Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia
Jordan Love recorded his second-straight victory in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Jim Richards Endurance Trophy today, powering to victory in a 30-lap encounter at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Love started from pole however a slow start saw him drop to third on the opening lap, though he soon worked his way past nearest rivals Anthony Gilbertson and early leader Brenton Grove to assume a race lead he'd never lose.
Though late tyre wear saw Grove close considerably in the closing laps, Love enjoyed a consistent five-second lead for much of the race as he extended his lead in the enduro series to 15 points, with one race to go.
“It was a great result, especially for the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy. There is one more long-distance race to go this season but they are long races so anything can happen,” Love said.
“My immediate focus will be tomorrow's two races and then think about the final Jim Richards Endurance Trophy race at Queensland Raceway.
“I had a really poor start but the safety car really helped out to get me back in the race. I had to push after the restart and Brenton didn't make it easy.
“Once I got into the lead I put my head down and managed to pull a gap. I struggled for the grip over the last 10 laps which cost me a bit of time, as did the traffic. We'll work on a few things now and aim for something similar tomorrow.”
Grove consolidated his championship position with a solid second, while Anthony Gilbertson held on to record a win in the Elite division over Sam Shahin after a race-long battle between the pair.
Shahin crossed the line first however was penalised five seconds for rolling at the start, handing the victory to the McElrea Racing driver by 0.1 seconds. Brett Boulton completed the top five.
The 30-lap race saw an early Safety Car interruption when Phil Morriss hit the wall at the start of the race, the Victorian was unhurt and is expected to return for tomorrow's two races following only light damage on his Porsche.
The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia racing at Sydney Motorsport Park continues tomorrow (Sunday 9 July) with races two and three for the weekend from 9.28am and 1.41pm respectively.
Australian Production Car Series
Iain Sherrin qualified on pole in the #18 Sherrin Racing BMW M4 thanks to a 1m 41.7374s last lap in the 20-minute session. However, Sherrin was sent to the rear of the grid for ride height infringement along with the #44 Nolan Finishes Holden VZ HSV.
Bob Pearson in the #33 Pro-Duct Mitsubishi Evo 10 would start on pole alongside the #6 Skwirk Online Mercedes A45 of Nathan Antunes and Rod Salmon.
Tyres would prove a real issue for the field over the opening one hour race, with the last lap seeing the #18 BMW M4 and the #6 Mercedes A45 limp across the finish line with flat tyres while race winner Pearson was only laps away from tyre failure himself.
Pearson crossed the line with a commanding lead over second-placed Mark Eddy (#2 Network Clothing Audi TT) and third-placed Dimitri Agathos (#66 FullGas Racing Subaru WRX Sti).
Pearson's win came after a strong race-long effort where he pitted early and was in the best position possible to take advantage when Antunes pitted later in the race to hand over to his co-driver Salmon.
The Scott Gore/Patrick Galang #48 BMW135i took out Class B1 (7th outright) while Class C went down to the very last lap with the Aubin Brothers Racing Renault Megane taking the win from the #31 Osborne Motorsport Megane of Tyler Everingham.
The Disc Brakes Australia Kia Proceed locked out Class D, while the FullGas Racing Pulsar took out Class E.
Failing to finish were the Class I Best Jet Ute which retired early due to gearbox failure, the Donut King BMW1M which was in and out of the pits all race with limp mode issues, and the Best Jet HSV GTS which pitted late in the race and would not return when the car failed to restart.
In race two, a late pit stop for the Sherrin Rentals BMW M4 handed Pearson a second victory, with his Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X winning comfortably ahead of Eddy's Audi TT and the Salmon/Antunes Mercedes AMG A45.
Iain Sherrin wasted no time in storming to the lead early in the race, only for Pearson to return to the top spot following the compulsory pit stop when brother Grant took over the still-new Sherrin Rentals BMW M4.
He then hunted down and passed Pearson for the lead on the 17th lap and had looked on course to record the car's first win in the series, before a late stop to change a right front tyre saw them drop to near the tail of the lead lap – ultimately finishing fifth behind the Gibbons/Agathos Subaru WRX Sti.
The #19 Michael Sherrin/Steve Champion BMW M135i took the Class B victory and finished 9th outright, while Tyler Everingham powered his Osborne Motorsport Renault Megane to the Class C win in a strong 7th outright.
Michael Gray and Ellexandra Best took the class D victory after issues saw the King / Walsh Hankook Australia Kia ProCeed GT drop more than 15 laps from the lead, while the Wilson / Stephens Nissan Pulsar SSS won Class E.
Australian Prototype Series
Jason Makris took out pole in the #44 Marina Mirage WX10 with his 1m28.50s lap edging out Radical duo Michael Shaw and Peter Paddon by just 0.3s.
Mark Laucke missed a shot at pole in the #55 Laucke Flour Mills West WX10 after a late red flag ended the session early. He would start fourth on the grid, but that didn't stop him having a great start and a great race – getting to the lead by lap two before battling for position with Shaw's #2 Shaw Racing Radical.
Laucke would regain the lead on lap seven and hold on for the victory ahead of Shaw and Gerrit Ruff (#88 CRC Industries Australia West WR 1000) – who topped the Kumho Cup runners.
After his top qualifying performance earlier, Makris would have a disappointing race when his gear selector broke to see him stuck in sixth gear, finishing 14th.
Failing to finish the race was Radical racer Kim Burke with engine issues.
Two further races will be held for the Australian Prototype Series tomorrow from 9.56am and 2.05pm respectively.
Radical Australia Cup
Peter Paddon edged out Michael Shaw in a thrilling 50-minute Radical Australia Cup opener, taking a narrow victory following a tense final few minutes of the race.
Paddon had led comfortably following the compulsory pit stops and looked set to record a comfortable victory before Shaw commenced a stunning late race charge.
After passing Oliver Smith for third with four laps to go, he charged to the lead on the penultimate lap – leading briefly before Paddon was able to wrestle the lead back and lead the last lap.
He won by under half a second, with Shaw second and Oliver Smith third. The RAC field concludes their Shannons Nationals program for 2017 with a second 50-minute mini-enduro tomorrow.
Veloce Alfa Romeo Series
Enzo Piazza qualified on pole in his #28 Alfetta GTV 2.5 V6 with a 1m 49.0222s lap before taking out the race one win ahead of Doug Selwood (#178 Alfetta GTV6 3.0 V6) and David Caprano (#15 Alfa Giuietta QV 1.7).
Rounding out the top five were Frank Carigliano (#66 Alfetta GTV 2.5 V6) and Metodia Karanfilovsk (#88 Alfa Romeo Alfetta G 1962). Failing to finish were Alfio Musumeci and Danny Gatto.
Tomorrow will host a further two 20 minute races for the Veloce Alfa Romeo Series at 10.24am and 2.42pm respectively.