CRC JMR John McIntyre Racing
#556
John McIntyre Racing
Media statement
John McIntyre Racing
Media statement
29 April 2012
Another podium for McIntyre at Manfeild’s V8SuperTourers; Richards shows greater pace
John McIntyre scored his third straight feature race podium finish as the V8SuperTourers wrapped up their first event at Manfeild Autocourse in Feilding on 29 April.
The Nelson-based V8 race champion was just one corner away from tackling eventual race winner Greg Murphy and had to settle for second. The podium finish added to a challenging seventh place in race two puts McIntyre in second on the sprint championship points-table with one round to go at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park in early June.
“Murph pushed hard from early on,” says McIntyre who started the final race of the weekend, a 30-lapper, third on the grid. “Our team planned for me to take it a bit easier – we were all on the wet-spec Hankook tyres but the track was virtually dry within ten laps.”
McIntyre passed Jonny Reid and Andy Knight in the opening seven laps, but was more than six seconds adrift of Murphy by the race’s halfway point.
“We’d worked out the time needed to catch Murph, but in the end it came down to a battle of tyre strategy and Murph judged it just that little bit better. To be the only driver to have finished on the podium of the feature race at all three rounds is a credit to the whole crew at JMR.”
In the weekend’s second race, McIntyre acknowledged some errors as he started in second behind Reid, Saturday’s race winner. “Jonny was on new tyres, ours weren’t and I ended up running wide at turn one. Then there was a clash with Eddie Bell which left the #47 Talley’s Ford not steering properly so I was lucky finish seventh after the race was red-flagged and restarted due to Colin Corkery’s crash. Basically it was all about trying to make the best of a bad situation!”
McIntyre was delighted to see his team-mate at John McIntyre Racing, Steven Richards, among or very close to the top five all weekend.
“It’s fantastic that Steve and the CRC JMR Falcon have secured the stronger results they deserve this weekend,” says McIntyre. “Both JMR cars have had good pace this weekend and the whole team’s been working really hard. It certainly helps keep our momentum going as we head to Hampton Downs for the final round of the inaugural V8SuperTourer sprint championship.”
Melbourne-based expat Kiwi Steve Richards was in the thick of an exciting battle with Andy Knight and Murphy during the red flag-interrupted second race, eventually being pipped for third by Murphy. In the feature race, Richards started from fifth and finished sixth to improve to eighth position on the championship points-table.
“The CRC Ford has been a good car all weekend and we’ve been working on what we learned here at Manfeild yesterday,” says Richards, a two-time Bathurst winner.
“We can be encouraged by having the third-quickest time in the feature race. However the wets fell out quicker than we hoped – the reality is that no one tests in the wet on wet tyres, so you’re learning as you race in this situation.
““We head to Hampton Downs in June with the cars being 180 degrees different in their setup from when we were last there in February and that’s going to put us on a strong footing from the outset.”
The final round of the V8SuperTourers sprint championship takes place at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park midway between Auckland and Hamilton over the weekend of 2 to 4 June (Queen’s Birthday weekend).
More details about McIntyre and his team can be found on www.jmr.co.nz, or follow John McIntyre Racing on Facebook or ‘JohnMcIntyreRac’ on Twitter. Steven Richards can be followed on Twitter via ‘Steve_Richo’.
John McIntyre Racing
Media statement
28 April 2012
Lap record and hard-charging second place for McIntyre at Manfeild V8SuperTourers
Nelson’s John McIntyre took a fast-closing second place in the first-ever V8SuperTourer race at Manfeild Autocourse in Feilding today (28 April) and continues to lead the series. The Talley’s Ford driver, who qualified fifth quickest, also set the fastest lap time in the 20-lap race to earn himself another lap record for the 3 km Manfeild circuit and bonus points in the V8SuperTourer sprint championship.
McIntyre’s team-mate Stephen Richards improved on his ninth qualifying position in the #556 CRC Ford to finish eighth.
McIntyre described the early afternoon qualifying session as tricky. “We had 30 minutes which started with a wet track while the sun broke through the intermittent showers we’d been having all morning. We went out on wets, back in for slicks. There were quick times on wets as the slicks took time to come up to temperature. It was a bit of a funny session and I ended up on the third row beside Kayne Scott while Jonny Reid had pole.
