Andy Booth, driving the #23 Big Ben Pies Commodore returned to the track for round 3 of the action packed BNT V8’s Championship in Invercargill over the weekend, the first event for 2010 and the first since Booth’s massive crash at Powerbuilt Raceway in late November.

With both car and driver restored to full health over the festive break, the AV8 Motorsport race team arrived in Invercargill with high hopes on a circuit that has provided plenty of top results over the last few years.

 

Hopes were soon to turn to frustration as throughout practice and qualifying competitive speed was just not forthcoming from the car. A severe lack of balance with the handling was the primary focus for the AV8 Motorsport team, somewhat baffled by the lack of pace from last year’s round winning car.

 

An improved handling car for qualifying saw Booth through to the Top Ten Shootout in 7^th position but still 0.8 of a second off the fastest time. In the 1 lap shootout Booth pushed as hard as he could to climb up the grid but a brake lock up on the 2^nd last corner saw the Big Ben Holden run wide and lose over half second. Booth would have to settle for 10^th on the grid.

 

Sunday brought another stunning hot day, a clear contrast to the torrential rain of previous years at the Southland track.

 

Races 1 and 2 found Booth driving an increasingly better handling car and was able to make some forward gains in achieving 8^th and 9^th place finishes but what the close racing with other cars highlighted was the lack of acceleration from the Big Ben Commodore. Despite being much quicker than both the car in front and behind around the winding back section of the track as soon as they reached the long front straight Booth would lose huge amounts of ground.

 

After making progress with the handling the crew’s attention now turned sharply to the engine. The data recordings were not showing anything untoward but a detailed inspection uncovered the mystery, the engine was only operating on 75% throttle! It appeared that in the impact of the crash at the previous event the throttle pedal was bent by Andy’s feet being thrown sideways. The AV8 crew had straightened the pedal but somewhere in the system things were not lining up correctly limiting the amount of throttle opening at the carburettor.

 

With this small but costly problem resolved Booth headed into the final reverse grid race with renewed confidence and with some much needed straight line competitiveness enjoyed a fantastic, action packed fight from 14^th through to 6^th place at the finish and 5^th overall for the weekend

 

Comments from Andy Booth for the weekend:

 

“It’s such a shame that we had to battle so hard for an average result, it’s hard to win when you’re driving with the hand brake on. I’m just glad that the guys worked so hard to discover the throttle fault and we had some pace back for the last race”

 

“There’s always a risk of some residual damage after a hit like we took in Christchurch, the AV8 crew worked so hard on the car and it just got missed, no one’s fault, just one of those things”

 

“Having a competitive car again for the final race was great! It was a classic Teretonga reverse grid battle and I think without being held up for much of the middle part of the race there was potential for a podium result”

 

“We’ve lost more ground to the championship lead this weekend but the focus is squarely on race wins from here on and getting back up into the top 3 in the points”

 

 

 

Andy Booth, the Big Ben Commodore and the AV8 Motorsport team next head to Levels Raceway in Timaru this coming weekend for round 4 of the BNTV8’s.

Andy Booth was taken to Christchurch Hospital after being involved in a heavy impact accident in the final reverse grid race at the Big Ben 200 event at Powerbuilt Raceway on Sunday (29 Nov). He was released by doctors around 9pm after checks and X-Rays showed no major injuries.

Andy was knocked off the track when David Hopper lost control in the wet conditions just as the Big Ben Pies Commodore had passed him. The light contact with the back of Andy's car was enough to send him immediately right at the entry to the fast left hand 'Pothole' corner. The car impacted the tyre lined earth bank driver's side on at approximately 130kph. Initially dazed and unresponsive the saftey crew members eventually extracted him from the car and he was able to walk unaided to the waiting ambulance.

The Big Ben Commodore will now return to AV8 Motorsport's Auckland base to be assessed and rebuilt prior to the next round of the BNTV8 Championship in January.

TV3 news footage of the incident can be viewed via the link below

http://www.3news.co.nz/McIntyre-takes-the-lead/tabid/317/articleID/131969/cat/70/Default.aspx

Andy Booth, driving the #23 Big Ben Pies Commodore made a great start to the new BNTV8 Championship at Pukekohe Park Raceway over the weekend, finishing 3^rd overall for the opening round and sending a clear message that the AV8 Motorsport Holden team are serious about regaining the NZ title.

Arriving at Pukekohe full of confidence on the back of some very promising off-season testing, the team was hit with some initial setbacks in the first practice session when a brand new driveshaft failed on the first lap out of the pits. Able to limp back to the pits, the crew then replaced the offending item in time to get 3 laps in at the end of the session.

After struggling with some handling issues through the rest of practice the changes to the car for qualifying were definitely in the right direction as Booth headed the times sheets in the first session, sat a conservative 6^th in the second session, having easily done enough to make the top ten shootout, and then a clean fast lap in the shootout netting 3^rd on the grid for race one.

 

3^rd on the starting grid resulted in a comfortable 3^rd placing at the end of a reasonably uneventful race1, Booth following home pole sitter John McIntyre and the surprise performer of the weekend Eddie Bell who was flying in the ex Andrew Porter Falcon.

The start of the second race on Sunday afternoon was made somewhat easier after McIntyre got caught in pitlane after the pit exit had closed. This meant that Bell had the front row to himself and Booth clear air in front of him where McIntyre should have lined up.

Booth immediately tucked in behind Bell off the start and began to apply huge pressure. Diving down the outside into the hairpin looking for the switch back pass on the exit but Bell was up to the challenge and when Booth made a small mistake coming over the hill on to the front straight a small margin opened between the two and with lap times near identical each lap the order remained unchanged to the finish.

 

After the relative calm of the first two of Sunday’s 3 races, the reverse grid 22 lap finale was always going to produce some fireworks. Booth made a blinding start from the back row and after only 3 laps held 14^th position. On lap 4 however all that work was undone when contact with the Holden of John Hepburn put the Big Ben car onto the grass entering the long main straight costing Booth 6 places.

Then started a strong recovery that saw the Big Ben car grind away at the lost ground and one by one fight back to cross the line 10^th and bag enough points to claim 3^rd overall for the round.

 

Comments from Andy Booth for the weekend:

 

“This is a great start to our championship fight, the car was lacking just a small amount of pace compared to the two lead Fords but we know we can improve it and fight for the wins and the next round”

 

“Consistency will win this championship and we just need to keep up in that top 3 each weekend to be there at the finish”

 

“I think the contact in the last race cost me a top 5 placing in that race and probably 2^nd overall for the weekend but it was my mistake, I took a gamble on a pass and John (Hepburn) just didn’t know I was there. It was only a small hiccup but it’s important that I minimise mistakes for the sake of the championship”

 

“Hats off to Eddie Bell, it’s great to see a new face at the head of the field and he drove like a star all weekend, especially that second race, I was trying to pressure him into a mistake but he handled it like a pro and took a deserved win...... I just hope he’s not going to make too much of a habit of it!!”

 

Andy Booth, the Big Ben Commodore and the AV8 Motorsport team next head to Powerbuilt Raceway in Christchurch for round 2 of the BNTV8’s, the Big Ben 200 and with Big Ben as the event sponsor there will be no holding back in the quest for outright race wins and the championship lead.