Tim’s motorsport started with rallying in the late 1960s, both as a driver, co-driver and organiser. After competing in the NZ Targa in a BMW CSL and then a Ferrari 355 Challenge, Tim decided to go circuit racing and in particular compete in endurance events. The replacement to the Ferrari 355 Challenge was the 430 Challenge which in turn was replaced in 2012 with the new and current Ferrari 458 Challenge. We compete annually in the North and South Island rounds of the NZ Endurance Series from May through to October, as well as the annual Highlands 101 meeting. This October Tim hopes to be at the inaugural Hampton Downs 101 meeting. Tim and his team are looking forward to another great event and going faster again at the 2017 Leadfoot Festival.

Tim O'Connor - 2014 Caterham – Lola SP/300.R

Tim’s motorsport started with rallying in the late 1960s, both as a driver, co-driver and organiser. After competing in the NZ Targa in a BMW CSL and then a Ferrari 355 Challenge, Tim decided to go circuit racing and in particular compete in endurance events. The replacement to the Ferrari 355 Challenge was the 430 Challenge which in turn was replaced in 2012 with the new and current Ferrari 458 Challenge. We compete annually in the North and South Island rounds of the NZ Endurance Series from May through to October, as well as the annual Highlands 101 meeting. This October Tim hopes to be at the inaugural Hampton Downs 101 meeting. Tim and his team are looking forward to another great event and going faster again at the 2017 Leadfoot Festival.

2014 Caterham – Lola SP/300.R:

The SP/300.R has a lot of Lola in it, the chassis is based on the aluminium monocoque chassis found in the firms B08/90 Sports 2000 and track day design. Much work has been put into the aerodynamic development taking styling cues from the Lola Le Mans Prototype range, complete with double roll hoops and the distinctive exhaust exits. Power comes from a two litre Ford Duratec built in house by Caterham and fitted with a Rotrex Supercharger. The engine produces 300bhp and drives the rear wheels through Lola’s Formula 3 gearbox, complete with Hewland internals. This means that the rear end of the SP/300.R is almost identical to that which can be found on the Lola B05/30 F3 chassis with the suspension pickups, uprights and damper layout all being shared. However a hint at what may be to come lies in the fact that the Duratec engine has a 30bhp push to pass function which increases the revs slightly for a short period. It’s something Caterham had engineered in as they intend on the car forming the basis of a new one make series in 2012. Another spokesperson for the development team added “we wanted this to form the top rung of our development ladder, and we felt we were losing long term customers there.” It is a thinly veiled reference to Radical which specialises in products in this performance bracket and price range, and it seems inevitable that at some point the new Caterham and Radical will go head to head on track.