“Later this afternoon the race started dry,” continues McIntyre. “But it was a bit greasy with us all on slicks and I hit solid line of flowing water on the track at turn one which dropped me back to seventh. Then it was head down and charging as I worked back through the field to hunt down Murph who was second. Out in front, Jonny Reid had a big lead of more than three seconds. With nearly half the race still to run, I had to get past Murph. I made a big lunge for the inside line on the last sweeper and got through into second, then set off to chase down Jonny. The last lap was my quickest and I’d cut Jonny’s lead to just 1.127 seconds. Setting the quickest lap time of the race comes with bonus points and the honour of holding the lap record. Clearly the #47 Talley’s Ford was the quickest out there, so all in all a great drive.”
Richards reckons if he’d had one more complete lap in qualifying his ninth place could have been quite different. “There was only two tenths of a second between my final time and being on the second row. The race itself was pretty good, but I did get boxed in a couple of times and had to find my way out of that. Eighth place was good, the car is good and things are looking positive for tomorrow.”
31 March 2012
McIntyre and Richards expect performance lift at V8SuperTourers’ Christchurch round
V8SuperTourer drivers John McIntyre and Steve Richards are focused on qualifying well in their two FG Falcons when New Zealand’s newest V8 touring car series hits the track in Christchurch at Easter.
McIntyre, a three-time New Zealand V8 touring car champion, is very happy with the progress John McIntyre Racing has made in the last few weeks since completing the first-ever V8SuperTourer event in February.
“Collectively, as a team, we agree we didn’t perform as well as we expected at the opening round at Hampton Downs,” says Nelson-based McIntyre, who is currently sixth on the V8SuperTourers’ points-table.
“However sixth is still a strong position in a field of 17 and we’re really looking forward to racing at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway when the second round takes place in Christchurch over Easter.”
McIntyre adds: “Qualifying is the key to success in any high level motor racing championship. Once you are behind, you can only catch those in front by a very small margin each lap.”
Both McIntyre’s #47 Blackwood Protector Falcon and Richard’s #556 CRC Falcon have been completely stripped and put back together since the first round. McIntyre says JMR has upgraded some parts, like the gearbox, as have all V8SuperTourer teams.
“We were behind the 8-ball at round one when we were given a minimum weight for the cars just 30 minutes before qualifying and found our efficiently-built cars needed additional weight. Then Richo and the CRC car sustained damage from another driver in qualifying and then both races.
“Since then we’ve had a chance to press the reset button, taking the time to go over what we did wrong at Hampton Downs. We now have additional weight in the car where it balances the car correctly. Essentially we wanted to try to get the car back to how it was when we first tested at Taupo in January and fortunately had the opportunity to get out on our test track at Taupo for 15 laps yesterday [29 March] – that’s one of the beauties of having our race-shop just a few metres from the circuit in Taupo. I’m really happy with the progress we made and the resulting lap times.”
McIntyre has also added a full-time employee, a very experienced race mechanic Nathan Latham from Taupo, to the team.
With the V8SuperTourers competing at the tight, technical Powerbuilt circuit for the first time, McIntyre believes he’ll have the most fun he’s had at the Christchurch race track since he drove a Porsche GT3 car there in 2004.
“What’s needed at this circuit is grip, power and brakes and that’s what the V8SuperTourers have.
“Both Steve and I will keep building on our championship points. For me sixth is a good base to start from, and now we need to qualify up the front and race there – that goes for both cars. We would love to get our first win of the series, so with two cars and three races over the weekend, we have six chances as a team to win!”
Prior to the two-day Christchurch event, McIntyre is taking a road trip with both JMR FG Falcon V8SuperTourers and the two-car JMR transporter from Taupo, through his home region of Hawke’s Bay and hometown Nelson to visit sponsors and fans.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing fans in these areas – our Hawke’s Bay fans can look forward to seeing the V8SuperTourers in action at Manfeild at the end of April – and I’m sure there will be plenty of Nelson fans who head over to Christchurch for our event at Easter.”
For Richards, a Melbourne-based Kiwi, it will be his first-ever event at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway. “This is the first time that I've been to this circuit, so the two day race meeting format will provide some good challenges getting up to speed,” says the two-time Bathurst winner.
Richards is currently tenth on the V8SuperTourers championship leader-board.
More details about McIntyre and his team can be found on www.jmr.co.nz, or follow John McIntyre Racing on Facebook or ‘JohnMcIntyreRac’ on Twitter. Steven Richards can be followed on Twitter via ‘Steve_Richo’.
