BSR - D1NZ Round 1, Hampton Downs

AN AWESOME FIRST OUTING FOR TEAM BSR!

The BurgerFuel 350Z supported by Laser Tools, has been six weeks in the making. With the week leading up to Round One of D1NZ, being one with very little sleep for Team BSR. A big thanks to Karl and his team at Elite Automotive who worked some crazy hours to overcome issues with the fly by wire. Thankfully we had the right Team on the job, and with a call to a person involved in the SuperTourer series, the problem was solved. Elite Automotive then put the car on the dyno for some run in time and tuning in preparation for the car's first outing last Saturday.

SATURDAY (Pro practice day)

Saturday was the first time out on the track for both the 350Z & Brad Smith. The car felt good, performed well & had the throttle response the Team had hoped to achieve from the unique 3.5l V6 (VQ35) supercharged package. Thankfully, there were no major issues with this unique set up and the Team used these practise sessions to make minor adjustments to the car such as dialing in the suspension and tyre pressures to get the grip required. As the Team had been working to finish the car late into Saturday morning, these sessions were also used to get Brad used to being back in the driving seat.

SUNDAY (Pro Competition Day)

On competition day, without much track time in the new car, and with Brad returning after 3 years out of the sport, Team BSR decided to focus on perfecting the setup of the car, assess how competitive the car was and use round one to practise battle techniques.

Team BSR qualified in the Top 32 and found itself up against number 2 qualifier Kyle Jackways.

First Battle

In the first battle Kyle Jackways lead and Brad chased. Brad knew he had to be agressive to stand a chance. In doing so Brad came into the first corner 'hot on the heels' of Kyle and misjudged his exit speed; unfortunately Brad's front passenger wheel made contact with Kyle's driver's door giving Kyle the win.

Second Battle

In the second battle, Brad left Kyle behind and with the judges giving Kyle the win on this battle also, it can only be assumed that Brad's long hand brake entry gave Kyle the advantage.

While the end result for the weekend could have been better, Brad was always going to be the under dog for the day with a new car, unique set up & no testing or seat time before leading into a full season campaign. The Team however are extremely happy with how the car & driver performed considering.

The Team has booked in some track time for both Brad and the car in preparaion for Round 2 in Whangarei (14-15 December). See you all there!

BSR would like to thank the sponsors who have made it all possible

Burgerfuel Laser Tools No Cams Performance & Tyre Centre Redline Signwriters Racetech NZ Optima Batteries Online Logistics Spy Optics Jet Web Design Cosmis Wheels NZ

Photo Credit: maria.v.panova, driven photography, se photography