Jarred Fletcher leads the pack at Riverside. PHOTO: CLARE MCMURDO/SUPPLIED
Fletcher is the first driver in New Zealand to have won the national championship two years in a row, and came into this event as the hot favourite, but facing some stiff competition from some of the country's top saloon drivers.
Fletcher wasted no time showing his intentions, taking apart the field in his first heat to bank valuable points, winning comfortably from Ethan Cook, of Gisborne, and Paul Wright, of Auckland.
It was a repeat dose in heat two for Fletcher, yet another race win putting him on pole position for the 25-lap feature race. Second in heat two was George Phillips, of Cromwell, with Stu Miller, of Dunedin, third.
In the second group of cars it was a bit more of a mixed bag, with a rough track throwing a number of drivers out of contention early, after a big pile-up in the first lap of the first heat race. Gisborne's Rodney McIndoe claimed the race win in heat one for this group, while local fans had plenty to cheer for with Mark Dobson, of Riverside, home second ahead of Grahame Strong, of Hawke's Bay.
The crowd got even more excited in heat two when Dobson went one better, taking the race win, meaning he would share the front row of the grid for the final. His clubmate Eddie Edwards was also impressive, claiming the fastest lap time of the race but could not make it on to the podium. Strong was second and Riverside's Graham Williamson third.
This led to the 25-lap race to decide the New Zealand Grand Prix champion.
Fletcher got off to a flying start but, unfortunately for Dobson, he slipped down the pack after being caught out wide, dropping to as low as fifth at one stage.
Fletcher negotiated a very rough track surface and lapped traffic, in a total league of his own.
He had to defend a late charge from Strong but was just too fast, claiming his maiden New Zealand Grand Prix title, with Strong second and Cook third. Dobson fought back well to be the first local driver home in fourth.
Production saloons ran for the inaugural Stacey Perreau Memorial Trophy. Race wins went the way of Liam Ballantyne, of Cromwell, his clubmate Aven Erskine and Stephen Broad, of Riverside, claimed his first race win.
The overall win went to Shane Carson, of Riverside, who won the choice of the family, to take the trophy.
Six Shooters ran the best pairs championship which was a blind pairs format, so drivers had no idea who they were paired with until results were called.
Race winners were Duane Cracknell and Danny Livingstone, of Riverside, and Brian Ellison, of Cromwell.
Unknown to Livingstone due to an odd number of entries, he didn't actually have a partner, so his points doubled, which eventually fell in his favour.
Livingstone won the best pairs, ahead of Mason Whelan and Daniel McIntosh, and Jake Shearing and Ellison in third.
- By Daryl Shuttleworth
