Casha wins the 100th 86 Series race at The Bend

Ryan Casha has won the 100th Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series race in a thrilling last-lap battle with pole-sitter Cody Burcher.

Casha made the better start off the line but Burcher held on to lead from Casha and Fabian Coulthard, before Casha got by at Turn 6 as Coulthard looked to follow bit could not get past.

Casha led from Burcher by 0.3s and the same gap back to Coulthard as the field finished Lap 1, with cars off including Sherwell, who spun to be last on the road.

Ben Gomersall dived down the inside of Grove Junior Oscar Targett for 10th, the pair joined by WAU’s Morris-backed entry of Matt Hillyer.

Targett fended Gomersall off, while Max Geoghegan had made up seven places to be 17th by the start of Lap 3.

Jayden Waznek passed McGarry for 19th on Lap 3, while Casha maintained the lead but could not break free of Burcher, who was within 0.3s.

Coulthard, meanwhile, slipped back on Lap 3 – passed by Goodall and Race 1 winner Ryan Tomsett, with Tomsett then attacked by Coulthard who couldn’t quite pull off the move, Fabian chasing the 15-year-old through Turn 7 but still unable to make his way past.

Lap 5 saw Tomsett than pass Goodall into Turn 1, the pair battling – joined again by Coulthard – the latter passing Tomsett to take back fourth place.

Logan then took advantage to snatch fifth from Tomsett, as third-placed Reuben Goodall led the battle pack, with Casha and Burcher 3.9s up the road.

Goodall was passed by Coulthard at the start of Lap 6, with Tomsett following to pass Campbell Logan – Coulthard now third and Tomsett fourth.

Goodall was pushed off as Westbury made a late dive at Turn 6 and made contact with the #20, dropping to 10th^, while Westbury sat sixth behind Logan.

Further back, Hillyer was in a tense battle with Goodall and LaDelle for eighth as the final lap began.

Turn 6 on the last lap saw Burcher make a late brake lunge on Casha but didn’t pull it off – but a mistake by Casha after he dropped the left rear off the track saw him correcting to hold on – but Burcher looked at Turn 13 and looked to have the move done but had not.

The pair drover side-by-side before Casha prevailed, Burcher trying around the outside of the penultimate corner but could not pass the 19-year-old for the win.

Casha extended his series points lead, with Burcher in second and Coulthard coming home third from Tomsett and Logan.

The fourth round of the 2023 Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series takes place at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 on September 15-17.