The gap in the end was 0.48 seconds in favour of Torti (Spectrum 06B) over Hall (Van Diemen Stealth S3) with Speedcafe’s Andrew Van Leeuwen (Van Diemen RF93) third.
Starting from pole, Torti was slow away and both Hall and Neil Richardson (RF89) were ahead. Torti passed Richardson at the Northern Hairpin and nabbed Hall just before they completed the opening lap.
From there, the leading two made the race their own and were able to pull away from Van Leeuwen. Richardson went from third after one lap to sixth on the second before eventual retirement with a wayward plug lead.
For much of the race, the gap between Torti and Hall seldom went past half a second. Only in the latter part did the gap double, but not for long. Hall was right on Torti with a couple of laps to go.
On the final lap they struck lapped traffic at Turn 1 which could have benefitted either. They raced side-by-side before Torti hung on to his lead for a narrow win.
“That was horrible!” he said afterwards.
Matt Dicinoki (RF06) was fourth in the 25-minute final and clear of Bo Jensen (Swift SE61), Peter Fitzgerald (Spectrum 011B) and Mark Zellner (Mygale SJ01A).
There were two further leadup races before the all-in final. Total points from the four would determine the grid for the final.
In the first, Race 1 winner Torti led into the first corner and was in front throughout. Race 2 winner Richardson held onto to second despite the close attention of Van Leeuwen, Jensen, Dicinoski and Hall.
The latter was able to progress to fourth and Jensen put a move on Dicinoski before the safety car was deployed late in the race. Jason Liddell (Swift SC93) was off at Turn 7.
The race resumed for a one-lap dash to the flag where the top six didn’t change. Fitzgerald was seventh in front of Rob Rowe (Mondial M89S), Ben McNamara (RF88) and John Pereira (RF92).
Richardson grabbed the lead from the outset of the final heat and held it for two laps before Torti passed him at the Southern Loop. A few laps later, Richardson hit back with a similar move and led for several more before Torti regained the lead at Turn 7.
With two laps to go, they came up on lapped traffic at Turn 7. Richardson locked up and spun and Torti went on for a clean victory. Hall was third until he too had a lockup at the same corner on the last lap, and Van Leeuwen slipped through for second. Richardson recovered for fourth ahead of Dicinoski, McNamara and Jensen.
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