2002 New Zealand Grand Prix

2002 New Zealand Grand Prix
47th New Zealand Grand Prix
Race details
Date	13 January 2002
Official name	XLVII New Zealand Grand Prix
Location	Teretonga Park, Feilding, New Zealand
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	2.57 km (1.59 miles)
Distance	40 laps, 102.8 km (63.6 miles)
Weather	Fine
Pole position
Driver	Fabian Coulthard	Van Diemen RF94
Time	1:02.891
Fastest lap
Driver	Fabian Coulthard	Van Diemen RF94
Time	1:02.418 on lap 5
Podium
First	Fabian Coulthard	Van Diemen RF94
Second	Bryan Sellers	Van Diemen RF93
Third	A. J. Allmendinger	Van Diemen RF93

The 2002 New Zealand Grand Prix (officially known as the 2002 P&O Nedlloyd New Zealand Grand Prix) was an open wheel racing car race held at Teretonga Park, near Invercargill on 13 January 2002. This event marked the first time the New Zealand Grand Prix was run using Formula Ford machinery. It also served as the fourth round of the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship and was held over two 18-lap segments.

The race was won by Fabian Coulthard in dominant fashion. The podium was completed by the two Team USA Scholarship drivers, Bryan Sellers and A. J. Allmendinger.

Race report

Coulthard was virtually untouchable in the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship that season, having won every race in the series up to that point. In Teretonga, he continued that form by qualifying fastest in provisional qualifying and then topping the timesheets in the top-ten shootout session; both by some margin. Veteran Ken Smith was the closest competitor followed by Team USA Scholarship driver, Sellers. The Team USA Scholarship drivers of Sellers and Allmendinger were flown in to New Zealand a few days beforehand as part of a program organised by Jeremy Shaw and run by Kiwi John Crawford.

Unlike previous iterations of the event, the cars used for the marquee event were not equipped with fuel tanks large enough to cover the full distance of the race. Thus, the race was split up into two 18-lap segments, with the cars refueled in between. Any other modifications made to the cars in this time were prohibited. The second part of the race was then started under safety car. Coulthard led the opening portion of the race from Sellers, Allmendinger, Nicolas Ross, Simon Gamble, Simon Richards and Smith.

In the second portion of the race, Allmendinger, Ross and Gamble came to blows at turn one which forced Ross to climb back up the order and threw Gamble out of the race. Brady Kennett, winner of the 1995 event, struggled with oil pressure and would eventually have to settle for eleventh place. One of the biggest movers of the field was Nelson Hartley, brother of Formula One driver Brendon, who had climbed from 29th on the grid to finish sixth. Of all the cars however, it was Coulthard who reigned supreme. Taking the chequered flag to win the Grand Prix nearly four seconds ahead of Sellers, completing the race in just under an hour. Allmendinger recovered from his conflict with Ross and Gamble to take a consolatory third.

Classification

Qualifying

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Q1	Q2	Grid
1	66	Fabian Coulthard	Stealth Van Diemen RF94	1:02.553	1:02.891	1
2	11	Ken Smith	Van Diemen Stealth	1:03.071	1:03.394	2
3	40	Bryan Sellers	Van Diemen RF93	1:03.062	1:03.641	3
4	10	Nelson Hartley	Van Diemen RF94	1:03.090	1:03.675	4
5	5	Simon Richards	Van Diemen RF01	1:03.326	1:03.706	5
6	39	A. J. Allmendinger	Van Diemen RF93	1:03.248	1:03.916	6
7	22	Chris Pither	Spectrum 08	1:03.114	1:03.950	7
8	14	Nick Ross	Van Diemen RF91	1:03.134	1:04.009	8
9	7	Simon Gamble	Van Diemen RF90	1:03.245	1:04.186	9
10	6	Brady Kennett	Van Diemen RF94	1:03.071	1:04.413	10
11	21	Todd Stewart	Van Diemen RF92	1:03.878		11
12	12	Daniel Gaunt	Van Diemen Stealth	1:04.295		12
13	57	Scott McKelvie	Van Diemen RF92	1:04.363		13
14	47	David Payne	Van Diemen Stealth	1:04.509		14
15	96	Karl Wilson	Van Diemen RF94	1:04.707		15
16	76	Carl Wall	Swift FB4	1:04.901		16
17	34	Steve Donaldson	Van Diemen RF90	1:05.147		17
18	4	Andrew Higgins	Van Diemen RF94	1:05.195		18
19	25	Stan Redmond	Van Diemen RF92	1:05.506		19
20	70	Jayant Singh	Van Diemen RF92	1:05.569		20
21	18	Ian Bisman	Van Diemen RF96	1:05.684		21
22	15	Royce Bayer	Swift SC92	1:06.065		22
23	72	Mashlino Buang	Van Diemen RF92	1:06.139		23
24	33	Iskander Syed	Van Diemen RF92	1:06.164		24
25	53	Robert Toshach	Swift FB89	1:06.179		25
26	30	Ian Clements	Lola 644G	1:06.315		26
27	86	John Clegg	Reynard 84FF	1:06.394		27
28	85	Carmen Doran	Ray 86F	1:06.478		28
29	77	Steve Edwards	Swift FB88	1:07.017		29
30	88	Mathew Radisich	Spectrum 08	1:07.213		30
31	43	Barry Leitch	Van Diemen	1:07.305		31
32	27	Wayne Colville	Van Diemen RF81	1:09.792		32
33	44	Noel Atley	Crossle 55F	1:10.548		33
34	71	Robin Judkins	Van Diemen RF89	1:10.565		34
35	36	Fred Hawthorne	Van Diemen RF86	1:11.054		35
36	83	Fariqe Hairuman	Van Diemen RF92	1:12.781		36
-	99	Matthew Hamilton	Van Diemen RF91	no time
Source(s): [1] [2]

