John McIntyre Racing commits to V8SuperTourers

John McIntyre Racing commits to V8SuperTourers

One of New Zealand’s most popular championship-winning race teams, John McIntyre Racing, will field a two-car line-up when the new V8SuperTourer race series fires up in February 2012.

Team owner and champion driver John McIntyre says he’s excited to take his team forward into the future of V8 touring car racing in New Zealand.

“John McIntyre Racing will have two current model FG Ford Falcons in the 2012 V8SuperTourer series. We’re so excited about the prospects of this series that we’ve bought two cars,” says the Nelson-based driver.

“The NZV8 series has been a great platform but with JMR having been such a dominant force in this series, winning 35 races and counting, it’s now time to look to the future and that means V8SuperTourers.”

McIntyre is the first Ford driver to go public with his commitment to buy the new, purpose-built V8SuperTourer race cars. Earlier in March, Kiwi racing star Greg Murphy announced that he expected to be involved with the series as a driver and/or a team owner of a Holden version of the V8SuperTourer.

“We’re looking forward to our FG Falcons arriving in New Zealand some time in August prior to getting them onto the track for testing later in the year,” say McIntyre.

“The driver of our second car is not yet confirmed, but it will be someone who’s capable of running right at the front of the pack with me, someone who’s capable of winning races and ultimately the series title.”

In a few weeks, when McIntyre lines up for the first NZV8 race at the Hamilton ITM 400 race weekend on 16 April, he marks his last weekend of racing in NZV8s.

“I won’t be racing our #47 Blackwoods Paykels/Protector Safety Falcon NZV8 after Hamilton, so it will be a significant weekend for me.

“However I’m looking forward – as a driver and a team owner – to the future with V8SuperTourers. It’s going to be fantastic to be racing a car that’s very nearly as fast as an Australian V8 Supercar. For my own career as a professional driver, which includes racing in the V8 Supercar endurance events with leading team Stone Brothers Racing as Shane van Gisbergen’s partner, it’s ideal to have the cars be much closer in terms of speed and handling.”

JMR will be a major part of the seven-round V8SuperTourer series which starts at Hampton Downs over the weekend of 17 to 19 February 2012.

More details about McIntyre and his team can be found on www.jmr.co.nz or follow John McIntyre Racing on Facebook.

ENDS

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