Camden-Based Racer Cameron Crick has endured some trying conditions to secure a 7th placed finish in the recent Toyota 86 round at the Rabble.Club Sandown 500.
In Crick’s first visit to the venue since 2016, the 20-year old would show improvement over the first day, moving from 10th in the time sheets in Practice 1 to 3rd by the end of Qualifying. This effort served as a testament to the ability of Crick to learn on the fly at new venues, a trait he has displayed all season. Crick’s efforts to continue to adjust to the track were curtailed by torrential rain which lashed the famous venue on Saturday. The wet conditions created a challenge which Crick has rarely been exposed to during his short circuit-racing career, and the young speedster was forced to completely readjust not only car setup, but also his entire approach to the race.
“I was hoping to continue to improve across the whole weekend every session out, which is what you really need to do at venues where you aren’t that experienced”, Crick would explain, “Obviously the weather change really forced us to try some new things with the car and readjust our brake markers and handling so we never felt truly comfortable without the consistency of conditions but thats just racing at the end of the day”.
In Race 1, Crick dropped several positions to 5th place after an error on Turn 1, but his efforts to reclaim a spot on the podium were cruelly ended when the #7 Clintons Toyota/Plus Fitness Racing entry was rammed from behind by Luke Vanna, causing the young speedster to run wide and drop back to 12th position. Battling through the tough conditions as well as the damage to his car, Crick would work his way back into the Top 10 and secure a 9th-place finish in Race 1.
As conditions worsened on Saturday afternoon, Crick was again locked in a fierce battle with the front end of the 33-strong field of competitors. In trying circumstances, Crick would work his way to 7th position by the conclusion of Race 2. The team would be forced to make further adjustments as the weather had cleared by Sunday morning, and Crick looked set to make a strong push for a podium finish. Race 3 of the weekend would ultimately be marred by numerous safety car appearances, which stifled Crick’s efforts to ascend the field. Regardless, Crick would capture a 5th place finish and come within 0.006 seconds of 4th place.
The 7th overall finish for the round keeps Crick firmly entrenched in 3rd spot of the 86 Series Championship, just 78 points adrift of the competition leader. Despite a difficult weekend, Crick was able to continue his streak of 10 consecutive placings inside the Top-10. The Toyota 86 Racing Series moves to Bathurst for Round 5 in just over 2 weeks, where Crick hopes to continue his strong form.
“Obviously the mountain is the home of Australian motorsport, its such a fantastic event and its truly a privilege to be able to compete there. The lights are shining brightest and everyone wants to be up the pointy end of the field, so we need to be on our A-game and have everything in order before the meeting”, Crick stated.
The team at Cameron Crick Racing would like to thank its fantastic sponsorship team;
Clintons Toyota
Plus Fitness
Pro-Axle Australia
All Safe Group
A&T Puckle Electrical
HDSA Group
Adtrans Hino
EWP Plant Hire
MyProperty Consultants
Castrol Australia
O’Neill Civil
Muscat Trailers
Pitman Trucks
Cleanaway Environmental Services
JP’s Metal
Rapid First Aid
Clean Geeks
Direct Steel Traders
Hawk Carts
Creative Signworx
Viztek Media
ACM Parts
