Solid results for Edgell at Invercargill’s NZV8 round

Tim Edgell in action during round three of the 2010/11 BNT V8s Championship in Invercargill. Credit SportProMedia.

Tim Edgell, the championship-winning race driver from Auckland’s North Shore, continued to deliver top-five performances in the BNT V8s Championship as the popular race series headed to Southland for this season’s third round.

In Saturday’s official qualifying sessions for the NZV8s’ third round of the 2010/11 season, Edgell again made it into the top ten shootout with ease to then secure fifth position on the starting grid for race one, just seven-thousandths of a second behind the fourth-placed competitor, Angus Fogg.

Edgell and the #26 Chesters BNT Falcon demonstrated an exceptional turn of speed as the NZV8 field charged into Teretonga’s famed left-handed opening sweeper from the first rolling race start. Edgell got the edge on Fogg and powered around the sweeper for the first time in fourth position. In increasingly gusty conditions, Edgell maintained his position among the top-runners to secure his first fourth place of the season.

In race two, also 12 laps in length, Edgell was challenged by former Bathurst winner Jason Bargwanna and had to settle for fifth, but the two strong placings looked set to position the Chesters Falcon driver well in the overall standings.

“The first two races were okay and we got some good points from them,” said Edgell. “Despite the fact I struggled with balance in the Chesters Falcon, it was excellent to bank two more solid, top-five results.”

Weather conditions deteriorated for race three on Sunday afternoon, with heavy rain falling and causing officials to specify ‘wet’ tyres for all competitors.

“It was a tricky race, whether you were starting near the back of the field as I was, or nearer the front. I decided to push hard to try and pass as many cars as possible. I slipped off at one point, but got back on and kept trying hard. Regrettably I tapped another competitor, turning them around, so had to cop a drive-through penalty and the best I could manage by the end was 16th.

With the next NZV8 round scheduled for the following weekend – 22 and 23 January – at the well-supported Levels Raceway outside Timaru, Edgell says another positive from the weekend is that there is little damage to repair on the Chester Falcon.

“That’s definitely another positive – we’ve just got our general pre-race preparation to do before another three races in front of the enthusiastic South Canterbury race fans. We’ll be looking to put together a stronger performance to improve our overall championship position.”

Edgell Performance Racing appreciates the support of the following sponsors: Chesters Plumbing and Bathroom, BNT, Marley, Hansen Products, Fuchs, Tru-Test Group, North Harbour Ford, Roca, FujiFilm, Element 82 Ltd, Wurth NZ and Journey on Roadside Solutions.

Keep up with the latest news from Edgell and his team via the Tim Edgell Racing Facebook page.

Solid results for Edgell at Invercargill’s NZV8 round

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