De Pasquale takes out Super2 Race 3 at SMP

Anton de Pasquale has taken a second career Dunlop Super2 Series race win and Richie Stanaway his second podium in Race 3 at Sydney Motorsport Park.

De Pasquale (Paul Morris Motorsport FGX Falcon) led all the way from the first corner to the finish line, while Hazelwood (Matt Stone Racing VF Commodore) eventually proved too much for Stanaway (Prodrive Racing Australia FGX Falcon) as he moved into second on the penultimate lap.

De Pasquale got a better launch from the outside of the front row and moved across in front of Paul Dumbrell (Eggleston Motorsport VF Commodore), who won the first two races of the weekend, into Turn 1.

Stanaway dived past Dumbrell at Turn 6 on the opening lap, allowing a strong starting Hazelwood to mug Jack Le Brocq for fourth as the field consequently bottled up.

While the Super2 debutant Stanaway briefly held the lap record, de Pasquale eased away to a 6.1s win to add to his first at Phillip Island in April.

Behind them, the battle was on up and down the top 10.

Hazelwood got third off Dumbrell on Lap 3, with the two-time series winner perhaps opting for a lesser tyre set in this race as he struggled for pace.

Hazelwood then set after Stanaway, and worked him over for several laps before finally making his move on Lap 16.

Dumbrell would only just beat Garry Jacobson (Prodrive Racing Australia FGX Falcon) to the line for fourth after the latter experienced a physical race.

Jacobson was already down two grid positions from his Race 2 result of third due to failing to take the scales as instructed when he lost two more positions on Lap 1.

Fighting for seventh, Jacobson appeared to swerve into Will Brown (Eggleston Motorsport VF Commodore) in response to a nudge received from the latter through Turn 8, an incident which will be subject to post-race investigation.

He nevertheless had the pace to make his way back up the field, passing Le Brocq for fifth on Lap 16 and providing a (temporary) reprieve for Dumbrell, who had come under heavy pressure from the MW Motorsport Altima driver.

Le Brocq finished sixth, from Richard Muscat (Garry Rogers Motorsport VF Commodore), Macauley Jones (Brad Jones Racing VF Commodore), Brown, and Kurt Kostecki (Kostecki Brothers Racing VF Commodore).

Matt Chahda (Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport VF Commodore) did not start after his Race 2 crash.

Hazelwood’s second placing restores some of his series lead over Dumbrell with the final race of Round 5 to be run over 18 laps tomorrow at 1245 AEST/local time.

Results: Race 3, Round 5, Sydney Motorsport Park