Andrew 'DJ48' Waite of Auckland won his second consecutive round of the UDC V8 Ute Championship when Round 2 took place at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway at Ruapuna in Christchurch this weekend.

Waite got stronger as the round progressed. On Saturday he qualified second fastest and then started the first race from eighth on the grid before slicing his way through the traffic to place third

behind Chris 'Hammer Time' Hanley and Geoff 'SOS' Spencer. The following day he added two wins - the first coming from sixth on the grid, the Hydraulink/Valvoline Falcon taking only three laps to make the lead, while the second was a comfortable win from pole position.

He was joined on the podium by two fellow Aucklanders - second placed Mike 'Buzz' Lightfoot and Chris 'Hammer Time' Hanley. Lightfoot, in the BSL Buckley Systems Falcon, was in good form all weekend and Sunday saw him finish second in both races behind Waite. Hanley had a mixed bag. He won the opening race easily and came through from the back of the grid in the second to finish sixth. The finale was a disaster. His PB Technologies Holden lost out badly in the first corner exchanges. He then settled into a huge battle with fellow Holden drivers Dave 'The Boss' Stewart and Peter 'Kaos' Ward until he was spun around in spectacular fashion late in the race. He recovered to cruise to the finish, collecting enough points for third overall and also picking up the Xtreme Race Clutches 'Xtreme Moment Award' for the incident. His prize, a radio controlled Holden Ute!

Waite extended his championship lead heading into the Christmas break. "We didn't quite have the speed early in the weekend but we chipped away and the results came. "Those Stoneman boys know exactly what they are doing," he said referring to his crew. Lightfoot was ecstatic. "I love Ruapuna." He paid credit to Jake Stoneman who had input into his effort as well as that of Waite. "It all came together! Car speed, set-up and my driving". Hanley, while third, was disappointed after being turned around in the finale.

Hugh 'Ace' Gardiner of Blenheim, having a one-off drive in the Protecta Insurance Falcon, made quite a statement early in the weekend. He was fastest in testing and qualifying but the racing in the UDC V8 Ute Championship can be brutal. He failed to finish Saturdays opening race and then had to battle frustration from down the grid on Sunday. He copped a 50 second penalty in the first race and worked hard to collect a sixth place in the finale.

As usual the racing in the pack was hard. Dave 'The Boss' Stewart was in the thick of battle all weekend scoring a best result of third in the final race. Scott McKelvie of Auckland finished third in Sunday mornings race but his efforts in the other two races were ruined after taking hits. Peter 'Kaos' Ward took a weekend off from his demolition work in the Christchurch CBD to grab two fourth placings while Geoff 'SOS' Spencer of Palmerston North celebrated his 80th race start in the category on Saturday with a second place finish followed by a ninth and a fifth on Sunday.

The next stop on the championship trail is Teretonga Park in Invercargill from 13-15 January.