Tauranga’s Rex Edwards is celebrating a third-place win after competing in the NZ Mazda Racing Series at the weekend.

Fellow racer Mac Templeton of Prebbleton in Canterbury followed up his first race win on Saturday with another on Sunday to take the round honours as the Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing Series at Round 3 of their North Island Series at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park in North Waikato.

Templeton topped the round podium with Stuart Lawton of Paraparaumu second and Rex Edwards of Tauranga, who maintained his series lead, third.

The trio provided some of the best racing of the weekend with Templeton taking his debut win on Saturday with a new lap record of 1 minute 50.721 to go with the victory, said a spokesperson for the racing series.

“After a titanic battle Edwards was second with Karl Gaines of Auckland third ahead of Lawton who had started the race on pole.”

Round winner Mac Templeton of Prebbleton during Round 3 of the Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing North Island Series at the Alliance Services Hampton Downs International, part of the Repco NextGen NZ Championship. Photo: Geoff Ridder/Supplied

Sunday morning’s race featured a top 10 reverse grid from Saturday’s result and after an early incident, which brought out the safety car, Edwards was quickly into the lead.

Jesse Gould of Raumati Beach trailed him initially before Lawton climbed to second on lap 6 with Templeton following him through a lap later, the spokesperson said.

“Lawton was into the lead on lap 8 and went on to take the win while also breaking Templeton’s lap record from the day before with a new time of 1.50.277.

“Templeton snatched second from Edwards on the final lap with Gould fourth ahead of Aucklanders, Callum Pratt, Sam Dashfield, Leo Bult, Gaines, Steven Spear and Steve Brown who recovered well from being turned around on the opening lap.

“The final race was an absolute stunner with Lawton, Templeton and Edwards having a mammoth battle while the action behind them was just as intense.

“Lawton led most of the early stages despite Edwards having a short stint in front. The defining moment came on lap 7 when the trio headed into Turn 2 three wide.

“In an audacious move Templeton went through the middle, seized the lead, and held it to the end with Lawton settling into second and Edwards third.”

Behind them Pratt, Gould and Dashfield had been having a similar battle and it was eventually Dashfield who took fourth with Gould fifth, said racing organisers.

Pratt struck a problem and dropped down the order while Leo Bult was a distant sixth after a half spin during the race.

Asked about the pass for the lead at the end of the race Templeton said, “I saw an opportunity and took it. I was pretty stoked with the pass.” Lawton acknowledged the “great racing” between the three while Edwards said the car was strong at the start of race three but “fell away towards the end.”

The podium for Round 3 of the Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing North Island Series during the Alliance Services Hampton Downs International this weekend – first Mac Templeton of Prebbleton (middle), second Stuart Lawton of Paraparaumu (left) and third Rex Edwards of Tauranga (right). Photo: Geoff Ridder/Supplied

The series returns to Hampton Downs for the next round of the North Island Series over the weekend of 15/16 March but before then competitors from both islands will next be in action at Teretonga Park in Invercargill when the opening round of the Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing National Series takes place over the weekend of February 1 & 2 as part of the Ascot Park Hotel Teretonga International.

That outing is also Round 3 of the South Island Series.

Follow the Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing Series on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/themazdaracingseries

For point standings in our various series go to Season Points / | Mazda Racing Series

Information on the Repco NextGen NZ Championship can be found at the following:

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