KEY POINTS:
John McIntyre made the perfect start to the defence of his New Zealand V8 title by winning the opening round of the series at Pukekohe with two firsts and a fourth.
Despite the setback of his engineering transporter burning to the ground - the car transporter made it safely to the team's base - McIntyre said he was pleased with the way he and the team had performed.
McIntyre is focused on winning a second V8 title. He heads to Ruapuna for the second round of the championships.
"It has been a very rewarding start for us after a lot of hard work on the Ford in the off-season. We now go to Powerbuilt Tools Raceway in the lead with a straight, fast car."
McIntyre leads the table on 204 points.
Andy Booth, the leading Holden driver, is in second place on 179 points and is happy with his team's results.
"To finish the opening round second overall with a couple of fastest laps is really encouraging," said the two-time V8 champion.
"It shows our winter programme has paid off and the whole crew is now focused on the championship and giving the Holden fans something to cheer about."
Close behind the two front runners is Angus Fogg on 163 points, as the V8s head to Canterbury.
Racing a Ford for the first time after four seasons in a Holden, 2005-06 V8 champion Kayne Scott knows he has to make up ground on the front runners.
Scott will be hoping to take the round win at Ruapuna, where, last year, he scored pole position, a race win, a second and a third to take a big haul of points from the round.
Two-time world touring car champion Paul Radisich, on his return to full-time racing in New Zealand, needs to put his mechanical problems at Pukekohe behind him.
After placing fourth in the first two races, Radisich lost his windscreen wiper in the third, rain-affected race, dropping him back to 21st.
"The goal is to try catch up on the points we missed at Pukekohe, really," said Radisich, currently eighth overall. "With the few small ailments we had earlier in the month all cured - we'll come out with all eight cylinders firing."
Three qualifying sessions take place this afternoon followed by a 14-lap race. Tomorrow features an 18-lap race followed by a full reverse grid 22-lap finale.
