Also on the final day of the AASA 2025 Hi-Tec Oils Super Series, Formula Fords, Super Trucks, Hyper Racers, Aussie Tin Tops and Innovation Race Cars also finished off their seasons.
Again Paine (Chev Camaro) was on pole for the headline TA2 category after the second round of qualifying. Josh Webster (Ford Mustang) had his season best session to be second ahead of Ben Gomersall (Mustang), Blake Tracy (Camaro), Diesel Thomas (Mustang) and Graham Cheney (Camaro).
Paine grabbed the lead of Race 3 from the outset and was never headed, although Webster shadowed him all the way. Gomersall was next ahead of Tracey who was behind Diesel Thomas for several laps.
The latter was fifth ahead of Josh Thomas and Hayden Hume in Mustangs. Then followed Lee Stibbs (Camaro), Danny Reidy (Camaro) and Hayden Pullen (Mustang) while Warren Wadley (Mustang) and Cheney were a lap down.
Cheney was involved in a first lap incident with Mark Crutcher (Mustang) where both slide off at Turn 4 and bounced across the infield. Cheney pitted for checks and returned while Crutcher remained in the pits. He was joined there by Glen Ebert (Camaro) with a driveline failure, and Des Collier (Mustang) with a wayward plug lead.
Paine and Webster went side-by-side into Turn 1 of the fourth race with Paine able to emerge in front. Webster slide wide at Turn 4 and dropped several spots as Tracey and Gomersall grabbed second and third.
The three pulled clear of the rest and Paine was able to hold off Tracey for the duration as Gomersall trailed the duo to the line. Diesel Thomas was fourth until he speared off at Turn 5 and dropped behind Josh Thomas, Hume and Webster.
Reidy finished seventh ahead of Cheney. The latter had to recover from a spin at Turn 12 after contact from Webster. The incident also caught out Crutcher who just behind them, and he pitted to have a loose lead sorted. Collier was another to visit the pits with a similar issue.
Formula Fords Stars & Renegades
Two more races and two more wins made it 16 out of 20 for Kobi Williams. In the first race of Round 10, he won ahead of Will Lowing, Joey Fawcett, Jamie Rowe, Brad James, Isaac Demellweek and Jack Johnson. Tabitha Ambrose was eighth after a pitstop for an ignition problem.
Lowing took the fight up to Williams in the second outing, to where he managed to get alongside at one point in the first half. But an off-track excursion in the second part, negated any chance of a win.
He still finished second ahead of Fawcett, Rowe, James and Demellweek. Johnson finished laps down after contact from Ambrose spun him at Turn 4. Ambrose DNF’d with a recurrence of her earlier problem.
Eastern Sleepers Aussie Tin Tops
Both the Sunday races featured safety cars for vehicles on fire. In the first it was David Buntin’s Lotus Elise with a fuel fire and in the second, Nathan Findanis’ Ford Falcon had a similar issue at around the same place, Turn 9.
In the first, Race 3, Stephen Chilbey (BMW/Chev) led the race until he retired with a blown diff. That put Ben Arnold (Nissan Skyline) in the lead. However he had a 15-second penalty and as the race finished behind safety car, was relegated to ninth. The win to Todd Herring (Mazda MX5) over Cory Gillett (Nissan Silvia/Chev) and Peter Ryder (Silvia/Chev).
The race was able to resume in the last outing for a one-lap dash to the flag where Gillett was the winner over Arnold with Herring third. Just behind them was Brent Edwards (Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo) who missed the earlier race due to a clutch issues.
Innovation Race Cars
The final two races both started with just four IRC GT cars. Geoff Emery led all the way to win the first ahead of Lee Stibbs. They were never more than a second apart in the 25-minute race while Danny Stutterd chased them throughout and finished 3.8 seconds behind with John Holinger fourth. Stibbs won the start of the second and led home Emery, Stutterd and Holinger.
Australian Super Trucks
With two reverse grid races to finish the year, it was on between champion elect Steve Zammit (Kenworth T900) and the form driver/truck combination Dale Cornfoot and his Kenworth T401.
It took just one lap for Zammit to forge to the lead of Race 3 and another lap for Cornfoot to grab second. The latter quickly negated a four-second deficit and made a last lap pass for the win. Shannon Smith (T900) was third in front of Robbie Fern (Volvo White) and Frank Amorso (Kenworth W900).
The latter led the last for three laps until Zammit passed him at Turn 7. Cornfoot followed through shortly after. This time Zammit appeared to have Cornfoot covered, but on the last lap the T401 costed to a halt.
Cornfoot took the win from Smith, Amoroso, Robbie and Lachlan Fern (Isuzu SBR422). Zammit managed to refire and finished sixth.
Hankook Hyper Racers Australian Drivers Championship
After two wins on Saturday, Damon Sterling didn’t back off on Sunday where he was virtually unchallenged for another two victories.
He comfortably won Race 3 over Harry Strik. Lucas Stasi was third away, lost it at Turn 9 with a slight error but regained it off Hayden Crossland shortly after. Nico French was next from Brad Smith and Aaron Imbach who passed Josh Gardiner on the last lap.
Sterling was also not headed in Race 4. In a one-lap dash to the flag, Crossland maintained second ahead of Stasi, Imbach, Smith and Kyle Gurton. Strik was second from the start until he spun at Turn 1 and couldn’t refire.
Discussion about this post