2002 New Zealand Grand Prix

December 2019 CUST 47th New Zealand Grand Prix New Zealand New Zealand Teretonga Circuit track map.svg 13 January, 2002 XLVII New Zealand Grand Prix Permanent racing facility Teretonga Park, Feilding, New Zealand 1.59 2.57 40 63.6 102.8 Fine Fabian Coulthard Van Diemen RF94 1:02.891 NZL Fabian Coulthard Van Diemen RF94 1:02.418 5 NZL Fabian Coulthard Van Diemen RF94 NZL Bryan Sellers Van Diemen RF93 USA A. J. Allmendinger Van Diemen RF93 USA 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 NZL Fabian Coulthard Stealth Van Diemen RF94 1:02.553 1:02.891 1 2 11 NZL Ken Smith Van Diemen Stealth 1:03.071 1:03.394 2 3 40 USA Bryan Sellers Van Diemen RF93 1:03.062 1:03.641 3 4 10 NZL Nelson Hartley Van Diemen RF94 1:03.090 1:03.675 4 5 5 NZL Simon Richards Van Diemen RF01 1:03.326 1:03.706 5 6 39 USA A. J. Allmendinger Van Diemen RF93 1:03.248 1:03.916 6 7 22 NZL Chris Pither Spectrum 08 1:03.114 1:03.950 7 8 14 NZL Nick Ross Van Diemen RF91 1:03.134 1:04.009 8 9 7 NZL Simon Gamble Van Diemen RF90 1:03.245 1:04.186 9 10 6 NZL Brady Kennett Van Diemen RF94 1:03.071 1:04.413 10 11 21 NZL Todd Stewart Van Diemen RF92 1:03.878 11 12 12 NZL Daniel Gaunt Van Diemen Stealth 1:04.295 12 13 57 NZL Scott McKelvie Van Diemen RF92 1:04.363 13 14 47 NZL David Payne Van Diemen Stealth 1:04.509 14 15 96 NZL Karl Wilson Van Diemen RF94 1:04.707 15 16 76 NZL Carl Wall Swift FB4 1:04.901 16 17 34 NZL Steve Donaldson Van Diemen RF90 1:05.147 17 18 4 NZL Andrew Higgins Van Diemen RF94 1:05.195 18 19 25 NZL Stan Redmond Van Diemen RF92 1:05.506 19 20 70 NZL Jayant Singh Van Diemen RF92 1:05.569 20 21 18 NZL Ian Bisman Van Diemen RF96 1:05.684 21 22 15 NZL Royce Bayer Swift SC92 1:06.065 22 23 72 MYS Mashlino Buang Van Diemen RF92 1:06.139 23 24 33 MYS Iskander Syed Van Diemen RF92 1:06.164 24 25 53 NZL Robert Toshach Swift FB89 1:06.179 25 26 30 NZL Ian Clements Lola 644G 1:06.315 26 27 86 NZL John Clegg Reynard 84FF 1:06.394 27 28 85 NZL Carmen Doran Ray 86F 1:06.478 28 29 77 NZL Steve Edwards Swift FB88 1:07.017 29 30 88 NZL Mathew Radisich Spectrum 08 1:07.213 30 31 43 NZL Barry Leitch Van Diemen 1:07.305 31 32 27 NZL Wayne Colville Van Diemen RF81 1:09.792 32 33 44 NZL Noel Atley Crossle 55F 1:10.548 33 34 71 NZL Robin Judkins Van Diemen RF89 1:10.565 34 35 36 NZL Fred Hawthorne Van Diemen RF86 1:11.054 35 36 83 MYS Fariqe Hairuman Van Diemen RF92 1:12.781 36 - 99 NZL Matthew Hamilton Van Diemen RF91 no time Source(s):http://www.motorsport.org.nz/Results/060102FFq1.htm Formula Ford Qualifying 7 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20020624104511/http://www.motorsport.org.nz/Results/060102FFq1.htm 24 June 2002 dead http://www.motorsport.org.nz/Results/060102FFtop10.htm Formula Ford - Top 10 Shoot Out 7 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20020225114025/http://www.motorsport.org.nz/Results/060102FFtop10.htm 