With two rounds of the BNT V8s Championship remaining, the class two honours are set to be hotly contested with just 1-point separating first and second as round three gets underway at Manfeild this weekend, February 10-11.
19-year old Chelsea Herbert of Albany took the championship lead from reigning champion, Invercargill’s Liam MacDonald at the Teretonga round in January.
The Class two championship has proved to be an incredibly tight battle so far this season, with Herbert delivering a string of race wins and podiums on her way to taking the championship lead.
“The key has been focusing on finishing every race and claiming as many points as possible in the Motor Trade Finance V8. We have shown some great pace so far this season, which we are looking to carry through to the final two rounds. We just have to keep a level head and focus on our own game,” says Herbert.
Taking the championship lead by just one point over MacDonald, Herbert says that delivering consistent top race results is key over the remaining six races.
“I lead the championship with one point spare so there’s nothing in it at this stage. There’s still six races to go so if we start thinking that we need to protect our lead I don’t think we will maximise our potential. My whole team have their heads down and we are focused on achieving top race results from here on in. The more points we get over these next six races is going to determine the championship points buffer between the two of us, so there’s no room for error.”
Herbert says the championship lead is rewarding, despite some performance issues with her MTF V8 at recent rounds and MacDonald not being the usual performance benchmark.
“We struggled with car speed at Teretonga so the fact that Liam wasn’t so much of a benchmark there definitely helped us with pulling back some points on the championship. To leave the South Island with the Championship lead was an awesome feeling. I know heading into these final two rounds, no body is going to make it easy for each other. The fight for the championship has only just started and the racing is about to get a whole lot closer. I’m really excited to be in the position we are in at the moment and I can’t wait to get back out on track.”