Goodbye 2009, Hello Supercup

Jono (right) with team mate Stefan Rosina and mechanic Rene Derfler (left).It’s a nice way to end the year; driving a racing car.

In 2009, I haven’t really done it all that much. My last official ‘race’ was in April when I won the Hamilton 400 Trophy, and since I’ve been itching to drive whatever I can.

I’ve spent a good portion of this time as a test driver for Juno Racing New Zealand with their new Synergy V8-powered sports car, but insofar as Porsche racing goes, there’s been very little.

That very little however, has meant a hell of a lot.

I’ve aligned myself with the very successful Lechner Racing Team and in July had a two-day test at the Hungaroring, which put me in line for the 2010 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup after setting some really competitive times and working well with the team’s experienced engineers.

Again, this past fortnight, I’ve been up in Bahrain for some more testing with the team; this time developing the new 2010 Porsche GT3 Cup car which will be used in the Supercup next season.

As from the last 997 upgrade in 2008, this car is a cut above any Cup Car ever made. The response of the steering and engine; the noticeable increases in torque and power; the more docile yet more refined rear end with the giant rear wing – all of this has contributed to a very special race car.

To be one of the first in the world to steer one was a genuine pleasure for me.

My entry for the 2010 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup has been lodged and I’m proud to be a part of the Lechner Racing Team with its passionate and hard-working mechanics and engineers, and a really positive and focussed team environment.

There’s still a budget to find, but isn’t that always the case with motorsport? I couldn’t have really picked a worse time to be money-hunting given the economic climate, however that won’t curb my enthusiasm and drive to make this happen.

I can see this being my one shot at making a career out of professional motorsport in Europe. I’ve gotta take it with both hands!

The weather’s great back here in NZ – believe it or not it rained more in Bahrain that it has here in the last two or three months! I’m really looking forward to heading up to the beach with my girlfriend, family and friends over the Xmas break for some brief R&R before heading full-steam into an exciting 2010.

See you all there!

Jono

The Hamilton 400 Trophy

the-hamilton-400-trophy-5033There’s nothing quite like a street circuit.

The media very publicly stated that the Hamilton 400 street circuit had been “significantly altered and smoothened” ahead of its second ever event. In reality, it was bumpy as hell, but it sure made for an exciting ride!

The Blackwoods Paykels (http://www.blackwoodspaykels.co.nz) and International Motorsport (http://www.internationalmotorsport.co.nz) teams went into Hamilton with high hopes for success after the pace we had collectively shown at Pukekohe four weeks prior.

They weren’t disappointed.

With a single test session to reacclimatise myself to New Zealand’s only street circuit, I was happy to finish second quickest in the field, and to translate that pace into a front-row qualifying start also.

Qualifying was a real hair raiser, however, with a number of cars having accidents and me personally having a very close shave with the tyres at the wild turn five chicane. It’s the most dangerous string of mini-corners I’ve ever come across, and it paid to take real caution through there on every single lap.

The opening race went really well. The car wasn’t all that strong on cold tyres, however it came good late in the race and I finished in second place, half a second off the race winner with a considerable gap behind me.

I finished runner up in race two also, setting consistently quick laps in what was a pretty lonely twelve laps out on my own. This also meant that I would line up in fifth spot for the reverse top six finale on Sunday morning.

Having finished second in every session of the weekend thus far, it wasn’t inconceivable that I might end up there again. I made a storming start and quickly moved into fourth, while my main rival Craig Baird ran wide at the opening corner and made contact with the concrete barrier, ending his race.

With the pressure off and a very real chance that the weekend was mine, I settled in behind two of my International Motorsport team mates and watched the race unfold.

The three cars in front of me had good pace, and the battle for second absolutely riveting. I wasn’t about to ruin the races of my comrades in front of me by trying to be a hero, so I fended off another hard charging team mate in Ant Pedersen behind me, took fourth place and won the weekend outright.

