MOTORSPORT - Series of mishaps ruins weekend for Northland driver

Two rear-enders over the weekend left Whangarei driver Caine Lobb with no chance of getting on the podium by the end of round two of the MTA New Zealand Formula Ford Championship at Ruapuna International Raceway.
Starting from fourth on the grid in race one after suffering tyre and suspension problems in qualification, Lobb showed he was indeed the quickest on the Christchurch track, when he worked his way through the field but failed to get past race leader Simon Evans.
Evans did all he could to keep the Hydraulink Ford behind him through the eight-lap sprint race and succeeded in pipping Lobb at the finish line by 0.025s after an exciting battle.
In Sunday's second race, again starting from fourth, Lobb made his way up to second behind Andrew Waite only to be knocked off the track by third-placed Simon Evans at the tight Ruapuna hairpin, leaving him in the dirt and relegating him to the rear of the field.
Working his way up again, the best he could achieve was 12th place with the Ford which had suffered some rear suspension damage from the collision.
Andrew Waite took the chequered flag followed by John Whelan and Stefan Webling. Simon Evans lost control on the sweeper shortly after his scuffle with Lobb, putting his car into the tyres.
"I was pretty upset with Simon about that collision," said Lobb's manager Brian Craig.
"But he had a bit of a crash himself so there's not much to say," he added.
In race three it was all or nothing for Lobb who was down on points after the 12th in the previous race.
He went into the round at Ruapuna with a 22-point deficit behind leader Andrew Waite after the first round at Pukekohe and needed a win.
Again moving up from a start in fourth, Lobb was again in second place behind Waite who had pulled a small margin while Lobb got by Evans' teammate Matthew Wooding.
Clearing the Hamilton driver, Lobb promptly clawed his way up behind Waite and started to make the moves on him to overtake which he did three laps later at the long and fast turn one. Then the race was on between the two drivers as they headed down past the kink and into the hairpin where Lobb had been shunted earlier in the day.
The unthinkable happened when Waite tried a move on Lobb at the corner causing a collision which left Lobb's Ford with bent suspension and no steering. Lobb had to park the car on the grass and watch while team mate John Whelan overtook Waite to claim the win and ultimately the round.
"It was a crap weekend for us really," Lobb said. "Getting hit at the hairpin twice in one meeting is pretty unlucky but that's just how it is and we will just move on to the next round. At least we know we are fast."
The next round is at Manfeild mid-January followed by the A1GP round in Taupo a week later.