MOTORSPORT - Lobb goes from 3rd to claim NZ title

Arriving in the South Island three weeks ago just third place in the standings, behind Auckland's Mack Peach and leading driver Matt Lockwood, Lobb took clear victories in rounds four, five and this weekend's round six to clinch the ENZED V8 Ute Series winner's trophy - in his second season of competition.
After winning four races from four at Christchurch's Ruapuna circuit, then three from four at Timaru, Lobb happily cruised around the Teretonga Park circuit in his last race on Sunday to take second place behind Chris Pither - secure in the knowledge that he had done enough to take the series.
"There wasn't much point in trying to get around Chris and taking a risk - there were times when I think I could have made a move but the team were telling me to just sit back and take the points for second which were more than enough for the series win," Lobb said.
Lobb won the round overall however with pole position, a first place in race one, fourth in race two, first again in race three and second in the final race of the season.
Entering the final round just one point behind the leading driver and last season's champion Matt Lockwood, Lobb wasn't taking anything for granted but knew he had a good car beneath him on a track that suited the Mark Cromie Holden VE Commodore. "We have got the car working really well, it wasn't that good earlier on - Invercargill is better suited to our car and is a bit of a Holden circuit."
Returning to the team after commitments at the final round of the Tier One Summer Season last weekend at Pukekohe was Nigel Bunny from Motorsport Solutions.
Bunny and Lobb have worked together extensively over the last few seasons where he has been instrumental in Lobb's career including the MTA Formula Ford Championship in 2007-8.
Although Lobb finished second to teammate John Whelan in that season, he zoomed up the championship table in the final two rounds by winning six races in a row in the final two rounds - a feat not previously accomplished in the series and strikingly similar to what he has accomplished in the V8 Ute Series this month.
"It was great to have Nigel back with us for the weekend because he knows how Caine thinks and the two of them work extremely well together," Lobb's manager, Brian Craig, said.
The weekend started with Lobb taking pole position in Sunday morning's qualification session followed by a win in race one. A random marble draw put Lobb on the back row in 13th place for the start of race two but he was able to make his way through the pack to finish in fourth.
A reverse marble draw had the Whangarei driver back at the front for the start of race three and, taking advantage of that, once again found his way to a race win. In the final race, he was back on pole but beaten to the corner by Palmerston North's ute wizard Chris Pither, who competes in the Australian version of the Kiwi series.
Lobb followed Pither around the Invercargill circuit with the two pulling a gap on the rest of the field before following instructions by race director Nigel Bunny to settle for second place and points enough to win the series.
Lobb finished the series with 811 points to Matt Lockwood's 793 and third-placed Mack Peach with 730 also achieving the highest number of round wins with three from six and the most race wins with 11. "This morning there were just no expectations and it all just fell into place - I pulled 18 points on Matt this weekend and he was the first to come up to me and offer his congratulations - tonight we celebrate," Lobb said.
Team principal Mark Cromie, who last year signed up the 20-year-old Lobb to drive the Mark Cromie Holden Racing Team entry, said he was "ecstatic" over winning the title.