[Club racer]

Loving this. V8CC answers MSNZ's new TL series with this...! Potentially the biggest boost available to any young driver in this country today? Doesn't say a lot about incentives for young drivers, but a 20k prize fund is a 20k prize fund. Good on them.

Cogent sign up to V8 Challenge Cup with huge cash prize

The V8 Challenge Cup has confirmed a new series sponsor in Cogent Telecommunications and with it a massive $20,000 prize fund that will be shared amongst the drivers.

Ten thousand dollars first prize and the Cogent Cup will be will be awarded to the top scoring driver from the remaining rounds of the current series, which has races at Pukekohe at the end of the month, Taupo, Hampton Downs and then Pukekohe again for the grand finale. In 2014 it will apply to all rounds of the series. Overall championship positions and the V8 Challenge Cup for this season will still include the points scored at Rounds 1 and 2 held at Hampton Downs and the Pukekohe ITM 400.

A further $10,000 will be given in prize money, with $6,000 going to the driver scoring the second highest amount of points in the remaining rounds and $4,000 awarded to the third highest scoring driver. The V8CC runs predominantly with BNT V8 SuperTourers and recently confirmed it would continue as an independent series.

“Our doors are open to any owner with a TL schedule car who wants to race either as a young gun or as a gentleman racer, all will be made very welcome,” said series coordinator Stephen Gillard. “The V8 Challenge Cup is the TL series with the highest profile meetings and the terrestrial TV coverage and the Cogent Cup is another great reason to get involved.

“We see the production-based V8 Challenge Cup cars as offering the relevant mix of engineering and race craft skills necessary to advance to the main game either side of the Tasman. The cars are available for a fraction of the cost of a SuperTourer and running costs are proportionately far, far lower.” he said.

The Cogent Cup is only open to TL schedule cars and drivers and excludes anyone who has already driven a V8 SuperTourer or TLX Schedule car in a race.

Sponsor Cogent is one of the country’s leading telecommunications specialists providing a full telecommunications package for small, medium and large businesses from strategy and planning through to implementation and on-going support. As part of its package for the V8 Challenge Cup it will also provide a discount on services to any business owned or operated by a competitor in the series' remaining 2013 rounds.

Anyone wishing to find out more about the Cogent Cup and how to get involved in the V8 Challenge Cup should contact series coordinator Stephen Gillard via media@v8supertourers.co.nz