Justin Dowel prevailed in the top All-wheel-drive class of the RX Aus Australian Rallycross Championship as the series made its debut at Winton Motor Raceway.
The series co-founder took out the class final and Superfinal following a pair of faultless drives behind the wheel of his Hyundai i20 at the newly constructed Winton rallycross circuit.
His son Troy Dowel finished second in his Volkswagen Polo, while Steve Glenney (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO) held out Darren Windus (Volkswagen Polo) for the final spot on the podium.
Justin Dowel has boosted his championship hopes after title rival Will Orders was forced out of the race due to a differential mount failure on his Mitsubishi Lancer EVO.
In addition to his Superfinal win, Dowel swept to victory from Glenney and Windus in the All-wheel-drive group final.
“Today was 100 percent, flat ultimate commitment racing and just maximum attack all day,” said Justin Dowel.
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“The track was so fast and it just rewards full aggression, and I think that’s how we drove today.
“The championship is coming together well. The racing between Will and I was great – I was happy because I still set the fastest lap.
“I’m so grateful that Winton went to the effort that they did. They’re fully committed to getting us back here and it’s only going to get bigger and better, no doubt about it.”
Mike Conway prevailed in a dramatic 2WD SuperFinal which was red flagged after four laps of the scheduled six laps when Arron Windus crashed heavily.
Windus was working his way through the field, having started from the back row of the grid in his Mazda 2.
The Melbourne driver was racing side-by-side with Richard McNay’s Holden Ute when he ran wide, dropped off line and impacted the tyres at speed at the left hander prior to the gravel section.
Though the car suffered heavy front end damage, Windus emerged unscathed.
The race was called after four laps, with Conway declared the winner ahead of Troy Dowel and Ashlea Bright.
Conway extended his championship in the process.
“I’ve grown up racing at Winton so it was great to come here for the Rallycross. The track really suits our car so we can use all the horsepower, especially once some of the slippery stuff was washed off a bit,” Conway said.
“There’s four of us on a similar pace in 2WD, and the competition has doubled, so it’s really good.”
Ron Bustard and Hayden Taylor battled for the Excel Cup SuperFinal victory, though it was championship leader Bustard who ultimately prevailed.
The RX Aus Australian Rallycross Championship heads to Marulan circuit in New South Wales for the penultimate round on August 13.
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