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EVENT NAME: V8SuperTourers Championship, Round 2
DATE: 7-8 April, 2012
LOCATION: Christchurch, New Zealand
FORMAT: Saturday – 1 x 60 min practice, 1 x 30 min qualifying, 1 x 15 lap race
Sunday – 1 x 30 min hot lap rides, 1 x 20 lap race, 1 x 25 lap race
CIRCUIT: Powerbuilt Tools Raceway at Ruapuna Park
LENGTH: 3.3 km
DESCRIPTION: The only South Island circuit on the 2012 V8SuperTourers calendar, Powerbuilt Tools Raceway at Ruapuna Park is set 20 minutes west of central Christchurch. Set on a flat, river stone base, the series of turns that comprise the 3.3 km multi-configuration circuit make it a very technical track. Rewarding for the precise and patient driver, it has many passing opportunities and great viewing for spectators.
V8ST TRACK RECORD: Not yet set
JMR BEST RESULT: Not yet completed
Media statement 16 March 2012
John McIntyre Racing confirms Richards and CRC for V8SuperTourers’ Christchurch debut
When the new V8SuperTourer series heads to Christchurch for the first time to race over Easter, John McIntyre Racing will again have two-time Bathurst winner Steven Richards driving the #556 CRC-backed FG Falcon.
Team principal and driver of the #47 JMR FG Falcon V8SuperTourer John McIntyre says he’s rapt to have Richards back behind the wheel of the team’s second car.
“Steve is going to love driving in the South Island – it’s his first time racing at Christchurch’s tight and technical Powerbuilt Tools Raceway. It’s also fantastic to have the endorsement of CRC for both the team and the V8SuperTourer series,” says McIntyre.
Richards, a New Zealander who lives in Melbourne, Australia, comments: “It’s fantastic to be heading to the Powerbuilt Tools Raceway in Christchurch with CRC back on the car. This will be the first time that I’ve been to this circuit, so the two-day race meeting format will provide some good challenges getting up to speed.”
Murray Walbran, managing director at CRC Industries in New Zealand, comments: “CRC is pleased to continue supporting the 556 car with Steve Richards and JMR. We can’t wait for the second round of racing.”
McIntyre and Richards came through the opening V8SuperTourer event held at Hampton Downs in February in sixth and tenth respectively on the championship points-table. Both drivers – as top-class multiple championship and race winners – are looking to significantly improve their overall rankings at the second of the four scheduled V8SuperTourer sprint rounds.
Richards adds: “The JMR team have been hard at it, going over both Ford Falcons getting ready for this event. After an incredibly big start to the year for the team, the time since Hampton Downs has been spent doing a lot of detail work on the cars to iron out the little bugs. Our goal for the weekend is to come out of the gate with two competitive cars.”
Richards will head to round two of the new V8SuperTourers series fresh from racing his Laser Plumbing and Electrical and WesTrac-backed Porsche at the 2012 City Index Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship around the Formula 1 Qantas Australian Grand Prix circuit in Melbourne’s Albert Park.
Richards continues to be excited about the whole V8SuperTourers concept and how it brings a new level of professional touring car racing to New Zealand fans.
2012 Race Schedule for John McIntyre Racing
2012 V8SuperTourers Sprint Championship
Round 1: 17-19 February – Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, North Waikato
Round 2: 7-8 April (Easter) Powerbuilt Tools Raceway, Christchurch
Round 3: 27-29 April – Manfeild, Fielding
Round 4: 1-3 June (Queens Birthday) – Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, North Waikato
2012 V8SuperTourers Endurance Championship
Round 5: 10-12 August – Taupo Motorsport Park, Taupo
Round 6: 21-23 September – Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, North Waikato
Round 7: 26-28 October – Final, Powerbuilt Tools Raceway, Christchurch
#556
John McIntyre Racing
Media statement
19 February 2012
Top five finishes for McIntyre and Richards at V8SuperTourers
John McIntyre and team-mate Steven Richards finished the first-ever round of V8SuperTourer racing with top five places in the third and longest race of the weekend.
McIntyre bought the #47 Blackwood Protector FG Falcon home in second place, with Richards in the #556 CRC-backed Ford V8SuperTourer finishing fourth in the 30-lap feature race.
“Being on the podium today is largely down to the team who keep toiling all weekend,” says the Nelson-based three-time New Zealand V8 touring car champion. “We’ve had some long nights and we really struggled with the cars this weekend, which just aren’t where we want them to be. But in that last race, we’ve had more passing than I’ve seen in touring car racing for a long time. My congratulations to Ant Pedersen for winning the first feature race – having Murph, and now Ant, win races at our first weekend highlights the fact this has been a phenomenally competitive start for this new category.”
