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Xavier Kokai has won a crash-marred Australian Formula Ford Series finale at Symmons Plains.
Team Sonic’s Matt Hillyer (Mygale) begun the round as the points leader but leaves Tasmania in second behind CHE Racing’s Zak Lobko (Mygale) who provisionally now leads the series by three points.
There was a Safety Car at the end of the first lap, brought about by Lachie Mineeff whose Mygale had an attempted airborne lift-off when he ran over the rear wheel of Lachlan Strickland’s Mygale.
The race resumed on Lap 6 with Team Sonic’s Jake Santalucia desperately holding the challenge from Synergy Motorsport’s Cody Maynes Rutty (Spectrum) and Kokai, while very close behind where Lobko, Altatek Racing’s Matt Holmes (Spectrum), Hillyer, Harrison Sellars and Eddy Beswick.
It took until Lap 8 of 16 for Kokai to secure second spot, and another two laps to grab the lead where he overtoook on the underside of Santalucia at Turn 6.
From there, the pair were able to sneak a small break on the rest, due mainly to the intense dicing that was going on.
On Lap 15, Synergy Motorsport’s Elliot Cleary and Bailey Collins (Spectrum) had dramas in the run from Turn 3 to four.
Cleary ended up in the wall and Collins pirouetted but was able to continue.
That brought about the second Safety Car which the race was concluded under.
Lobko passed Maynes-Rutty a couple of laps previously to secure third while Beswick pulled a late move to head home Hillyer, Holmes, Sellars, Conor Somers and Daniel Frougas from CHE.
Provisionally, Lobko leads the Series points on 126 from Hillyer (123), Kokai (100), Santalucia (74) and Strickland on 72.