It was a great feeling to once again stand at the top of the podium, victorious.

The final race at Hamilton was a huge success for International Motorsport, with four of its cars filling the top five positions, and Jody Vincent (3rd) and I on the overall podium also. After such a tough season for all of us, there was no better way to end the chapter.

For me, there’s nothing more satisfying than ending on a high. Though there’s much to busy myself with in the domestic off season, racing and otherwise, my attitude between times is firmly based around the way in which my last race panned out.

I can get pretty moody if it all turns to custard.

Hamilton was also the highest profile event on the calendar, so to win in front of a huge crowd and a number of my sponsors was wonderful, and my support base was a little larger than normal at the Hamilton 400.

With the support of Stewarts Electrical (http://www.stewarts.co.nz), Thorn Lighting (http://www.thornlighting.co.nz) and Safety Step (http://www.safetystep.co.nz) on top of Blackwoods Paykels, JBS Tools, and my other current backers – not to mention Dad and the International Motorsport crew, and hands on assistance from Sam Robinson and Team PETRONAS visitors Imran Zaharias and Melvin Moh – the Hamilton 400 Trophy was shared by many.

Thanks must also go to you all for your support, well wishes, emails and phone calls throughout the season.

It’s been a crazy six months. There’s been wins, trophies and podiums as frequently as there has been bad luck, disappointment and sour grapes, but it’s fair to say that we’ve all come a long way as a team and I have come a long way as an individual and a driver.

You’ll be hearing from me soon, as there are some pretty exciting developments over the horizon.

Until then…

Jono

Wrapping it up at Pukekohe

wrapping-it-up-at-pukekohe-19001I’ve just completed my best race event ever.

Now, if you look at the results then you may struggle to see how exactly this can be, but the reasoning is simple.

The final round of the 2008/09 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge at Pukekohe was a breath of fresh air. I went into the event with a purpose – to secure third place in the championship – and even when this wasn’t achieved, I still left the circuit on Sunday night 100% satisfied with what had taken place.

I got through Friday practice without a hitch and confident of what the car would bring on new tyres. I quickly found in qualifying on Saturday morning that we were on the right track, and I put the car in third on the grid behind Baird and Reynolds who, to be perfectly honest, put in some magnificent driving to break into the 56-second barrier and put themselves just a little out of reach.

Even so, we had a great race car to work with.

In race one I made a strong getaway off the line and latched onto the front pairing for the duration of the race. Only when I made one small error at the hairpin did the gap increase, and I crossed the line within two seconds of the leaders – the chasing pack some way back in the distance.

The way I was able to attack the bumpy Pukekohe track with absolutely no fear was a tremendous rush, and I spent all of Saturday night contemplating how to go even quicker the next day.

This is where it may seem a little weird that I was still pleased with my weekend, as the second race ended at the first corner. I was hit in the rear by my closest rival for the final championship podium position, and sent spinning off the circuit at high speed. I limped back to the pits with a broken wheel and was forced to retire soon after.

wrapping-it-up-at-pukekohe-9506Now, the chances of finishing in third in the championship were gone, yet strangely I was still buoyant. The bigger picture was still much more important. While I didn’t condone what happened, nor was I the least bit impressed about it, I still knew we had struck a ’sweet spot’ in the car this weekend that would remain with us from that point onward.

It was this knowledge that excited me so much about the 16-lap final race, which I was to start from the rear of the grid. I chipped away at the field as the race went on, using the strengths of the car to attack corners where the opposition were struggling, and made it up to fifth by the chequered flag. The pace was evident on the time sheets – only 3/1000ths of a second separated the race winner Baird and I. And so without a podium once again, I left the race track in a curious state.

Even I was surprised by it – the pressure; the focus; the hunger to win still dominated this weekend like any other, but the big picture was more important, and I’m waiting with baited breath for the Hamilton 400 in a few weeks time. I think we’re really onto something here. More so than ever before.

