Following on from a stunning debut year racing sprintcars at Mercury Baypark Speedway, Katikati’s Ayrton Hodson has shown again that he’s not just a threat on dirt ovals.
Driving a BMW Z4 with co-driver Brett Sullivan from Nelson, the two have just completed the Golden Homes North Island Endurance Series at Hampton Downs and Taupō Motorsport Park.
After a fantastic class-winning performance in wet conditions at Hampton Downs on April 22, the driving team were just going to need a solid couple of days at Taupō Motorsport Park to secure the class four and five North Island Endurance Series title.
During practice, their eyes were firmly focused on the Seat Leon that had finished second to them in the previous round. A second place would have seen them tied on points. However, the count-back system was all in their favour, with Aryton securing pole positions in the class in both rounds and also taking out the fastest lap. The team and drivers were hoping the count-back wouldn’t come into play and set about a very methodical approach during practice on a cool but stunningly clear Friday at Taupō.
Both drivers clocked some impressive times, with the BMW Z4 clocking 230km/h down the long top straight at Taupō Motorsport Park. Some small tweaks to the car had settled it down under braking and both drivers were very comfortable throughout the day. The main contender in the Seat Leon was also putting down impressive times in the dry conditions and appeared like they would pose more of a threat in the dry than they had previously done in the wet at Hampton Downs.