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The organisers have locked in a grid of 55 cars already as a support category for the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour and will have reserves. There will be two practice sessions, a qualifier and three races. The field will be made up many veterans and Nationals winners, as well as several Bathurst debutants.
It will be the second time that the capacity field will vie for the Dale Youd Perpetual Trophy which was won by Andrew Magilton on Mount Panorama over the 2022 Easter weekend. He finished second to Brett Osborn in the first race and won the second ahead of Joel Heinrich. The scheduled third race was a foggy tour behind the Safety Car.
Held at different circuits in different states on an annual basis since 1989, the 2024 HQ Holden Nationals will be held at Baskerville. It was last held at the Hobart circuit in 2008 and was won by Gary Bonwick who is still active in the category. The Nationals revisited the Apple Isle seven years later, to Symmons Plains where Raatjes was the winner.
The two race meetings are again the featured events in 2024, for arguably the cheapest racing category in Australia, with the annual two-driver Ken Leigh 4 Hour at Winton also high on the must-do agenda.
This year’s enduro across two days was won by Victorians Magilton and Ryan Woods ahead of the NSW pairing of 2023 Nationals winner Osborn and John Baxter. Third, a lap behind were Victorians Rod Raatjes/Andrew McLeod ahead of Brad Gartner/Stephen Whyte.
Magilton had been fastest in qualifying before pipped by Osborn for pole position in the top 10 shootout. In the #1 HQ, Baxter led to the first round of pitstops but didn’t get the lead back on Saturday’s first leg which went 63 laps.
Woods had the lead by under 2s over McLeod. Osborn battled a loose gearshift and fuel surge yet held a 21.4s advantage over the South Australian HQ veterans Peter Holmes and Neil Corey.
Magilton and Woods led all but six laps on Day 2, due to a driver changeover. Osborn and Baxter had four laps in front while Gartner/Whyte and Richard Whyte/Mike Fitzgerald had one each. The latter pair would finish fifth, two laps behind the winners and two laps ahead of Cameron Stuart/Warren Potts, Adam Leach/Keven Stoopman, Hayden Ivers/Phil Aitken and Jake Bekkers/Andrew Lawton.
Corey and Holmes fell out when the alternator snapped off and caused a small fire. Most unfortunate was the Scott Goding/Bruce Heinrich entry which broke the gearshift and was stuck in neutral after just six laps.
