Striving for success

Ray White Real Estate business owner Brendan Mason finished second in Class A and third overall...
Ray White Real Estate business owner Brendan Mason finished second in Class A and third overall in the Mobil 1 Mainland Muscle Car Championship in his ex-Wayne Anderson AV8 Motorsport Chev Monza.
Ray White Real Estate business owner Brendan Mason has just completed his most successful motor racing season in 30 years of competing.

Mason finished second in Class A and third overall in the Mobil 1 Mainland Muscle Car Championship driving his ex-Wayne Anderson AV8 Motorsport Chev Monza, missing the overall runner-up spot by just one point.

The season highlight was a round win at his home circuit, Teretonga Park in Invercargill, which included a race win in challenging weather.

The series consisted of five rounds with 20 races, 10 of them handicap contests requiring faster drivers such as Mason to come from the rear of the grid.

"We had 20 races and I finished them all. This is actually the first time in 30 years of competing I have done a full season. The car was ultra reliable, which is a tribute to Wayne Anderson and AV8 Motorsport.

"Getting to the finish of those handicap races is a challenge in itself. The car was an underdog, giving away 200-300hp to some of the competition. Car set up was the key and consequently I was able to drive it quickly. I did the whole season on second hand tyres due to a fire at the factory overseas, meaning no new ones were available."

The series was a growth class with 38 members and an average of 28 cars at each round. It was the 10-year anniversary of the class and part of its success is the social side with a barbecue at every meeting and everyone helping out, he said.

Mason dedicated his season to crew member Bruce Aitken, who has been undergoing cancer treatment. "Bruce was on the phone after every race, calling the shots!"

He also thanked his other crew members Brent Gaudion and Stephen Stock who filled in for Bruce plus his wife and the Ray White Real Estate team whose support enabled him to do all five rounds.

Mason began racing in 1994 with a Camaro in classic racing before a stint with a Mazda RX7 in OSCA Super Saloons. He raced another Camaro, known as "Big Red", between 2008 and 2016 including appearances in Australia, most notably at Bathurst in 2016 where he reached 284km/h on Conrod Straight.

He then drove the Camaro formerly owned by Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton before acquiring the Monza last year.

Mason looks forward to competing in the Mobil 1 Mainland Muscle Car category again next year.

 - By Lindsay Beer