White quick but Allen takes day’s top time at Teretonga
Chris White found top form to top three of the four test sessions at Teretonga today, but it was veteran Justin Allen who took the day’s fastest time overall.
White (pictured above, leading), a Christchurch resident and current Mazda Racing Series champion – put his circuit knowledge to good use in the first three sessions, which were once again noteworthy for just how close the 25-car field in this inaugural championship season for the new model car.
In the first session the top 21 cars were covered by seven tenths of a second – a remarkable statistic for a first test session anywhere. In the second session the top 16 were covered by just six tenths, in the third session 18 cars were covered by a staggering half a second.
In the final session of the day – when Allen showed his form for the first time pipping second placed Josh Bethune by five one hundredths of a second – the gap between him and the 19th placed car of Will Morton was just nine tenths.
It all points to a remarkably close weekend at the iconic 2.4km track – the shortest and most southerly on the championship trail.
With the field so close, it’s likely that drivers and teams will aim to practice qualifying runs during at least one of Friday’s three practice sessions. Qualifying position for Saturday’s first race will be absolutely vital to set up a good weekend as the championship chase begins to warm up.