Richards also felt happier to finish the weekend on the podium after being tapped by another competitor in the weekend’s second race, as he was in the first on Saturday afternoon.
“We’ve had a relatively solid day today, so full credit to the whole JMR team who have put in some long hours,” says the Melbourne-based Kiwi. “To have two cars in the top five in the final race was a great result and shows we’re heading in the right direction. Between now and the next round in Christchurch in April, there’s a lot more hard work to do.”
Sunday morning’s 25-lap race saw McIntyre finish sixth, having started ninth, and Richards came through from 13th to tenth. McIntyre’s mid-pack to-and-fro battle with Andy Knight was described by commentators as the ‘battle of the race’. Greg Murphy won the race from Jonny Reid and Kayne Scott.
“It was significant to note that both JMR cars were delivering faster and faster laps as the race went on – both John and I achieved our quickest lap in the 23rd of 25 laps,” says Richards. “This highlights the fact the tyres are performing consistently as well.”
The grid for Sunday’s third race was determined by points earned from qualifying and the first two races – McIntyre started 8th and Richards 11th. The intensity of competition stepped up another notch with considerably more passing and ‘panel rubbing’.
“The third race really was intense. We had safety cars and plenty of passing – I had a great battle with Andy Booth while trying to defend against Andy Knight. There was certainly a lot going on and it was great to come through to end the weekend with a podium place,” says McIntyre, who finished second to Auckland’s Ant Pedersen with Gold Coast-based Kiwi Scott McLaughlin third between McIntyre and Richards.
“From here, I think we’re only going to see the racing get closer and closer as everyone learns more about the cars. We can’t wait for round two in Christchurch at Easter!”
The inaugural season of V8SuperTourer racing comprises a four-round sprint championship and a three-round endurance championship. In the sprint championship standings, McIntyre is sixth with 411 points and Richards is tenth with 328. Murphy leads the series with two race wins and 625 points.
The next V8SuperTourer round takes place at Easter when John McIntyre Racing heads to Christchurch for three races over two days at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway.
More information about McIntyre, Richard and the team can be found on www.jmr.co.nz, or follow John McIntyre Racing on Facebook or ‘JohnMcIntyreRac’ on Twitter. The weekend’s race schedule can be found in the round one calendar section of the V8SuperTourers website www.v8st.co.nz
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John McIntyre Racing
Media statement
18 February 2012
V8SuperTourers’ top ten for McIntyre; Richards caught in spin
A top ten finish in the first-ever race of the new V8SuperTourer Championship pleased John McIntyre to some extent, but the three-time New Zealand V8 touring car champion is looking for a lot more from both the John McIntyre Racing cars for Sunday’s two races.
McIntyre’s team-mate Steven Richards finished 13th in the 20-lap race after being tagged by another competitor on the opening lap and spinning out of his tenth place on the starting grid.
McIntyre, from Nelson, qualified in an uncharacteristic position – 13th – which highlighted the intensity of competition in the new V8 series.
“It just shows that if one element of your set-up isn’t right, others are going to take that advantage,” says McIntyre.
“Still, there are positives. I improved from 13th to finish ninth, and both John McIntyre Racing-entered FG Falcon V8SuperTourers successfully finished our first-ever race. The reality is the cars aren’t quite there in terms of set-up and we’ll be working hard tonight to find that sweet spot in them both for tomorrow’s two races. Both Steve and I finished, we earned points and it’s a long season, so we’ll just keep focused.”
Richards, the Melbourne-based Kiwi driving the #556 CRC-backed JMR Falcon, feels the car is a long way off where it needs to be. “But we’ll find what we need for move forward tomorrow. It was a racing incident today, which flicked me off into the rubbish on the side of the traffic and then I had a spin with dirt on the tyres. We’ve got two relatively straight cars and we’ll keep working.”
Sunday sees McIntyre and Richards on track for a 25 lap race at 11:40am and the final race of the opening round, 35 laps at 2:45pm.
More details about McIntyre and his team can be found on www.jmr.co.nz, or follow John McIntyre Racing on Facebook or ‘JohnMcIntyreRac’ on Twitter. The weekend’s race schedule can be found in the round one calendar section of the V8SuperTourers website www.v8st.co.nz
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John McIntyre Racing
Media statement
10 February 2012
McIntyre ready for season of firsts in competitive V8SuperTourers
Nelson’s John McIntyre is already a three-time New Zealand V8 touring car champion, but when he lines up for the inaugural race of the all-new V8SuperTourers Championship at Hampton Downs on Saturday 18 February, he’s going to face his toughest-ever season of racing.