I must apologise for being a little vague in my summary. Of course finishing fourth overall wasn’t what I expected after such a strong start to the season, but those who have followed it will know that things have gone the ’other way’ on one too many occasions. I’m not interested in dwelling on them anymore – the future as it stands is looking much too bright and exciting. We have some potentially very fruitful opportunities over the horizon and my support base are all behind me more so now than they have ever been, despite the tough times we all know are upon us.

And at Pukekohe, everything that was within our control went like clockwork. The preparation couldn’t be faulted, and as a driver I felt so at one with that car and with myself that I could have lapped around that circuit all day and night.

This won’t be my last blog for a while – Hamilton is still to come as are a whole lot of other bits and pieces before November rolls around again for Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge round four.

So keep an eye out, and take good care!

Jono

A Wet Weekend at Manfeild

a-wet-weekend-at-manfeild-14620The lead up to the penultimate round of the 2008/09 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge had me quite excited.

After four weekends in a row of competition back to back in January, the idea of a month off seemed a little surreal. Getting back to my home circuit was always that little bit more special than the rest.

Historically I’ve always had rotten luck and tough results at Manfeild, and this year was unfortunately no different, however it’s still hands down the best circuit in New Zealand to race on. Nothing else comes close.

I made the road-trip down to Friendly Feilding with my team mate Mark Russ; the weather hot and sunny – nothing like the projected forecast for the weekend. We got through Friday practice in the dry but the rain was threatening in the afternoon, and it was a mixed day on the track also.

I completed the first test session happy with the car and right at the pointy end of the field, but was unable to continue the form in the second due to a clutch and flywheel issue. The team at International Motorsport worked well into the evening to ensure everything was as it should be, and with the storm clouds looming we ensured the wet tyres were ready and waiting for Saturday.

As expected, Saturday morning dawned wet, and the rest of the weekend followed suit. Qualifying was tough with a lengthy yellow flag period taking up much of the second half of the session, and on a track that seemed to be gripping up as it progressed, I was only able to post the sixth quickest time.

The opening race was under heavy rain and the spray was unbelievable. The lack of visibility was extreme at the best of times, but even so, the racing was closely fought and by the finish I had made my way into fourth place.

The second race wasn’t so good, and I was caught up in the hustle and bustle of the opening lap and squeezed off the track exiting the hairpin. Having dropped to eighth place I worked my way back to sixth quickly and spent the rest of it probing the cars in front. The car was phenomenal on brakes but the only passing opportunities were – as you’d expect – around the outside and, though it wasn’t for lack of trying, sixth place was the end result.

The real talking point of the weekend (and the reason I’ve been a little reserved until now) was the reverse grid final race. I had pole position but I chose to relinquish it on the warm up lap along with my team mates Jody Vincent and Mark Russ, to pit and change for wet tyres.

With a new rule passing tyre choice onto the competitors and effectively removing the wet track/dry track scenario we’ve seen for a number of years, the three of us took the big gamble with the rain beginning to come down.

For the first few laps this seemed to be the wrong call. The cars on slicks were just as quick as we were, and at one stage they began to close the gap that would have seen me lapped by the leaders. That was until the mid-way point, when the heavens opened and it really began bucketing down onto the track. This was my chance and the early judgement call proved perfect. As cars slid off the track around me I knew that a win was a possibility.

With five laps remaining I’d made my way up to eighth and half the field had decided to pit for wet tyres. Only seconds later one of the most bizarre decisions I’ve ever seen was made by the officials, and the race was both red flagged and chequered flagged at the same time, concluding the race and leaving Mark, Jody and I in a state of bewilderment.

The track was supposedly ’too dangerous’ to race on, however the V8 race that followed was staged in even worse conditions and their usual carnage ensued. Even so, this race was red flagged and resumed at a later point, but the Porsche race was not.

