Lobb slashes record in nail-biter at Pukekohe

Champion Caine Lobb smashed the ENZED V8 Ute Racing Series' lap record at the weekend when he put the Mark Cromie Holden Racing Commodore around Pukekohe Park Raceway in a time of one minute 08.869 seconds - becoming the first
ute driver to break the one minute 10 second barrier.
The time, which was well over a second faster than his previous best, was recorded in lap four of the third and final race of the series, which turned out to be  an exciting duel between Holden driver Lobb and Ford's Chris Pither.
The spectacle  brought spectators to their feet  as  the two drivers  went wheel to wheel,  also pulling way ahead of the main pack in an action-filled battle around the furious high-speed south Auckland circuit.
A compulsory pitstop was called for in the third race and Lobb came in  first  while Pither held off,  hoping to gain distance  with Lobb out of the way.
Nearing the end of the race, Pither went in for his stop and while he made for pit exit the excited crowds began to roar as they saw Lobb come hurling down the home straight at full speed.
It was far too close to call as to who would be in front but it was Lobb who succeeded and retook the lead from Pither by a breath as the two entered the first bend of the circuit nose-to-tail  at about  200km/h.

 The passing move out front of the main grandstand and ensuing battle between current champion Lobb and points leader Pither went all the way to the chequered flag.
The race was a highlight of the Independent Race Classes meeting at Pukekohe Park Raceway, which saw nearly 250 cars from various classes compete.
At the start of the weekend Lobb was a little off the pace qualifying second to Pither on Saturday morning.
With a marble draw determining the start grid for race one Lobb started in 11th place and moving up through the field was able to cross the line in third but with Pither taking the win. Unfortunately for Lobb a technical issue with his timing transponder led to him being relegated to fourth.
On Sunday the start order was reversed for race two and Lobb was on the front row. He  took the lead and pulled a good distance to the next car until Pither began to close in while Lobb started to struggle for grip.
He was able to hold off the charging Palmerston North driver  until near the end,  finishing behind him in second.
After that race the Mark Cromie Holden Racing crew were quickly on the job making adjustments to the car before the final stint of the weekend to combat Pither's domination.
The team did their job well with the improvements to the car's handling resulting in nearly one and a half seconds in increased pace and Lobb's smashing of the series' lap record.
"It was like jumping into another car - it just shot off," Lobb said.
"It's just a shame we were unable to do some testing before this weekend but we have some sessions booked in at Hampton Downs before we go there for the first time in February," he said.
Lobb's lap record and resulting win in race three not only established him as the fastest driver over the weekend but also halted Pither's winning streak. The Aussie-based driver had won five races in succession and was looking for six until Lobb ended the run.
Chris Pither is currently leading Lobb in the series by 308 to 268 points. Pither entered the ENZED V8 Ute Racing Series for the first time this year coming directly from the Australian version of the series after several stints driving V8 Supercars over there.
The next round of the ENZED V8 Ute Racing Series is at the brand new circuit of Hampton Downs near Meremere south of Auckland over the weekend of  February 5-7.