big names, big prize purses, big crowds, and none of the negative stereotyping about police and frustrated citizens. Simply by being party to the Australian masters and their machines doing what they do best, a great many Kiwis fans suddenly realized where the NZBC organizers were trying to take the local scene.
Centred around the freshly-extended burnout pad at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo, all the event needed was for the weather to play ball — somewhat of an unknown around that time of year.
There is no question that the quality of performance put on by competitors was up on the previous Masterton round. This is most likely attributable to the influence of the Australian heavy-hitters, Andrew Lynch and Sam Surace, who perfectly demonstrated the level at which Australian competition operates.
Perhaps enticed by the large “Tip it in!” slogan spray-painted across several of the concrete safety barriers by the lead in, what the competition seemed to offer above all else was an abundance of tip-ins — the crowd-pleasing practice of bringing rear-wheel speed right up in the run-in, before flinging the car sideways into the main pad with the intention of completing one tyre-blazing rotation.
The undeniable tip-in champ of the day was Steve Ellicott in his ‘L0ROTA’ Mazda 808 wagon, and rightly so, for his insane shenanigans behind the wheel. Awarded the ‘Tip-in King’ trophy as well as ‘Lynchy’s Pick’ was a fitting end to his day.
And, after demolishing the competition at the Masterton round, Rob Toheriri returned to put in the work, trading the ‘AGROXF’ Falcon for an LS1-powered Nissan Skyline, and impressing the Aussies with his lead-footed antics in his dad’s Ford XB Falcon coupe.
The Taupo round marked the competition debut of Chris Brennan’s recently-overhauled ‘FUGLY’ Ford XF Falcon. The 351ci Windsor has been completely rebuilt for its new life as a methanol-drinking burnout enticer. Topped by an 8-71 blower and Enderle Big & Ugly injector hat, it sure looks the part, and, with a 14mm-pitch blower belt, sounds like an absolute animal. Unfortunately, teething issues saw Chris having to cut both burnouts short, but you may rest assured that this Falcon will be putting on a show in the near future.
The South Island round of NZBC will take place at The Rock Riverside Speedway in Invercargill on September 16, and, yes, ‘LYNCHY’ and ‘MADSAM’ will be put on the line for a show once again. Watch this space for more information on that one!
Results: Round two (Taupo)
First overall — Warren Shirtcliffe (Sunbeam Rapier)
Second overall — Rob Toheriri (Nissan Skyline R32)
Third overall — Chris Daley (Holden HQ Monaro coupe)
Young gun — Denver Hurndell (Ford Falcon)
Pro class — Chris Daley (Holden HQ Monaro coupe)
V8 class — Rob Toheriri (Ford XB Falcon coupe)
Six class — Warren Shirtcliffe (Sunbeam Rapier)
Rotary class — Steve Ellicott (Mazda 808)
Tip-in King — Steve Ellicott (Mazda 808)
Lord of the Revs — Gavin Wenzlick (Mazda RX-4)
Hard luck — Ian Marshall (Ford XR Falcon)
Lynchy’s pick — Steve Ellicott (Mazda 808)
Sam’s pick — Chris Daley (Holden HQ Monaro coupe)
Judges’ choice — Wayne Tangney (Nascar Monte Carlo)