We really did feel ’robbed’ by this decision and I’ve lost most of what little faith I had in the system, and as we have no right to protest the result, but only the judgement/decision, there will of course be no backlash and we will just have to shut up and get on with it.

This result has made the task of securing the final championship podium spot a lot tougher, but I won’t be giving up with Pukekohe next weekend – I’ve had a good run there in the past and there’s no reason why it can’t happen again.

The weather could and probably will play a part, so let’s just wait and see.

Until then, take care everyone! Remember to visit jonolester.com.

Jono

January’s ’Month of Motorsport’

januarys-month-of-motorsport-13710Hi all, It’s been quite some time since my last blog post, so there’s a fair bit to catch up on!

I had a wonderful Christmas and New Year break with friends and family before rocking into a solid month of motorsport right across January, with a triple header in the Porsche and my debut race in the Juno SSE-NZ sports car to round it off.

First on the agenda was a return to Timaru. Last time I lapped here my season ended in the back on an ambulance, and while this time around it wasn’t quite as dramatic, I still had to fight for results as has so often become the case in this season’s Porsche series.

Much like at Ruapuna I was on the receiving end of the officialdom early on, being thrown off the back of the grid for the race one after “breaking traction” as I exited pit lane during qualifying, effectively ruining our chances there and then.

The weekend itself was a downhill ride with a sharp spike at the finish. I quickly made my way into eighth in race one before suffering a DNF when two cars made contact in front of me and a concertina effect ensued, damaging my radiator and forcing me to shut the car down.

The second race was slightly better and, starting from eleventh, I passed a number of cars in the opening laps to latch onto the leading train in sixth spot, where I finished, but it was the feature race where we regained some lost momentum.

Starting in third, I made a solid start and followed David Reynolds through on Daniel Gaunt part-way through the race. Reynolds had incredible pace and I was able to latch onto him and pull a small gap on Baird in third, before succumbing to my tyres and settling for second position. A great recovery, nonetheless.

Unfortunately this was as good as the South Island got, as the next weekend in Invercargill was a real battle. I got very little testing with a clutch problem and qualified very averagely, and the opening race, held in the twilight on Saturday evening, was a nightmare.

I made the call to start the race on wet tyres with changeable weather hampering the day’s proceeding, but it proved to be the wrong choice, and I finished three laps down on the leaders after having to pit, like a number of my team mates, part-way through the 30-lap race.

I finished in sixth in race two from grid nine, and started off the front row for the feature race. After being hit off the track on the opening lap I dropped to sixth where once again I finished to round off a harsh weekend for my points situation. I had now dropped to fourth overall.

A quick visit to Dr. Kerry Spackman on my arrival home helped me put my mind back on track, and at the Taupo A1GP the following weekend the driving followed suit.

It was great to get back onto the Taupo track in awesome weather conditions, and with Matt Halliday as my co-driver to offer setup advice and a very fast and experienced pair of hands, the stage was set for a great event.

Both Matt and I headed our respective practice and qualifying session, where I set the fastest lap time of the weekend outright, in preparation for a sprint race each, and two 50-minute, two-driver endurance races to spice up proceedings on both Saturday and Sunday.

I made a great getaway in the opening race before breaking the left-rear concentric arm on the opening lap. The car became highly unstable, especially down the straights and under brakes, and my lap times dropped off by around four seconds a lap, however I kept at it (albeit carefully) to take third position and keep our hopes alive for the first enduro.

This proved to be a fairytale, as Matt conserved his tyres amicably in his opening stint, and a tremendous pit stop by the International Motorsport crew put us out around 15 seconds ahead of Jonny Reid in second.

In the following laps I stretched this out to twenty nine seconds, which became twenty four as we crossed the finish line after Matt was deemed to have crept at the start of the race.

In a similar scenario to Saturday’s events, Matt struggled to second behind Shane van Gisbergen in the morning sprint, but once again the endurance race went 100% according to plan.

