Pacific Blue Regional Sales Manager, Bruce Moffat, said the ITM400 V8 Supercars in Hamilton had quickly become a major event on the New Zealand sporting calendar. “The race is very well supported by locals and visitors and we’re delighted to have teamed up with the organisers this year to assist with crew travel and promote the event further afield in New Zealand.”

As part of the agreement Pacific Blue Guests who fly into Hamilton or Auckland between Monday 13 April and Sunday 18 April will be able to present their valid boarding pass and matching photo id at a special Pacific Blue “check-in desk” at the main entrance to the event and receive a three-day pass valued at $79.

“Anyone who flies with Pacific Blue on these days into Hamilton from Australia, or into Auckland from Queenstown, Dunedin, Christchurch or Wellington or our many Australian and Pacific destinations, will be eligible for the free three-day pass,” Mr Moffat said.

ITM400 Hamilton spokesman, Dean Calvert, said it is an exciting development to be able to fly the drivers, teams and officials on the new international services direct to Hamilton from Australia. “Having a low fare airline flying directly into Hamilton is proving very useful. One of the challenges has always been to co-ordinate the travel needs of 15 independent racing teams, officials and media. We have been doing this for 10 years now and Pacific Blue have been absolutely exceptional in this respect – the best we have dealt with.

Hamilton Mayor Bob Simcock said it is great to see two big names associated with the city working together to provide visitors with such a unique offer. “Since hosting the first V8 supercar street race in Hamilton in 2008, each year the event keeps getting better and better. This year’s Pacific Blue/V8 Supercars offer adds another element to the street race and gives even the most unlikely of motorsport fans the opportunity to experience the excitement and adrenalin of this major event for themselves.”

The ITM400 is the fourth round of the V8 Supercar Championship and is the largest annual sporting events in New Zealand having attracted 300,000 fans in the first two years, with around a third of them visitors.

No-one could stop the two-time defending champion Jamie Whincup who skipped away to his fourth straight win of the new season in the Team Vodafone Holden, finishing clear of Mark Winterbottom (Ford Performance) and Van Gisbergen, who again set the fastest lap of the day, with a new record and the only driver under the 2m07sec barrier.

It moves the young Auckland driver to third on the championship standings behind Whincup and Winterbottom as the troupe heads back to Australia for the next round in Adelaide before heading across the Tasman for the ITM400 in Hamilton on 16-18 April.

“That’s the one I am aiming at. I want to do really well their more than any track. We’ve got a fast car and a great team, and I can’t think of anything better than to win in front of my friends, family and sponsors in Hamilton,” Van Gisbergen said.

“We changed the car for today and the tyres held on a lot longer. We are working pretty hard. We knew we were strong but not this strong. It’s a good thing.”

Fellow New Zealander Jason Richards pushed into the top 10 for the first time finishing eighth in he Team BOC Holden after qualifying sixth fastest.

“We obviously improved the car massively overnight which was a great job by the engineering group,” Richards said. “We had a big rethink on what we were doing and now we’re competitive in that top 5-10 group. Our aim is to finish here for the rest of the year, we learnt a lot this week, it’s a low grip surface and we’ve always struggled here. I thought it was a great comeback and now we hope we can be competitive on the other low grip tracks.”

Of the other New Zealanders Steven Richards (FPR) was 15th, Greg Murphy (Castrol racing Holden) 22nd, Daniel Gaunt (Gulf Western Holden) 23rd but Fabian Coulthard (Bundaberg Red Holden) did not finish.

Van Gisbergen remains the only New Zealander currently in the top 10 on the standings after four races in third behind Whincup and Winterbottom, with Jason Richards up to 14th, Steven Richards 20th, Coulthard 25th and Murphy 28th after missing the opening two races.

Whincup eclipsed the great Allan Moffatt’s 36 touring car championship wins along the way with his 37th victory. He won all four races to start last year and now moves back for the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide and ITM400 in Hamilton after that.