“The competition we face from fellow V8SuperTourer competitors is unprecedented in New Zealand motorsport,” says McIntyre, the current Gold Star V8 touring car champion. “For me, as a driver, and for my team, we are facing the toughest, most competitive season of touring car racing we’ve seen in this country. With 16 drivers in identical, purpose-built race cars, it’s going to be all on come 18 February!”
The popular 34-year-old professional race team owner-driver is at the Hampton Downs circuit today (10 February) for the official V8SuperTourer test and media day.
“When we drove into Hampton Downs this morning, it was really exciting. John McIntyre Racing arrived in our new two-car transporter with our two FG Falcon V8SuperTourers prepped and ready to run and alongside me was two-time Bathurst winner
Steven Richards who’s driving our #556 CRC-backed car. It was quite a buzz.
“It’s definitely a new chapter for JMR. We’re a championship-winning team which wanted to be part of the next evolution of New Zealand motorsport. That’s why we made the commitment back in March last year to move into V8SuperTourers.”
McIntyre highlights the fact that not only is he racing a V8SuperTourer for the first time over the weekend of 17 to 19 February he’s also doing it with virtually a brand-new crew.
“Not only has JMR moved from our previous engineering base in Hawke’s Bay to Taupo, we’ve secured even more talented technical and mechanical personnel. We’re running two cars for the first time in a brand-new series. This will be the first time I’ve raced at Hampton Downs, so that means it’s the first time that JMR fans can come and see us race at this fantastic circuit. This official test session is the first time the #556 car has been on the track. It’s the first time that Steve Richards has raced with JMR. It’s exciting, alright, and you could say it’s all on the line!”
McIntyre and his team are well-known for their thorough preparation and McIntyre admits they’ve logged serious hours to be ready.
“The cars have taken longer to build than anticipated; not that they’re difficult, but we’ve taken the opportunity to learn as we built my #47 car which transferred into a speedier process for
#556.
“Now we’re as ready as we possibly can be, considering there are so many unknowns with this new series. Like everyone else, we’ll find out as we get into the racing, how things work exactly with the cars, with the regulations and with the competition.
“We have numerous V8 touring car stars and champions in this field – Greg Murphy, Craig Baird and more – but watching young Andre Heimgartner matching Greg’s times when those two teams were out testing last week, wow, you can tell that it’s not going to be just the established stars we need to watch out for. This field is seriously deep with talent.”
McIntyre and Richards race in the opening round of the V8SuperTourer series over the weekend of 17 to 19 February at Hampton Downs. Friday’s schedule has two V8SuperTourer practise sessions at 1:30pm and 3pm. On Saturday, there is a 20 minute qualifying session at 12 noon, followed by the inaugural race of the championship, 20 laps at 3:10pm. Sunday sees McIntyre and Richards on track for a 25 lap race at 11:40am and the final race of the opening round, 35 laps at 2:45pm.
More details about McIntyre and his team can be found on www.jmr.co.nz, or follow John McIntyre Racing on Facebook or ‘JohnMcIntyreRac’ on Twitter. The weekend’s race schedule can be found in the round one calendar section of the V8SuperTourers website www.v8st.co.nz
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Attached images are free to use. Please credit Geoff Ridder. They show John McIntyre (#47) and Steve Richards (#556) in action during the official V8SuperTourer test day at Hampton Downs on 10 February.
2012 Race Schedule for John McIntyre Racing
2012 V8SuperTourers Sprint Championship
Round 1: 17-19 February – Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, North Waikato
Round 2: 7-8 April (Easter) Powerbuilt Tools Raceway, Christchurch
Round 3: 27-29 April – Manfeild, Fielding
Round 4: 1-3 June (Queens Birthday) – Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, North Waikato
2012 V8SuperTourers Endurance Championship
Round 5: 10-12 August – Taupo Motorsport Park, Taupo
Round 6: 21-23 September – Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, North Waikato
Round 7: 26-28 October – Final, Powerbuilt Tools Raceway, Christchurch
For further comment, please contact JMR team owner/driver:
John McIntyre, john@jmr.co.nz or 021 722 778
Further details and high resolution images are available from JMR media manager:
Kate Gordon-Smith, media@jmr.co.nz or 021 587 227
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