The battle between Matt, Jody Vincent and van Gisbergen in the opening laps was scintillating, with the trio rarely covered by more than a handkerchief, but once again our pit stop work put us out over ten second in front, and I led the field home by seventeen seconds for the second win from two.

It was a tremendous weekend and a credit to the work put in by both Matt and I and the whole team behind the scenes, and I speak for many when I say it would be really great to see more of this format of racing in the championship proper in the future.

januarys-month-of-motorsport-19547Returning to Taupo once again the following weekend, I was behind the wheel of the Juno SSE-NZ sportscar I was testing in the run up to Christmas.

The car was entered in the New Zealand Sports Car Series, where 25-cars of all varieties, including a handful of Radicals and another Juno, but it was the day glow orange Juno that set the pace.

I put the car on pole by quite a margin and won the first two races of the weekend by thirty two and twenty three seconds respectively. The car really is quite something and the use of ground effects and proper downforce make it really exciting to drive.

The final race was a reverse grid handicap, and I started in pit lane about a lap and a half down on the leaders. In the six laps I had I clawed up to eleventh spot, within two corners of the winners, and capped off a great weekend to showcase the talents and potential of the Juno cars.

After a month away my fitness has taken a bit of a hit, but the wonderful weather has meant that alternative training (such as getting dragged behind a boat at breakneck speed!) is making up a good part of my days and summer can stay for the rest of the year in my opinion.

Manfeild’s next up in three weekend’s time. A return to my other home track will be great. I have a good feeling about it.

Until then, take care everyone! And remember to visit www.jonolester.com!

Jono

Heading South…

heading-south-6889Hi all,

Here in lies the first of four weeks of non-stop motorsport – what a way to see in the New Year!

Though this blog post is brief, it’s still significant – when you hear from me next, it will be either highlighting the successes I have come to achieve, or the disappointments that held me back along the way.

First up is Timaru – both my best and worst track on the calendar. While I won my first Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge race there in 2007, I also broke my leg there in March of 2008. Highs and low, but a score to settle for sure, and going on my speed there last season I’m confident we can go well.

Further south we then head to Invercargill’s Teretonga Park; the southernmost race circuit in the world and the last city before you reach Antarctica. Even so, the weather we often meet there is scorching hot, and it’s a great circuit with the most exciting first corner in New Zealand. I’ve also tasted podium success there, so another one I’m certainly looking forward to.

Though it’s still unknown whether I’ll race at the Taupo A1GP on the third consecutive weekend, I will still be there regardless to witness my first glimpse of the amazing new Ferrari-powered cars. Being a non-championship event for us, we need to weigh up whether it’s worth competing, but it could go either way.

I’ll be at Taupo once again the following weekend behind the wheel of the Juno SSC-NZ sportscar I’ve been testing and developing over the past couple of months. It’s a ’low key’ event but still a great chance to showcase the engineering underneath the striking day glow orange bodywork.

So, wish me luck and see you at the finish line.

A Happy New Year to all,

Jono.

Ruapuna Round Up

ruapuna-round-up-15265Hi all, a slightly longer one today.

There aren’t many events that I could put on a similar pedestal to my horror weekend at Timaru earlier this year, but Ruapuna came pretty close.

There was no damage, no broken bones; no looks of scorn or resentment aimed in my direction – but we felt well and truly robbed. After such an awesome start at Pukekohe a few weeks before, to see round two pan out the way it did was a real shock to the system.

The weekend was always going to be an uphill sprint after troubles in testing, but we soldiered on nonetheless. What we lacked on Friday we found in qualifying as I put the car on the second row alongside Daniel Gaunt, but even then there was something not quite right; a mysterious fuel surge issue that would pop up at random intervals and cause me to second guess whether it was all in my head. At this stage, it wasn’t that noticeable, but it would only get worse as we rolled into racing.