It wasn’t smooth sailing for Whincup who missed the start and fought back from fifth including the pass for the lead over Winterbottom, although the Ford driver fought back later in the race in a nose to tail battle over the concluding laps.

“That certainly wasn’t my perfect performance,” Whincup said. “It’s just a massive, massive effort from our team and one we are immensely proud of but my race wasn’t the best today.”

New Zealand’s Greg Murphy took no time to get to grips with his first drive in the Castrol Holden colours, after missing the first round with duties as a guest on the Top Gear Live Show in New Zealand to be 10th fastest.

Toll Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander and Will Davison had the benefit of the extra running time following their disastrous season opener in Abu Dhabi last weekend under the rules which give the bottom half of the field two more practice sessions.

Jack Daniel’s Racing’s Todd Kelly, who also had a terrible Abu Dhabi weekend, did see some benefits for a third today ahead of Van Gisbergen fourth and fellow kiwi Ford Performance Racing’s Steven Richards fifth.

But Tander (sixth) and Davison (12th) were still more than a second off the pace compared to Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes who set the fastest two times late in the day on the tyre-tough Bahrain track.

Both Lowndes and Whincup used new tyres at the end on the circuit that was part unfamiliar to the teams with the extension to include the full Grand Prix track that Formula One used last year.

“Most people walked the track yesterday and had a good idea of what it would be like,” Lowndes said. “Jamie and I had a good run last time we were here and we got to know that new section of the track pretty quickly. “The car wasn’t perfect. We made a lot of adjustments during the first set of tyres. It was a bit of an unknown setup until the end but a green tyre around here is very rewarding if you get the lines right.” Kelly said the small reward of extra practice time would easily be swapped for a better start to the Championship.

“He (Whincup) is not last so that’s not fair either,” Kelly said. “We are looking at this weekend as a clean slate and the first round of the Championship.”

Tander was at the top of the sheets late in practice and spent the last few minutes watching from the garage. In the end his time was not enough but practice is practice and it is likely they will fire back tomorrow in qualifying and for the first race.

Richards’ team-mate Mark Winterbottom (16th) was also struggling in the Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon, as was Jim Beam Racing’s James Courtney (14th).

The SP Tools Racing driver, the youngest fulltime driver in the series, set the fastest of the race and set the new lap record in a brilliant performance.

“Later in last year, I was a lot more consistent and made less mistakes, and I feel I’m maturing a lot more like that, being more consistent and racing a lot cleaner,” Van Gisbergen said.

“It’s working alright, and now it’s showing. I feel like I’m driving pretty good, and the team’s doing a good job. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing, and results like this will keep coming.”

Van Gisbergen, picked up as a teenager by New Zealand’s Stone Brothers Racing, is buoyant about the rest of the season and his focus is on success at the ITM400 in Hamilton on April 16-18.

“I’m so excited to have finally got on the podium. This result has been a long time coming for me.

“I want to thank Ross and Jimmy for giving me this opportunity, it’s been three years with SBR and I feel like I have finally rewarded the guys for all their hard work. I would have loved my dad to have been here but let’s hope I can do this in Hamilton as well.

“The car felt strong all day, I feel like we were better in qualifying and managed to stay out of trouble in the race which was the plan. I was telling myself to keep it together on the last few laps but when I crossed the line it just felt great to have finally finished on the podium."

Pacesetter Whincup signalled his intent of claiming a record third straight V8 Supercar Championship by winning race two of the season-opening event to complete the weekend double.

Whincup returned to Holden after four years of driving for Ford with his slick Team Vodafone outfit this season, but didn’t miss a beat in Abu Dhabi with a four-second victory over Ford Performance Racing’s Winterbottom, making it a perfect two wins from two starts to open the year.

“The car was bullet-proof, and we were sort of in control from the start,” Whincup said. “I am almost in shock from what has panned out this weekend. Having a brand-new car, a brand-new circuit and to almost have a perfect weekend, well that’s good enough. It is just an amazing feeling.”

Van Gisbergen was the only New Zealander in the top-10 in the second race with Fabian Coulthard 16th, Steven Richards 16th and Jason Richards 21st.

