![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GTNZ-1-Joel-Giddy-1024x683.jpg\")
Image: Tayler Burke<\/p>\nJoel Giddy has come out on top, winning the first round of the GT New Zealand Championship held at Hampton Downs over the weekend.<\/p>\n
Giddy took an impressive win in race one of the weekend on Saturday afternoon and followed it up with a second win on Sunday morning in a wild encounter for the whole field, only to be given a post-race 10-second penalty, which tumbled him down the order, allowing Nigel Cromie and Open Class newcomer to take the victory.<\/p>\n
Image: Tayler Burke<\/p>\n
Giddy was eventually classified fourth, with Sam Fillmore classified second, and Luke Manson third.<\/p>\n
There was drama for reigning champion Rick Armstrong, who suffered a spin at turn one of race two on Sunday, slowing his progress, and eventually finishing sixth.<\/p>\n
There was heartbreak for Regan Scoullar, who had stepped into the ex-Rick Armstrong Porsche 992, leading for half of the race before a throttle issue ended his race and a DNF.<\/p>\n
Race three of the weekend, the 50-minute feature race, saw further torment for Scoullar, whose earlier electrical issue with this throttle persisted, forcing the car to stop on the warm-up lap.<\/p>\n
Attempts to get going and join the race saw him return to the pits, where his team tried to remedy the issue.<\/p>\n
With the green flag dropping for the race start, Giddy started off in pole position and held the lead from Nigel Cromie into turn one.<\/p>\n
The opening half of the race was relatively incident-free, but with the pitstop cycles complete, Rick Armstrong found himself in the lead, which was a good recovery from his finish in race two \u2013 holding on to the lead to win the race from a hard-charging Joel Giddy, with Luke Manson securing another podium finish.<\/p>\n
With the race points totalled after the first three races of the season, it sees Joel Giddy take the Championship lead, from Rick Armstrong and Luke Manson in third.<\/p>\n
With an unusually early start to the season, the Championship now has a lengthy break until round two at Teretonga Park at Invercargill, 23-25 January, before heading to Highlands Motorsport Park at Cromwell, Jan 30-Feb 1.<\/p>\n
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