Ryal Harris has taken three race wins from three in the ECB SuperUtes Series’ first visit to Mount Panorama.
The #58 Peters Motorsport Mazda BT-50 was unchallenged after the first two corners of Race 3 as Craig Dontas again came home in second and David Sieders climbed to third.
Harris and Dontas started alongside each other at the front of the field by virtue of earlier results and the latter ranged up on the former’s outside as they approached Griffins for the first time.
Dontas filed back in and had a lonely race to second as the #87 Sieders Racing Team Mitsubishi Triton, which was taken to Armor All Pole Position a day earlier, finished 4.67s back from the lead Mazda.
By contrast, four cars battled for the next couple of positions during the six-lap affair.
Ben Walsh started third but was swamped up Mountain Straight on Lap 1 when he couldn’t slot third gear in the #8 Western Sydney Motorsport Toyota Hilux.
He helped bump-draft David Sieders (#34 Ranger Racing Ford Ranger) clear of Aaron Cameron (#95 Peters BT-50) for fourth up the 1.111km strip on Lap 3, then began to pressure the 2016 V8 Ute Racing Series winner himself.
David Sieders saw off that challenge and set about hounding Tom Alexander, passing the #22 Ross Stone Racing Holden Colorado as they dropped from the hump towards Griffins Bend on Lap 5.
Alexander held fourth until the end, ahead of Walsh and Cameron.
Craig Woods (#64 Western Sydney Motorsport Toyota Hilux) finished seventh after an early off at The Chase, while last year’s V8 Utes series winner Kim Jane (#1 Steve Wilson Racing Isuzu D-Max) was 11th.
Charlotte Poynting took the chequered flag in 12th despite losing the rear of the #52 Western Sydney Motorsport Toyota Hilux at the end of Skyline and spinning into the tyre wall at The Esses on Lap 5.
Tomas Gasperak’s #18 Team 18 Holden Colorado was again hit by mechanical problems and the teenager did not finish.
Harris’ win consolidates the series lead which he reclaimed earlier in the day, ahead of Round 7 at the Vodafone Gold Coast 600 on October 19-21.
Results: Race 3
Pos | Num | Team/Sponsor | Driver | Car | Laps | Race time |
1 | 58 | EFS 4×4 Racing | Ryal Harris | Mazda BT50 | 6 | 16:48.9419 |
2 | 87 | Team Mitsubishi Triton | Craig Dontas | Mitsubishi Triton | 6 | 16:53.6154 |
3 | 34 | Allgate Auto Doors | David Sieders | Ford Ranger | 6 | 16:55.7448 |
4 | 22 | SP Tools | Tom Alexander | Holden Colorado | 6 | 16:56.3839 |
5 | 8 | Car City | Ben Walsh | Toyota Hilux | 6 | 16:58.9406 |
6 | 95 | Bushranger Racing | Aaron Cameron | Mazda BT50 | 6 | 17:00.6023 |
7 | 64 | Western Sydney Motorsport | Craig Woods | Toyota Hilux | 6 | 17:02.4516 |
8 | 99 | Kubota Tractors Australia | Matthew MacKelden | Toyota Hilux | 6 | 17:12.5141 |
9 | 45 | Total Tools/Team Mitsubishi | Michael Sieders | Mitsubishi Triton | 6 | 17:19.1045 |
10 | 49 | Allgate Auto Doors | Christopher Formosa | Ford Ranger | 6 | 17:21.7427 |
11 | 1 | WIL-TOW | Kim Jane | Isuzu D-MAX | 6 | 17:34.8476 |
12 | 52 | Western Sydney Motorsport | Charlotte Poynting | Toyota Hilux | 6 | 19:10.2253 |
DNF | 18 | AC Delco Racing | Tomas Gasperak | Holden Colorado | 3 | 8:55.8215 |
Series points
Pos | Driver | Pts |
1 | Ryal Harris | 923 |
2 | Craig Woods | 900 |
3 | Aaron Cameron | 800 |
4 | Ben Walsh | 789 |
5 | Tom Alexander | 776 |
6 | Matthew MacKelden | 695 |
7 | Tomas Gasperak | 640 |
8 | Christopher Formosa | 546 |
9 | Craig Dontas | 458 |
10 | Michael Sieders | 352 |
11 | Steve Wilson | 352 |
12 | Elliot Barbour | 321 |
13 | Toby Price | 295 |
14 | Cameron Crick | 146 |
15 | David Sieders | 144 |
16 | Charlotte Poynting | 108 |
17 | Kim Jane | 94 |