Whincup’s back-to-back gives him 300 championship points into next weekend’s second round of the Series at the Gulf Air Desert 400 in Bahrain, while Winterbottom (267 points) is second. Van Gisbergen is fourth with Jason Richards 15th, Coulthard 16th and Steven Richards 17th.

The SP Tools sponsored driver said he enjoyed the experience of his first outing at the circuit.

“This track has a bit of everything, the first part of the circuit is quite open and has the corkscrew in there which really suited our car because we were the quickest in the first sector.

“At the end of the final session it cooled down so quickly when the sun went down, for one run there I had the sun in my eyes and then the next lap we were under lights.

“It’s awesome to have my name on the top of the timesheets on our first day in Abu Dhabi, the SP Tools Racing Falcon feels strong and I can’t wait for tomorrow’s race!”

“It was really cool and a fantastic experience. Pink was a lot of fun especially given she had more than a 12-hour production that day,” Coulthard said.

“It was great to get that sort of experience with someone as high profile as Pink.

“They started at 8am and I was not needed until about 6pm. She was getting tired but still had time to have some fun with us.

“It’s great for our category to attract someone like Pink. She’s an icon.”

Coulthard was paired with James Courtney for their part in the advertisement, with the Australian managing to pull a practical joke on the kiwi.

“We had our own caravan and James had pulled out all the red M&Ms that were in a dish there. He told me that he had requested it – and it was what happened with stars. And I fell for it.” Coulthard said the high profile launch at Fox Studios in Sydney was a great way to start the season. He is excited about his new drive with Walkinshaw Racing after his first test in the Holden recently.

“I’m excited about it. We are part of a fantastic four-car team.”

Coulthard has set lofty goals this year. “I want to win races this year. My goal is to finish in the top-10 in the championship and at least win one race. That’s a feasible option.

“And I couldn’t think of a better place to win than in Hamilton. That would be incredible.

“Going forward I want to be a genuine contender and hopefully win a championship.” A championship and a day with a rock icon. Life’s in the Pink for Fabian Coulthard.

“Times aren’t that important; today’s more about familiarising myself with the car and team, but right from the very beginning I’ve felt extremely comfortable,” Murphy said.

“I’m settling in well and the car feels good, I’m pleased with our performance – it’s been a very good start.”

At the lunchtime break, reigning V8 Supercar Champion Jamie Whincup had set the quickest time in his brand new TeamVodafone Holden Commodore, just edging Ingall and team-mate Craig Lowndes – James Courtney the first Ford driver fourth quickest.

Ingall was driving his brand new Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore, the first of three being built by the Paul Morris Motorsports team as part of its technical alliance with Championship winners, Triple Eight Race Engineering.

Murphy will receive a brand new Castrol EDGE Commodore in time for the third round of the series – the first Australian round – the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide in late March. Murphy will make his first race appearance in the Castrol EDGE Commodore in the second round of the series, the Desert 400 in Bahrain, in two weeks time, missing the opening round in Abu Dhabi due to a prior contractual arrangement with Top Gear Live in New Zealand.

“When I signed for Top Gear Live no one envisaged starting the V8 Supercar season as early as we are – in the Middle East in the middle of February,” Murphy said.

“Castrol and [team owner] Paul Morris were aware of the commitment from the very beginning, they have been tremendous and totally understanding.

“We’ll fall a little behind in the points missing the first round, but it is a very long season and I will be back in the car for Bahrain – I’m confident we can make a good challenge from there on.”

Russell Ingall was the third fastest driver at the Queensland Raceway test after unveiled his new-look Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore, ahead of Jonathon Webb (Dick Johnson Racing) and Dean Fiore (Triple F Racing).

But while Van Gisbergen was the man to beat today, he suggests it means little when he gets to the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series season-opener at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit on February 18-20.

“This afternoon we got the car really good on a better set of tyres,” said Van Gisbergen.

“We were mid-pack and we put on the new set of tyres, like most other people did, and we were straight to the top.

