Local sends the ‘red rockets’ back to Pukekohe
13/4/2005 23:12 (Press Release) -
Holden Racing Team engine shop mechanic Royce McCort will take a special interest in the fate of his team’s two cars next weekend when they will race in the second round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series at Pukekohe, on New Zealand’s north island.
Royce was raised and educated in the small town about an hour south of Auckland, serving his mechanical apprenticeship at a workshop just a stone’s throw from the racetrack which has hosted a round of the V8 Supercars since 2001.
“I did my apprenticeship just down the road from the track and I’ve always been interested in making things go fast,” Royce said.
Royce works on cylinder head, inlet manifold and valvetrain development for the Holden Motorsport powerplants which will be used by HRT drivers Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly in the three-race stoush at Pukekohe Park Raceway this weekend.
The team’s in-house engine development program has been credited as a major factor behind an early-season resurgence from the Holden Racing Team. Team owner Skaife commented at both the Australian Grand Prix meeting and the season-opening Clipsal 500 that the two cars were up to 10km/h faster than at the same meetings the previous year.
“My role has been research and development on the new engine that was homologated a few years ago,” said Royce, who works under the guidance of fellow Kiwi, Christchurch-born engine shop manager Shane Hill.
“We had a lot of stuff we’ve developed over the off season and so have the guys in the chassis department, so it’s all come together and made a pretty good package going into Pukekohe.”
Todd Kelly, currently 3rd in the V8 Supercar Championship Series, took delivery of his new car only a week prior to the Grand Prix meeting and said his early impressions of the engine and chassis package delivered by the team was “the best I’ve ever seen”.
“The detail is just amazing, although it’s been hard to quantify the speed we’re getting out of it,” he said. “We know that my car was 8km/h quicker in a straight line at both the Grand Prix and at Clipsal. It’s difficult to quantify just how much better the cars are, because we haven’t really had a chance yet to race side-by-side against some of our major rivals.
“But it’s definitely a nicer car to drive and the boys have done a great job on the driveability and putting the power where it’s most usable.”
Royce said he would not be travelling to New Zealand with the team but was looking forward to sitting in front of the television to watch the “Red Rockets” take on the Pukekohe circuit where straight-line speed is critical.
“It’s a nice coincidence that we end up sending cars to race in my home town,” he said. “We used to prepare classic cars that would race down on the circuit which was a bit of fun, and for me it just kicked on from there.”
Release Date: 11/04/2005
Holden Racing Team
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