Two Red Bull Holden racing team members went head-to-head in a battle around a Mangere track in the lead up to the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.
Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen versed each other on September 11 around the 125-metre off-road circuit.
Van Gisbergen was the favourite as he claimed the 2016 NZRCA title and had raced at the circuit previously.
Holden New Zealand national marketing manager Marc Warr says race car drivers are super competitive and do not like coming second.
“The closeness of the racing made for riveting viewing, let alone how close spectators were to the course combined with the massive flying jumps the cars were making as they made their way around the track,” Warr says.
Seven-time series champion Whincup put up a good fight against van Gisbergen, who is the current leading Holden driver in the 2019 championship.
The Auckland Radio Control car club hosted the two Holden racers and are in the process of moving to a new RC car facility at Colin Dale Park in Manukau.
Club race day coordinator Mark Houghton says this is the first time the Mangere circuit has hosted Supercar racing.
“While the drivers were a little down on total horsepower compared with their usual race machines, it was quite an experience as well as a heap of fun.”
Houghton says it would be great to see van Gisbergen and Whincup race again at the new circuit.
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