John Bowe has taken the opening race win in the Touring Car Masters class at Hidden Valley Raceway today.
Held in blistering heat, the 12 laps seemed like a marathon for the Masters with the classic cars feeling the heat on and off the track.
Bowe and pole-sitter Jim Richards enjoyed a tight, fair fight during the course of the race, with the pair swapping the lead no less than four times. Bowe made his final move on Lap 7, racing on for a ‘hot’ win.
“That was a terrific race. The cars are so well matched and there’s so little in it. I’ve raced with Jim (Richards) a long time, he’s an awesome driver,” said Bowe.
“When I passed him that second time, I think I tried to do the world’s best lap to get a gap, and then I think he may have rolled out of it a little to save the tyres as this track really kills the tyres, but it was a great race battle.
“The car was really hard on the rears (tyres) so we’ll look to improve that before tomorrow, but this place is always tough on the tyres and when you’re in a tough spot everything works harder.”
Keith Kssulke, driving the ex-Jim Morton Falcon XB Coupe, finished a fine third, moving through the field cleanly. Tony Edwards (Holden Torana), Andrew Miedecke (Chev Camaro), Brad Tilley (Falcon XY GT), Garry Treloar (Chrysler Charger E55), Steve Mason (Ford Mustang), Greg Keene (Porsche 911) and Chris Stillwell (Ford Mustang) rounded out the top 10.
Two Touring Car Masters races will be held tomorrow.
