Corkery looking for a repeat of last years Darwin form

It was at the Darwin round of the 2007 Yokohama Australian V8 Ute Racing Series that New Zealand driver Colin Corkery (Supercharge Batteries WPR Ford Falcon XR8) marked himself out as a man to watch.

And it is at this weekend's fourth 2008 series round back at Darwin's Hidden Valley circuit that the 23-year-old Kiwi is looking for a repeat - or better - of that 2007 weekend.

Three top ten finishes including two in the top five and an eighth from grid 12 in the reverse grid second race certainly made the top Australian drivers sit up and take notice at the Darwin round last year and this year Corkery is recognised as one of the leading contenders in the popular Ford vs Holden category.

"Last year was good," the young North Shore, Auckland, driver said as he prepared for the long (over 10 hours) haul to Darwin. "By that stage I was getting the hang of the car and things started to click."

Unfortunately, at the most recent round of the 2008 series at Barbagallo Raceway in Perth, an intermittent engine management system problem meant Corkery was not able to turn his 'quickest Ford' pace in practice into podium placings in the three races. While he was satisfied with sixth quickest time in qualifying and a seventh place in the first race then ninth in the reverse grid second one, he was literally left powerless in the third and final race when his Falcon's engine management system suddenly switched to 'limp home' mode.

"I got off the line and through the first couple of corners then it just died," he said. "It's happened a couple of times before so I knew what it was and what to do, but it was still pretty much the end of the race for me."

Corkery had gone into the round in second place in the points standings but slipped to fifth as a result of missing what looked like another sure top 10 place in the final race.

"It's certainly not what we were looking for from Perth but the team's gone right through the car since then and I flew over a did a day's solid testing at Oran Park last week it was good so there's no reason it won't be the same in Darwin."

And Corkery won't be lacking for race fitness like most of the Australian drivers who haven't competed since Perth in early May. The young Kiwi shared the GT Radials' Ford Falcon V8 with NZV8s driver Dean Perkins in the three North Island Endurance Series races in May and June and on Tuesday completed a mammoth day at Pukekohe Park Raceway chauffeuring GT Radials guests round the track at a company client day.

This weekend he will be on track in Darwin on Friday for practice, an Saturday for qualifying and the first race and again on Sunday for the second and third races.

Colin Corkery's 2008 Yokohama V8 Ute Racing Series is being run with the support of Supercharge Batteries, GT Radials, Exedy Racing Clutch and Endless brake pads, and WPR sponsors, selectv and Mongrel Boots

To find out more about Colin and his motor racing career to date you can now go to his new website www.colincorkery.co.nz