There was a fairytale finish to the final New Zealand F5000 Tasman Cup Revival series race at the inaugural Festival of New Zealand Motor Racing at the Hampton Downs circuit today.
Evergreen New Zealand veteran Ken Smith, 68, made it four wins from four starts in his Lola T430, beating a host of more fancied rivals in the process at the sparkling new circuit south of Auckland.
Though 2007/08 series winner Chris Hyde pipped him for pole position in qualifying, defending series champion Smith quickly emerged as the man to beat.
Smith won the first from 2009/10 series points leader Steve Ross and former series champion Ian Clements, the second from Mark Dwyer and Chris Hyde, the third from Dwyer and Monaco-based British compatriot Peter Dunn and the final from Dunn and Aaron Burson.
With a capacity field of restored and race prepared V8-engined 70s-era cars contesting the third round of the series the Formula 5000s provided one of the highlights of the meeting which drew a 10,000-strong crowd.
