Young gun Allen salutes in NZ for first Supercars win
Oliver Caffrey |
Young gun Kai Allen has broken through for his maiden Supercars win, holding off championship leader Brodie Kostecki in the historic first race in Christchurch.
The 20-year-old Ford ace, who had previously finished on podium five times, saluted on Friday in the first of four bumper races this weekend on the South Island of New Zealand.
Kostecki was on his tail for the large part of the race, but Allen held his nerve to finish ahead of Kostecki and emerging Kiwi Ryan Wood (third) to become the 89th different driver to win a Supercars race.
After qualifying fourth, the Grove Racing driver made his move with 15 laps remaining when Kostecki was in the pits.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I can remember, when I was a little boy watching it on TV,” said Allen, who hails from Mount Gambier in South Australia.
“To stand here with the number one in front of my car … giving me a shot at such young age last year.
“It was coming, and I just had to be patient.
“I’ve got the best team around me, the best guys, so that’s why I’m here for a long time.
“I’ve done a lot of study on this track, and it goes to show if you can put the car in the right spot, it’s very hard for the guy behind to pass.”
The debut Supercars round at Ruapuna Raceway had an extra race added to it, after last Sunday’s schedule in Taupo was cancelled due to a cyclone on the country’s North Island.
It was a dramatic start to life on the new circuit, with David Reynolds – in his 500th race – along with Brad Jones Racing drivers Cameron Hill and Macauley Jones involved in a chaotic incident.
Jones and Reynolds collided before turn one, with Hill hit by the spinning cars.
The drivers weren’t able to recover and made up the last three spots in the race.
There will be another two 37-lap races in Christchurch on Saturday, before the 200km event wraps up the round on Sunday.
Kostecki has a 55-point buffer in the standings over Red Bull Ampol star Broc Feeney.
AAP