Release 3/11/08

Timaru driver John Hepburn returns to the track this weekend when the second round of the BNT V8s Championship takes place at Pukekohe Park Raceway, south of Auckland.

Hepburn will be hoping for better luck from this outing, after an opening round that promised so much five weeks ago ended in disappointment. An impressive fifteenth place in the opening race of the championship looked set to launch the former motorcycling and truck racing champion's campaign off to a great start. However while again running strongly in the second race of the round an engine failure ended his weekend on the spot.

A new engine has since been installed in the John Hepburn Racing Commodore and it has produced good dyno readings. New sway bars have also been fitted to the car and Hepburn is optimistic as he prepares for the second round of the series at the South Auckland circuit.

While he made a notable start to the series at Taupo prior to the engine problem, Hepburn is still actively seeking a major naming rights sponsor for the Commodore. Despite

fantastic support from the South Canterbury region in the form of Auto Align, Timaru Signs & Graphix, Blastcraft, Petrie Mayman Clark, Robinsons Auto Dismantlers, Drummond & Etheridge, Timaru Metal Recyclers, Ashley Electronics, Paul Smith Earthmoving and Crash Repairs, a naming rights sponsor is still to be secured for the team in what is New Zealand's premier motor racing championship. This is Timaru driver's first season with his own team and the fact that he was running in the top fifteen at Taupo shows plenty of potential for more good results, and therefore excellent exposure for sponsors throughout the championship.