25 February 2002 dead Race Pos No Driver Car Laps Time Grid 1 66 NZL Fabian Coulthard Stealth Van Diemen RF94 36 59min 07.569sec 1 2 40 USA Bryan Sellers Van Diemen RF93 36 + 3.714 s 3 3 39 USA A. J. Allmendinger Van Diemen RF93 36 + 8.834 s 6 4 11 NZL Ken Smith Stealth Van Diemen 36 + 11.252 s 2 5 5 NZL Simon Richards Van Diemen RF01 36 + 16.634 s 5 6 10 NZL Nelson Hartley Van Diemen RF94 36 + 17.328 s 4 7 14 NZL Nick Ross Van Diemen RF91 36 + 19.462 s 8 8 21 NZL Todd Stewart Stealth Van Diemen 36 + 21.338 s 11 9 12 NZL Daniel Gaunt Stealth Van Diemen 36 + 22.119 s 12 10 22 NZL Chris Pither Spectrum 08 36 + 22.231 s 7 11 6 NZL Brady Kennett Van Diemen RF94 36 + 22.879 s 10 12 96 NZL Karl Wilson Van Diemen RF94 36 + 22.903 s 15 13 47 NZL David Payne Stealth Van Diemen 36 + 42.852 s 14 14 57 NZL Scott McKelvie Van Diemen RF92 36 + 42.921 s 13 15 34 NZL Steven Donaldson Van Diemen RF90 36 + 53.748 s 17 16 76 NZL Carl Wall Swift FB87 36 + 53.934 s 16 17 15 NZL Royce Bayer Swift SC92F 35 + 1 lap 22 18 53 NZL Robert Toshach Swift FB89 35 + 1 lap 25 19 44 NZL Noel Atley Crossle 55F 35 + 1 lap 33 20 25 NZL Stan Redmond Van Diemen RF92 35 + 1 lap 19 21 18 NZL Ian Bisman Van Diemen RF96 35 + 1 lap 21 22 99 NZL Matthew Hamilton Van Diemen RF91 35 + 1 lap PL 23 85 NZL Carmen Doran Van Diemen RF96 34 + 2 laps 28 24 77 NZL Steve Edwards Swift FB88 34 + 2 laps 29 25 86 NZL John Clegg Reynard 84FF 34 + 2 laps 27 26 36 NZL Fred Hawthorne Van Diemen RF86 33 + 3 laps 35 27 30 NZL Ian Clements Lola 644G 30 + 6 laps 26 Ret 72 MYS Mashlino Buang Van Diemen RF92 30 Retired 23 Ret 88 NZL Mathew Radisich Spectrum 010 26 Retired 30 Ret 7 NZL Simon Gamble Van Diemen RF90 24 Accident 9 Ret 71 NZL Robin Judkins Van Diemen RF89 19 Retired 34 Ret 4 NZL Andrew Higgins Van Diemen RF94 17 Retired 18 Ret 43 NZL Barry Leitch Van Diemen 12 Retired 31 Ret 33 MYS Iskander Syed Van Diemen RF92 5 Retired 24 Ret 70 NZL Jayant Singh Van Diemen RF92 3 Retired 20 Ret 83 MYS Fariqe Hairuman Van Diemen RF92 2 Retired 36 DNS 9 NZL Jonny Reid Van Diemen RF94 Did Not Start DNS 17 NZL Gordon McIntyre Swift FB91 Did Not Start Source(s): https://www.driverdb.com/championships/standings/new-zealand-grand-prix/2002/ P&O Nedlloyd New Zealand Grand Prix 2002 standings driverdb.com 4 June 2022 https://talkmotorsport.co.nz/singleseater/look-back-in-history-sunday-fabian-coulthard-wins-the-2002-nz-grand-prix/ Look back in history Sunday: Fabian Coulthard wins the 2002 NZ Grand Prix 21 December 2019 talkmotorsport.com 4 June 2022http://www.motorsport.org.nz/Results/060102FFr2.htm P&O Nedlloyd New Zealand Grand Prix 7 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20020225114802/http://www.motorsport.org.nz/Results/060102FFr2.htm 25 February 2002 dead References New Zealand Grand Prix 2000 New Zealand Grand Prix 2002 2003 New Zealand Grand Prix expanded Category:New Zealand Grand Prix Grand Prix