The New South Welshman finished second in the lone 2023 event, and this time was dominate with a perfect score and a 18-point advantage at the end of the weekend.
Second was MARC Car’s Geoff Taunton in the IRC GT SS while third for the round behind the Queenslander went to Tasmanian Kim Barwick (Nissan Skyline R32).
Ingram lit out at the start of Race 2, helped by Ben Purtell (Nissan 180SX Turbo) who contacted the rear of Steve Tamasi’s Holden Calibra/Chev and spun both. Taunton was also caught up in the incident and lost his front clip at Turn 4 which brought out the Safety Car.
When the race went green again, Ingram was able to ease away from Barwick as Tamasi charged from last and passed car after car. However, a second safety car ultimately brought the race to a premature finish.
Ash Jarvis’ Holden Monaro/Chev stopped before Turn 4 in a plume of oil smoke and while being recovered, Tamasi pulled up behind the recovery with an electrical glitch.
The race was concluded under those conditions with Ingram first in front of Barwick. Despite no front clip, Taunton took third ahead of Mark Duggan (Aston Martin/Chev), Ryan Humfrey (Ford Falcon/Chev), Steve Lacey (SS GT), Matt Ingram (Mazda RX8), Purtell, Scott Cameron (Holden Commodore/Chev) and Jon Crossing (MARC Focus V8).
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Ingram was again unchallenged in the last race. As he led, Barwick was second until passed by Taunton who had to wrestle his way past Duggan just after the start. Purtell was able to demote Duggan on Lap 2 while Tamasi had picked off several to be eighth behind Humfrey and Matt Ingram.
Tamasi continued to improve and was up to third when the race went safety car and finished under the cautionary conditions. Duggan had spun at the Turn 4 hairpin and in his endeavours to recover, became stuck in the gravel trap.
Barwick crossed the line fourth ahead of Purtell, Matt Ingram, Humfrey, Lacey, Crossing, Michael Robinson (Monaro/Chev), Cameron and Graeme Gilliland (RX7).
Jeremy Bennett and 14-year-old Oliver Wickham were the Sunday winners and had a second each in the two ACL Excel races. Both were keenly contested with numerous positional changes that also included Jackson Shaw.
Lochie Dalton was in the Race 4 contest to finish third ahead of Shaw and just in front of William Twining. The latter had dramas on the opening lap of Race 5 and DNF’d while Dalton had a poor start and took all race to catch and latch onto the back of the three front runners by the end.
Craig Sheahen’s Nissan Skyline GTR, the fastest car in the Sparco Tassin Tin Tops, held together in Race 4 to take the win after three DNF’s. Sheahen started last and won comfortably ahead of Race 3 winner Ben Newman (Mercedes AMG GT4), and Charles Williscroft (Pontiac Grand Prix) who was runner up earlier.
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