Race

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time	Grid
1	66	Fabian Coulthard	Stealth Van Diemen RF94	36	59min 07.569sec	1
2	40	Bryan Sellers	Van Diemen RF93	36	+ 3.714 s	3
3	39	A. J. Allmendinger	Van Diemen RF93	36	+ 8.834 s	6
4	11	Ken Smith	Stealth Van Diemen	36	+ 11.252 s	2
5	5	Simon Richards	Van Diemen RF01	36	+ 16.634 s	5
6	10	Nelson Hartley	Van Diemen RF94	36	+ 17.328 s	4
7	14	Nick Ross	Van Diemen RF91	36	+ 19.462 s	8
8	21	Todd Stewart	Stealth Van Diemen	36	+ 21.338 s	11
9	12	Daniel Gaunt	Stealth Van Diemen	36	+ 22.119 s	12
10	22	Chris Pither	Spectrum 08	36	+ 22.231 s	7
11	6	Brady Kennett	Van Diemen RF94	36	+ 22.879 s	10
12	96	Karl Wilson	Van Diemen RF94	36	+ 22.903 s	15
13	47	David Payne	Stealth Van Diemen	36	+ 42.852 s	14
14	57	Scott McKelvie	Van Diemen RF92	36	+ 42.921 s	13
15	34	Steven Donaldson	Van Diemen RF90	36	+ 53.748 s	17
16	76	Carl Wall	Swift FB87	36	+ 53.934 s	16
17	15	Royce Bayer	Swift SC92F	35	+ 1 lap	22
18	53	Robert Toshach	Swift FB89	35	+ 1 lap	25
19	44	Noel Atley	Crossle 55F	35	+ 1 lap	33
20	25	Stan Redmond	Van Diemen RF92	35	+ 1 lap	19
21	18	Ian Bisman	Van Diemen RF96	35	+ 1 lap	21
22	99	Matthew Hamilton	Van Diemen RF91	35	+ 1 lap	PL
23	85	Carmen Doran	Van Diemen RF96	34	+ 2 laps	28
24	77	Steve Edwards	Swift FB88	34	+ 2 laps	29
25	86	John Clegg	Reynard 84FF	34	+ 2 laps	27
26	36	Fred Hawthorne	Van Diemen RF86	33	+ 3 laps	35
27	30	Ian Clements	Lola 644G	30	+ 6 laps	26
Ret	72	Mashlino Buang	Van Diemen RF92	30	Retired	23
Ret	88	Mathew Radisich	Spectrum 010	26	Retired	30
Ret	7	Simon Gamble	Van Diemen RF90	24	Accident	9
Ret	71	Robin Judkins	Van Diemen RF89	19	Retired	34
Ret	4	Andrew Higgins	Van Diemen RF94	17	Retired	18
Ret	43	Barry Leitch	Van Diemen	12	Retired	31
Ret	33	Iskander Syed	Van Diemen RF92	5	Retired	24
Ret	70	Jayant Singh	Van Diemen RF92	3	Retired	20
Ret	83	Fariqe Hairuman	Van Diemen RF92	2	Retired	36
DNS	9	Jonny Reid	Van Diemen RF94		Did Not Start
DNS	17	Gordon McIntyre	Swift FB91		Did Not Start
Source(s): [3] [4] [5]

References

1. "Formula Ford Qualifying". Archived from the original on 24 June 2002. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
2. "Formula Ford - Top 10 Shoot Out". Archived from the original on 25 February 2002. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
3. "P&O Nedlloyd New Zealand Grand Prix 2002 standings". driverdb.com. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
4. "Look back in history Sunday: Fabian Coulthard wins the 2002 NZ Grand Prix". talkmotorsport.com. 21 December 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
5. "P&O Nedlloyd New Zealand Grand Prix". Archived from the original on 25 February 2002. Retrieved 7 June 2022.

Preceded by 2000 New Zealand Grand Prix	New Zealand Grand Prix 2002	Succeeded by 2003 New Zealand Grand Prix