Production Racing Series

The level of intensity in the battle between Japanese manufacturers Subaru and
Mitsubishi lifted a notch in the New Zealand Production Racing Series round at
Teretonga Park, Invercargill last weekend.

From the outset it appeared that Grant Aitken’s Mitsubishi Evo 9 might have an
edge Simon Sceats’ Subaru WRX in the 0-2 litre turbo charged four wheel drive class.
The 0-2 litre turbo class usually provides the overall front runners in PRS and Teretonga
was no exception.

In the first two races Sceats and Aitken dueled, with former champion Sceats taking the
chequered flag first on both occasions. In both of the races, Scott McKelvie maintained
a watching brief, hoping that differential problems that had plagued his Mitsubishi during
qualifying would not re-occur.

The fastest of the two wheel drive cars within the first two races was the Mazda 3 MPS
driven by last season’s MINI Challenge winner Craig Innes, who finished fourth overall
in both races.

The situation was tense going into the final PRS race, with the grid lined up in reverse
order, as is normal in the third race. Aitken used all of his many years experience as
he battled determinedly to hold out Sceats. The situation reached boiling point when
Sceats attempted to go around the outside of Aitken’s Mitsubishi on the long and
daunting loop at the end of the circuit’s long front straight. The cars clashed and both
went off circuit, allowing McKelvie the opportunity he had been waiting for as he shot
through to gratefully accept the race win after a long and trying weekend of this team.

Sceats recovered to take second place ahead off Innes after Motorsport NZ officials
adjudged Aitken to have caused the incident and penalized him with a drive through.
The NZ Production Racing Championship continues at Timaru this weekend with the
battle between Sceats, Aitken and McKelvie expected to continue within the twisting
confines of Timaru Raceway.

Some nose to tail dicing and at times some side by side battles between Simon
Sceats (Subaru) and Scott McKelvie (Mitsubishi) were the feature of the second
round of the New Zealand Production Racing Championship at the Powerbuilt Tools
Raceway, Christchurch