My biggest handicap in race one was not the car but a drive through penalty I was slapped with at the mid way point. Up until then I had been in a battle with the front pack of cars, tucked in behind Jody Vincent, who I got past before having to serve my penalty and rejoin to finish eighth.

I was deemed to be using more road than any other car on the circuit (taking a “shortcut”) yet, looking at the footage, every other driver out there was running in the wheel tracks of those around them. Our questioning of the penalty wasn’t an excuse to whinge – more a question of why one driver should be singled out or made an example of.

This issue aside, we still had two more races to get through, and in the second I didn’t fare much better, running in the front pack of cars before the car began coughing and dying far more severely than it had in qualifying. As the cars in front edged away, I was left to pick up the pieces in seventh spot, where I would start for the feature race finale.

It started well. I made a superb start and jumped into the top five by turn one, and after the banging and crashing and jostling had subsided found myself in second, chasing down David Reynolds in the lead.

The car felt sweet; no hiccups, no lack of power – nothing. I began closing in lap by lap and maintaining the gap to Craig Baird in behind until the ghost appeared for another spooking.

For five to six laps the problem got progressively worse with the sensation of turning off the key, then turning it back on again as I exited medium-speed corners. The gap to Reynolds grew to over five seconds, and by that stage Bairdo had passed me also. Settled into third I was instructed to “bring her home”, which I did, but when the fuel pressure zeroed itself on nearly every corner on the final lap, I was just worried about getting to the finish line!

Low and behold I managed to bag enough points to finish just off the podium in fourth for the round, which was a nice consolation for a weekend of frustration.

The underlying issue with the car – whatever it is – will, as always, turn out to be something simple and straightforward. This is a Porsche we are talking about after all!

There’s six weeks to regroup and ensure the car is right for Timaru, so on a more positive note, I was able to take time out to hang with a few of the Project KPH kids at Ruapuna, as I did at Pukekohe, showing them through the car and making sure the brave little battlers had a great day out. Leah Evans does a great job with the organisation and is deserved of any support that can be offered. Check out Project KPH here.

Also, we won the Hyper Stimulator Enduro! It was a long race, (24 hours in fact) around Bathurst in the Audi R8 Prototypes, but Alastair Wootten, Gene Rollinson and I took it out, albeit by less than a lap! We had stiff competition from the Hyper Stimulator League car throughout and it was a fun event – one that I’d certainly consider doing again if more drivers were involved for added competition.

Before I sign off for, if you’ve missed any of the action from the Pukekohe round of the GT3s, or the early races at Ruapuna, you can check them out at TVNZ On Demand here right throughout the championship.

Remember to visit jonolester.com.

Keep safe and see you at the track,

Jono

A winning start

a-winning-start-15163It’s been quite a week.

The opening round of the 2008/09 Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge was just as I’d expected in that the competition was tough; the stakes high and the need for perfection and attention to detail an absolute necessity. Any slip ups and you were out the back door.

For me it was a pretty good ride. To state the obvious, the weekend began on Friday with two pre-qualifying runs to sort out the cars and get back into a groove. On the day I was the only driver to dip under the 58 second barrier and I thought to myself “hey, we might be onto something here.”

Qualifying wasn’t quite as blistering but still a real nail biter, as Craig Baird, David Reynolds and I sat on the same lap time – 57.6 seconds – for much of the session. When we all pitted for new tyres, it was the XXX pairing who were able to slightly better their times, while I held onto third place.

The first of the three races was relatively straightforward with the only real action coming at the first corner where I hung myself on the outside of Reynolds for second place. The marbles and slippery stuff meant I had to retreat and be sensible, and the front two pulled a small gap which, once everything settled down, they held until the flag. A podium start – not bad.

Race two was also largely uneventful for me as I struggled somewhat with a small imbalance in the car setup. I lost out to my team mate Jody Vincent off the start line and he claimed the final podium spot while I took fourth, however my mind was firmly fixed on the grid for the final race, and by virtue of reversing the top six laptimes I lined up on the front row beside my former team mate Daniel Gaunt.

