Team Kiwi Racing

Team Kiwi Racing
Team Principal David John
Debut 2000
Final Season 2008
Round wins 0
Pole positions 1
{{{Last_season}}} position {{{Last_position}}}

Team Kiwi Racing is a racing team that is currently competing in the Australian Carrera Cup Series it previously competed in the Australian V8 Supercar series. The team has since returned at much reduced scale, in New Zealand running in domestic one-make series racing. In 2010 they made their V8 Supercar return, running Matthew Hamilton in a MW Motorsport prepared Falcon [1]Fujitsu Series.

Although the majority of races in the V8 Supercar series are run in Australia, Team Kiwi Racing was the only team to be headquartered in New Zealand. Their offices were in Hamilton while the team itself was based out of a variety of different workshops in Australia. For much of the second half of the teams V8 Supercar career they partly or wholly run by other teams from their workshops in Queensland or Victoria.

The ability of the team to operate became doubtful after bankruptcy proceedings took place against majority owner, David John in New Zealand,[2] Despite this the team attended the 2009 pre-season test at Queensland Raceway.[3] but John's bankruptcy was later annulled in November 2009[4] and he was reappointed to run the team again.[5]

In 2009, after the second round in Hamilton, New Zealand; the team's license was bought out by the driver, Dean Fiore and a new team established named Triple F Racing ending TKR's involvement in V8 Supercar.

History

Since their conception, TKR used Holden Commodores as their cars until the end of the 2006 season. TKR are currently a single car team.

TKR only had very limited results with their best result a Pole Position at the 2004 Winton event in very wet conditions. They also had only one podium in the 2005 Shanghai round, claiming 3rd.

During the 2006 Bathurst 1000 endurance race at Mount Panorama, driver Paul Radisich crashed at around 200 km/h head on into a tyre barrier, flipping the car on the roof. The roof had to be cut off to be able to get Radisich out and he was taken to hospital where he was in a serious but stable condition. The car was so badly damaged that it was written off and TKR was unable to race at the Indy 300 round at the Gold Coast. The team leased the chassis that was used by Paul Morris Motorsport earlier in the season as car #39.

Joining Ford

It was announced in August 2006 that Team Kiwi would join Ford to try and boost sales and compete with the popular Holden Commodores. TKR struck a deal with Ford Performance Racing and Prodrive Australia so that TKR could use Jason Bright's 2006 car and technical data. TKR was grouped with FPR due to their technical partnership, effectively reducing both team available testing days. Radisich was retained as lead driver although missed the season opening Clipsal 500 as his recovery from the Bathurst accident continued. For that round Adam Macrow substituted.

Ford Performance Racing terminated its contract to supply and service the TKR Falcon on 31 May 2007. Paul Radisich said he had terminated his contract with TKR following the team's fallout with Ford Performance Racing (FPR) that ran the car on behalf of TKR. "TKR is in breach of contract and I have therefore terminated my contract with immediate effect."[6]

After missing the Eastern Creek Raceway, Hidden Valley Raceway and Queensland Raceway rounds, TKR struck a deal with fellow Ford team, Stone Brothers Racing. New Zealand rookie Shane Van Gisbergen was retained to replace Radisich.

In the 2008 season despite announcing experienced Fujitsu series driver Kayne Scott, Scott only raced eight rounds and the team had rotated through a number of drivers with Chris Pither, Australian Steve Owen, Bahrain domestic series driver Fahad Al Musalam and Daniel Gaunt all racing the car at various points.

Re-joining Holden

With the team unable to find a Ford equipped technical partner for 2009 the team transitioned back to Holden in partnership with Paul Morris Motorsport. Bankruptcy proceedings involving Team Kiwi Racing team principal, David John[7][8] has left the team in limbo with the teams accountant Mike McDonald running the team and Paul Morris Motorsport running a Holden Commodore on their franchise with former Carrera Cup racer Dean Fiore driving.[9]

Closure

V8 Supercar Australia seized TKR's Racing Entitlement Contract after the Hamilton Round in order that it would be sold or leased.[10] The contract and licence was eventually sold to the Fiore family and recreated the team to Triple F Racing.[11]

Post V8 Supercar

Despite this the Team now races 2 Minis in the New Zealand Mini Championship for up and coming drivers Matt Hamilton and Ryan Bailey and are currently first and second in the championship. Team Kiwi Racing ran Hamilton in the 2010 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series in Australia, but only for the Adelaide round. From 2012 they run a Porsche Carrera in the Australian Porsche Carrera Cup with driver Andre Heimgartner.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.speedcafe.com.au/2010/03/05/team-kiwi-racing-returns-to-v8-supercars/
  2. ↑ Carpinter, Bernard (15 March 2009). "TKR in danger of taking flight to Aussie". The Sunday Star-Times. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  3. ↑ http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?11/03/2009.QR1.P4.Y
  4. ↑ http://online.gazette.govt.nz/MSOS118/On-Line/NZGazette.nsf/6cee7698a9bbc7cfcc256d510059ed0b/9cd5ecce3df56f46cc257683000030cc?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,david,paul,john
  5. ↑ http://www.business.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/1607986/directors
  6. ↑ "Radisich quits Team Kiwi". Television New Zealand. 5 June 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  7. ↑ Gardner & Matt Richens, Chris (3 March 2009). "Bankruptcy threatens Team Kiwi Racing". stuff.com.nz. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  8. ↑ Harris, Geoffrey (March 2009). "Gore and Team Kiwi 'skeletons'". carpoint.com.au. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  9. ↑ Rowley, Grant (17–23 March 2009). "Team Kiwi's new man". Motorsport eNews. p. 7. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  10. ↑ Carpinter, Bernard (15–21 April 2009). "Black Out for TKR". Auto Action. Sydney: ACP Magazines (1336): 3.
  11. ↑ http://www.v8supercars.com.au/content/hero_news/may_09/triple_f_racing_debuts_at_winton/

"TKR rewarded for hard work". Team Kiwi Racing. 2006-08-18. Retrieved 2006-10-09. 

"Team Kiwi car-less". TVNZ. 2006-10-09. Retrieved 2006-10-09. 

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