
After a 10-year absence from Levels Raceway Timaru, history was made in just 10 laps during race one of the UDC V8 Utes.
A lap record was set by Blair Gribble-Bowring, eclipsing the previous record set by former UDC V8 Utes champion Chris Pither.
Billed as ‘‘Trust Aoraki Thunder Down Under’’, the V8 Utes action began with a heated qualifying session late morning.
After setting the high water mark during Friday’s practice sessions, Brad Kroef managed to snatch pole with a 1min 15.947sec fastest lap — a mere nine thousandths of a second ahead of Glen Collinson.
Race one was held mid Saturday afternoon and was anything but a foregone conclusion.

After starting second, Collinson soon got around Kroef to claim the lead on lap one.
Kroef was not giving up without a fight, clinging on to the Betta Auto Parts ute’s rear bumper the entire race, before finishing just 0.612sec behind.
Just behind this duel, history was being made.
Gribble-Bowring, who’d overtaken Daniel Ludlam on the first lap to claim third, set a Levels Raceway Timaru lap record for a V8 Ute with a 1.13.103.
Race two on Sunday morning was a reverse-grid format and Collinson’s win the day before meant he started last.
He managed to overtake the entire field before eventually slotting into first late in the race, resetting the lap record along the way.
Race three on Sunday afternoon began under menacing grey skies on a damp track and within a few laps the rain came down — lots of it.

Collinson started the race up front, with Gribble-Bowring alongside.
It did not take him long to get away from the field, gaining a second or two a lap in another emphatic driving display.
Gribble-Bowring was the first casualty of the wet track, sliding off the track mid-race into the kitty litter, prompting a safety car.
After a weekend of recordbreaking performances and warm southern hospitality, Glen Collinson wrapped up the weekend winning three races, winning the round, a lap record and further extended his lead in the UDC V8 Utes series. — APL