The 16 lap feature race would require a slight setup revision to accommodate for the extra length, and we made a few extra little tweaks anyway to try and tighten the jigger up and make it a bit more responsive.

We had to run single file through the first corner because of the permanent yellow flag hung out there after the NZV8 pile up, so once things settled down I realised how good the car was and began scoping out Daniel ahead of me for any weaknesses.

I seemed to have small advantages everywhere but with Bairdo closing in behind I had to be proactive, so after a good run I made a fairly drastic move around the outside into the hairpin, slotted into line and led the field out of the corner. Even I was surprised as to how instinctively and suddenly it happened, but my next issue was Mr. Baird in behind.

With five laps remaining I found myself in a similar situation to Timaru last year, but I was determined to focus ahead and run my own race. Not getting intimidated by Craig was the biggest obstacle, but even with a lot of pressure in the closing laps I crossed the line yelling with joy and really satisfied with what I’d just achieved.

It was my third Porsche win, but in reality it was my first – I’d beaten the Baird fair and square.

Second for the weekend capped off a great event and special mentions must go to International Motorsport, all my sponsors, Grant Smith, the Giltrap family and my own family for making round one a real cracker. Now we must do it all again.

This weekend I’ll be competing in a 24 Hour Hyper Stimulator Endurance Race at Big Boys Toys at the ASB Showgrounds in Ellerslie, Auckland. My training partner (and TRS racer) Alastair Wootten, Production Series Racer Gene Rollinson and I will make up the drivers team, while a TV3 media car and numerous punter’s cars will join us for the event. A whole day and night of Bathurst in an Audi R8 Le Mans Prototype. Should be a blast!

Also, the Part One video of the Superlap Taupo event, in which I piloted both EVO88U and the Cheapskates Toyota Supra, is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23z32MPsOCk.

Remember to visit the new jonolester.com!

Keep it on the black stuff,

Jono

Pre-season testing is underway

pre-season-testing-is-underway-19155Hi all,

It’s been a little while since I last blogged, and I’ve been busy continuing preparations for the new season, which is now less than a month away.

Speedshow went down without a hitch. Blackwoods Paykels really pulled out all the stops, with a mammoth 15-metre long exhibitors stand showcasing the best of JBS tools. The accompanying giveaways, competitions, merchandising and of course the 997 in its new livery, made it a real asset to the show as a whole.

I spent the majority of both Saturday and Sunday at the show, scooting between the Blackwoods Paykels exhibit and a number of appearances elsewhere within the complex, the first of which was a 4-car showdown at the Hyper Stimulator stand, smack bang in the middle of the Speedshow “simulator zone”.

Here, Paul Radisich (former WTCC champion), John McIntyre (two-time NZV8 champion), Daniel Gaunt (2006 NZGP winner) and myself each teamed up with a radio DJ and a radio listener in a three-driver, ten lap V8 Supercar race around Bathurst – driver changes and all. It was great fun, and my team, which happened to include a jovial Darcy Waldegrave, came away with the spoils, with Dan’s team a very close second. For his trouble, the lucky radio listener took home a $2,000 wheel and tyre package, so congratulations to him for that.

Other activities included facing off in gymkhanas along with the Mini 7 Club of New Zealand – John McIntyre and Angus Fogg included – and I was able to sneak off for a look around the show as well. There was some impressive machinery and innovative technology on display, and I look forward to being a part of it again next year.

Soon after the Speedshow weekend wrapped up it was into our two-day test at Taupo, where Daniel Gaunt, Matt Halliday, Darryn Henderson and myself looked to shake off the dust and get back into race mode for the upcoming season. For dad and I it gave us a great opportunity to experiment quite drastically with setup. Some things worked, some didn’t, and as each day concluded, Gaunt, Halliday and myself were separated by a hair’s breath. Throw the XXX squad and the remainder of International Motorsport into the mix, and it’s going to be a very competitive fight for victory come Pukekohe.

