The Equity One Pro driver won the weekend’s first dry race ahead of Dylan O’Keeffe and Jackson Walls at Sandown. Meanwhile Adrian Flack had a similar result in SP Tools Pro-Am and continues to have the class lead.
Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport’s Jones executed a perfect start to grab an immediate lead over O’Keeffe, Bailey Hall, Walls, Fabian Coulthard, David Russell, Nash Morris and Lockie Bloxsom. Behind them Glen Wood spun at Turn 1 and retired at the end of the lap.
On Lap 2, Walls passed Hall who then lost out in a wrestle with Coulthard on the next tour. On the same lap Morris was able to relegate Russell.
Jones was able to stretch his lead to win by 3.7s and set a new lap record on the way. Garth Walden Racing’s O’Keeffe had 1.5s over McElrea Racing’s Walls in the end. Behind Coulthard, Hall and Morris, Russell just held off Ryder Quinn as Dale Wood salvaged 10th ahead of Bloxsom and Zak Best.
Behind them was fight for 12th where Ange Mouzouris fended off Marco Giltrap, Tom McLennan, Caleb Sumich and Marcos Flack.
The Pro-Am fight went all the way to the line in what was arguably the most competitive event of the season for Carrera Cup’s race within a race.
With three rounds remaining, Harri Jones provisionally leads the Carrera Cup Championship’s Equity-One Pro standings by 180 points, with 181 available at Mount Panorama next time out.
Jackson Walls in second and Dylan O’Keeffe in third, however, are split by a much smaller margin, with David Russell fourth and Bayley Hall moving to fifth.
While Jones’ Pro and outright win was by a margin, Flack had to fight harder for his Pro-Am victory. For much of the race it was a four-car freight train with Dean Cook, Matt Belford and Rodney Jane.
The sixth round of the championship will be at Mount Panorama the Bathurst 1000 this October.