There were two Safety Car periods in a wet and wild fourth Battery World Aussie Racing Car Series race, which set up a one-lap dash to the chequered flag.
Heinrich began the race from pole position alongside Caleb Paterson, while Garland was further back in sixth thanks to a penalty incurred from an incident that stopped Race 3.
Garland made quick work of the cars ahead of him to sit second when the first Safety Car was called for Dean Michalik’s car parked in the Turn 11 gravel trap.
The race resumed with three minutes left on the clock. Heinrich looked like he might throw the lead away when he straddled the Senna Chicane and opened the door for Garland into Turn 4.
Heinrich opened up the steering wheel and cast his car well wide of the apex, and cheekily hung Garland out wide.
Moments later, the Safety Car was called for the second time when Matt Gooding crashed at the Senna Chicane. That looked like it might be the end of the race, with the clock run down to zero. Instead, the field got a one-lap dash.
Heinrich led the field to green just as the rain intensified. Both cars cranked sideways through Turn 4.
Garland’s first opportunit to attack came exiting Turn 6. Heinrich closed the door and banged panels with Garland.
Exiting Turn 7, the pair rand side-by-side, and Heinrich resumed the race lead.
Garland got into the back of Heinrich through Turn 8 and tried unsuccessfully to go around the outside at TUrn 9 as once against Heinrich opened up the steering wheel and cast his rival wide.
Entering Turn 14, Garland once again tried to go around Heinrich’s outside. It looked for a moment that Heinrich had first place sealed until Garland squared the corner off and slipped up the inside of Heinrich.
The two banged wheels and Heinrich spun into the inside wall, smashing the left rear corner. So violent was the hit that the left rear wheel broke off.
Garland took the chequered flag first, and with it the title. Heinrich limped across the line to be classified 13th.
“Joel started it,” Garland told Speedcafe.
“I put a clean move on him. He decided to run me to the concrete wall. If you want to play dirty, then shit happens.
“It feels amazing, “Garland added, who had been leading the 2021 series until it was stopped by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To do it in a wet race on a one-lap dash after a safety car, it can’t be better than that. Redemption for all those years we got so close.”
Heinrich recounted the wild last lap from his point of view.
“I had to cover everywhere. I was on the white lines, understeering, locking brakes and running wide,” said Heinrich.
“Kody was putting his car in every spot he could. He cleared me at one spot and then I got him back, hit the wall at [turn] eight. Came into the last corner, covered, and he drove me as narrow as he could.
“We banged wheels, bit a push. He got the run, he was coming back, locked wheels, spun us out, and into the fence.”
“Shame of a way to end the weekend, thought it was going to be handed to us on a platter after his penalty.”
Heinrich won the Touring Car Masters title this year, and an Aussie Racing Cars title would have put him in an elite category where just four have previously won two national titles in one year – Mark Skaife, Marcus Zukanovic, Darren Hossack, and Will Brown.
Discussion about this post