The package for the new season
I must extend a big thanks to Greg, Michelle and the team at Chicane Clothing, for whipping out my stunning new white suit in only 24-hours, meaning it was not only on display at Speedshow, but ready for the photo shoot in Taupo for the Blackwoods Paykels season poster, and other promotional material.

Last weekend was a lazy one for all I feel, and with good reason – Bathurst. It was great to see Murph, Jason and the Tasman Motorsport team tasting some of the success they deserve after a tough year, and those final few laps, post-safety car, were the definition of  “edge of your seat” sport.

Also, a couple of notable links for you to check out. Firstly, I have a YouTube channel which you can access at http://www.youtube.com/user/JonoLester51 , which has a whole lot of race footage from over the past couple of seasons, other television appearances and the like. I hope to have some Aussie stuff in there soon, however at this stage I’m yet to get my hands on much footage from across the ditch. Also, alongside my blogging at Driver Database I am uploading press releases and thoughts on WordPress at http://jonolester51.wordpress.com, for those of you who are aware of the sites. Enjoy!

Jono

Germs, Gym, SuperLap and Speedshow

germs-gym-superlap-and-speedshow-18261Hey there everyone,

I’ve found myself in a bit of a hole this week. Over the past couple of days an army of lumps, bruises, rashes and persistent nosebleeds have invaded my body without warning. What I initially put down to over-training was quickly clarified by my doctor as a virus – the name of which I can’t even pronounce – that had been hiding my spa pool! Now the family are following suit – my sisters are already looking like Dalmatians.

Thankfully this hasn’t impacted on my fitness training too much. The new season is drawing ever closer and I’m feeling more prepared than ever, both in the body and the mind. My trainer Kevin Sheehy, good friend and fellow racer Alastair Wootten, and myself have been hard at work developing experimental motorsport training techniques in the gym, and the results are already clear with my VO2 testing levels increasing significantly in the last four weeks alone.

My programme has now broadened to include spin classes, squash, swimming and boxing, and I’m absolutely loving it.

On the racing front, I’ve unfortunately had to withdraw from the remainder of the Australian Porsche Carrera Cup, with financial issues taking their toll. It’s an unfortunate circumstance to be put in, however by no means are we out for the count and meetings already underway with Blackwoods Australia have mapped out the positives for 2009 and beyond, so stay tuned.

The start of the New Zealand summer race season is only a couple of weeks away, and while the opening round in Taupo won’t feature the GT3s, I’ll still be getting valuable seat time in preparation for our opener at Pukekohe. A select number of the International Motorsport cars will be completing a two day test in Taupo early next week, including myself and my soon-to-be-announced co-driver for the Taupo A1GP.

More testing at Pukekohe will follow, and as these two circuits are chalk and cheese, it’ll be a great experiment for applying some of the tricks I’ve picked up in the past few months, both to the car and the driver.

I’ve also got my second crack at the Performance Car SuperLap in Taupo to look forward to. On November 1st I’ll once again be teaming up with Scott Kreyl in the red devil, EVO88U, to attempt a three-peat for the Mitsubishi Evo in New Zealand’s only track attack competition. The car has been upgraded significantly since my previous outing in May last year, and both EVO88U and I will feature on an exclusive television event preview in the coming weeks.

For now, it’s full steam ahead with the GT Radials Speedshow this weekend at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds. It will be the first Speedshow for both myself and Blackwoods Paykels, however looking at the line up it will be a feast for car nuts and motorsport enthusiasts alike. The car will be on display all weekend along with myself. I’ve also got a Hyper Stimulator race to look forward to, pitted against NZV8 champ Johnny McIntyre, former WTCC champ Paul Radisich, fellow GT3 driver Daniel Gaunt and a number of others around Bathurst on the Saturday afternoon.

Better get a few practice laps in…

Jono