“But you don’t get any trophies for a test day; we’re just hanging out for Abu Dhabi and getting ready for that.

“We’re all hanging out to get over there and hopefully we’re up there again.”

Meanwhile, Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup debuted TeamVodafone’s two new Holden Commodore VEs, finishing the test 10th and 11th fastest, respectively.

While TeamVodafone didn’t set the pace at the test day, Whincup believes the change to Holden from Ford is a great motivation for his 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series title defence.

“I’m feeling good and it’s a whole new motivation trying to get the Holden up to speed,” said Whincup.

“The challenge in making the car competitive is one that’s keeping us going at the moment; it’s one that’s going to make us strong. If we were here doing the same thing as last year, there wouldn’t be anywhere near the morale within the team.

“It’s a new challenge, it’s exciting. We’re not at the end of the road yet, we’ve got a lot of work to do, but fingers crossed we’re on track.”

Whincup said he was very excited about the switch.

“Like Craig [Lowndes], I started my career with Holden and although I haven’t won a race with the lion yet, I have set my goals high," Whincup said at the new car’s unveiling.

While the team won’t test publicly until next week, there’s strong rumour that the team is delighted with the development of the Holden.

That is also good news for New Zealand V8 Supercar driver Greg Murphy, who will drive a sister-car for his new Paul Morris Racing team. Triple Eight will produce the PMM machines in an agreement between the two Queensland teams.

Veteran Lowndes is delighted with his switch back to Holden. “Knowing I have always had my best results in a Holden definitely gives me some added confidence.”

The season begins in two weeks at the new event at Abu Dhabi on 18-20 February, followed by Bahrain the following weekend.

The third round is at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide on 26-28 March before crossing the Tasman for races seven and eight in the series at the ITM 400 on 16-18 April.

Kiwi superstar Murphy will be on hand for the ITM400 Road Shows in Christchurch and Invercargill. The first will be at Hamptons ITM in Ferry Road, Christchurch on Friday 15 January from 4pm to 6pm followed by EH Ball ITM Building Centre in Eye St, Invercargill on Saturday 16 January from 11am to 1pm.

The next round of the ITM400 Road Shows will take place in the Bay of Plenty with Coulthard to meet and greet fans at Taupo ITM on Friday 22 January from 4pm to 6pm, Rotoma ITM on Lake Rd in Rotorua on Saturday from 11am to 1pm and Oregon ITM at Mt Maunganui on Sunday from 10.30am to 12.30pm.

The road show will feature an authentic V8 Supercar for fans get the feel that the driver experiences. There’s a driving simulator – and fans can see if they can beat the times set by Murph and Fabian. There are also displays, video footage, merchandise, tickets for the event, prizes and competitions, the magnificent Mark Porter Trophy for the winner of the ITM 400 as well as a poster signing session with either Greg or Fabian. The two drivers are super keen as they both approach very exciting times for the 2010 V8 Supercar season. Murphy, a four time winner of the New Zealand round of the series, moves to Paul Morris Motorsport to drive a brand new Holden which will be prepared by current V8 Supercar champions, Team Vodafone.

And Coulthard has moved to Melbourne where he has landed the key drive for Team Walkinshaw, moving to Holden in one of the identically prepared new machines that Walkinshaw prepares at Clayton for Holden Racing Team and Team Bundaberg.

The ITM400 organisers said that they want to take the message about the event around the country.

“It was always our intention to head around the country, explain the event and share in some of the excitement that is V8 Supercars,” said ITM 400 promoter Dean Calvert.

“Our first two years have been to focus on getting the fundamentals of the event right. We will continue to look to improve the event every year, but now it’s time to go out to the fans around the country.

“We get fantastic support not only from the Waikato and Auckland areas. But our research shows us we get great support from places like the Bay of Plenty and and the South Island including a number of fans from Invercargill.

“V8 Supercars is a fantastic product and the drivers are incredible athletes and great people. We want to share that with motor race supporters and sports fans around the country.”