As round two of the BNT V8s gets underway at Ruapuna this weekend, class two rookie Brock Timperley has his eye on not only another race win but also focussing on rookie of the year.
In the championship standings, Timperley is placed fifth just four points behind fellow rookie Justin Ashwell. Timperley saying that grabbing rookie of the year is high on his achievement list.
“Absolutely I want rookie of the year. I won rookie of the season in Mazda Pro 7 and I have found the award gives you a huge boost in confidence for the season after. I hope to do the same in this class, it has definitely been a goal of mine coming into the BNT V8s,” says Timperley.
“Justin is a local here at Ruapuna, and he knows the track well. We’ll be focussed on beating him for sure.”
Originally hailing from Christchurch, Timperley has minimal racing experience at the Ruapuna circuit, but has increased confidence coming off his first win at Round two held at Taupo in December and the mentorship of former three time V8 champion, John McIntyre.
“I have done a significant amount of laps around the circuit in a road car aswell as being in the passenger seat with Jason Bargwanna in his NZV8 there. With these two experiences in mind I am feeling confident in quickly adapting to the track in our first practice session on Saturday.
“The win at Taupo has given me more confidence for the rest of the season. We had a new car at Taupo, which had great pace despite a few teething issues. With the help of John McIntyre I am confident we can hone in a good setup to carry that pace we had to the other tracks for the rest of the season.”
Looking to cure the teething issues of his new car from Taupo, Timperley has spent the break between rounds ensuring there won’t be any further reliability issues.
“We had some teething issues we at Taupo, so our first priority has been going through all of the electrics in the car. After sorting all of the issues behind the loom and sensors we then went through everything in the drivetrain and suspension/steering orientated on top of general maintenance.”
Round three of the BNT V8s gets underway at Ruapuna on Saturday, with practice, qualifying and race one, followed by races two and three on Sunday.