Ojeda takes first ever Super2 win amid carnage

MW Motorsport’s Jayden Ojeda has won the Dunlop Super2 Series’ Round 3 opener in Townsville, a race which ended early due to major carnage.

Jack Perkins’ #88 Eggleston Motorsport VF Commodore appeared to fare the worst, with a fire from the engine bay after contact between MW Motorsport’s Tyler Everingham and Tickford Racing’s Zak Best triggered a pile-up at Turn 3.

That drew a Safety Car initially and then a red flag, and while Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Broc Feeney had been first at the time, the backdating of results meant the series leader ended up second in the race to Ojeda.

UPDATE: Results revised to Lap 14; Feeney now winner

Among those involved in the incident, in addition to the trio mentioned above, were Matt McLean (#54 Eggleston VF Commodore), Declan Fraser (#777 MWM Nissan Altima), and Matt Chahda (#18 Matt Chahda Motorsport FGX Falcon).

It unfolded when Everingham showed the nose at Best in the battle for third, sending the #78 FGX Falcon sideways.

Several in the closely bunched pack piled into Everingham’s #27 Nissan Altima as they came around the blind corner which leads into the parklands section of the Reid Park Street Circuit.

Perkins’ car was among those which were left stricken at the scene, and a fire took hold under the bonnet.

Ironically, the backdating of results from the red flag, which was called during Lap 16, to the completion of Lap 13 means Best is officially classified third, ahead of Everingham, Chahda, and McLean.

Back at the start of what should have been a 21-lap contest, pole-sitter Feeney (#888 VF Commodore) bagged it up when the lights went out, while Ojeda shot from Row 2 of the grid into the lead.

Best took up second position from the outside of the front row while Feeney regained a position when he went down the inside of Triple Eight team-mate Angelo Mouzouris (#6 VF Commodore) at Turn 2 to take third.

Ojeda was 1.1s to the good at the end of the standing lap while Feeney could not make a move on Best stick when he went deep under brakes on Lap 2 at Turn 2.

Chahda dived down the inside of Mouzouris at Turn 11 on Lap 3, and Jordan Boys (#49 Image Racing VF Commodore) went to follow.

However, he and Mouzouris clashed and appeared to interlock wheels, taking both wide and well down the order.

Feeney continued to harass Best and when he once again could not pull off an inside move at Turn 2, on Lap 6, Ojeda’s lead grew from almost four seconds to well over five.

Feeney got ahead of Best for a third time on Lap 6 at Turn 11 and managed to stay there that time, with the Tickford driver then having a fight on his hands to prevent Chahda from capitalising.

Ojeda was losing margin but still 4.7s up the road when a Safety Car was called on Lap 9, due to Super3 competitor Brendan Strong (#75 VE Commodore) coming to a halt in the Turn 3 run-off area with a mechanical failure.

The race leader went very defensive at Turn 2 when the contest restarted on Lap 13 and had to thus also cover on the run up Charters Towers Road.

That would prove to be crucial, despite Feeney pulling off a textbook move a lap later at Turn 2 and then quickly skipping more than a second clear.

McLean passed Chahda for fifth at Turn 2 on Lap 15, but that only put him in the worst possible position when Everingham had a look at Best one corner later.

The official top 10, save for any penalties which may end up being applied, is Ojeda from Feeney, Best, Everingham, Chahda, McLean, Josh Fife (#28 MWM Nissan Altima), Zane Morse (#11 Zane Morse VF Commodore), Jaylyn Robotham (#999 Image VF Commodore), and Fraser.

Perkins was classified 11th and Boys 12th, the latter having emerged sixth from the chaos despite also getting caught up in it.

Nash Morris (#67 Flash Bush Motorsport FG Falcon) won Super3 in 14th outright, with series leader Michael Anderson (#5 Anderson Motorsport FG Falcon) next in class in 17th outright.

Qualifying for Race 2 starts tomorrow at 11:15 local time/AEST.

Results: Race 1 Updated