The fourth and penultimate Toyota 86 Racing Series round over the weekend at Bathurst’s Mount Panorama circuit brought a mixture of results for Cameron Crick.
In what was his second visit to the famed Mount Panorama circuit, the first being last year’s maiden Toyota 86 Racing Series round that resulted in a nasty crash at the top of the mountain, Crick showed solid pace from the outset, particularly across the top of the 6.2 kilometre circuit.
Despite the promising start to the weekend in practice, which saw him 10th fastest in the opening session, Crick struggled for straight-line speed and as a result qualified in a disappointing 16th (he was 10th up until he was bumped down the order on the final lap).
From a position 16 grid start for Saturday morning’s opening race, Crick continued to battle for straight-line speed but still managed to move forward and went on to finish just outside of the top 10 in 11th.
The second race on Saturday afternoon was pretty much over for Crick before it had begun on the opening lap. He had made a great start and moved up to seventh as they exited the opening corner and headed up mountain straight. However, a racing incident between two cars ahead resulted in Crick becoming a passenger as he was hit by one of the cars and it sent him spinning off the circuit and crashing into the left-hand side concrete barrier. The damage sustained in the incident was enough to put him out of the running.
With a repaired # 7 Clintons Toyota car, Crick came back out on Sunday morning for the third and final race, but it was where his misfortune continued. Due to a race two DNF, he was forced to start from position 35 in the 38-car grid. Off the start, he moved forward and made up nine positions within the opening lap before being hindered by a gearbox failure and he was left to battle and brought it home in 27th place.
As one would expect, Crick’s weekend brought a mixture of emotions as he had plenty of speed across the top of the mountain but struggled for straight-line speed.
“I was amongst the quickest across the top of the mountain, but I’d lose that advantage up and down the straights, and in the end, that was what hurt us, especially at a circuit like Mount Panorama,” explained Crick.
“Although our team didn’t get the desired results in the end, along with slow straight-line speed, there were plenty of positives to take away from the weekend, such as a speed at certain parts of the circuit that allowed us to run further towards the front than we had been so far this year. There’s plenty to build on and I’m really looking forward to next month’s final round and finishing the year on a strong note.”
After four completed Toyota 86 Racing Series rounds, Crick sits 16th in the current point standings.
The fifth and final round of the Toyota 86 Racing Series will be held on the weekend of November 25 and 26 at the Newcastle (NSW) street circuit, as part of the inaugural Newcastle 500 Supercar event.
Crick would like to thank the following 2017 sponsors for their support:
Clintons Toyota
Plus Fitness
Plus Fitness Racing
O’Neill Civil Pty Ltd
A+T Puckle Electrical
EWP Plant Hire
All Access Haulage
HDSA Group
Stockwell International
ELK Security
SportsArt
Adtrans Hino
Pro Axle Australia
Rapid 1st Aid Training & Supplies
My Property Consultants
Pitman Trucks
Direct Steel Traders
Fuchs Lubricants (Australasia)
Muscat Trailers
Designed by Kaity
Hawk Carts
Creative Signworx
ACM Parts
To find out more about Crick and his team, LIKE them on Facebook by searching Cameron Crick Racing and Sieders Racing.
