Eleven categories competed over 35 races and 220 plus entries was the largest at Queensland Raceway in over 10 years. Together with the night Hi-Tec Oils Drifting Australia, the AASA-sanctioned event drew over 4,350 spectators.
Besides the headline TA2 Muscle Cars, the regular Super Series included Australian Excels, Legend Cars Australia and Formula RX8, there was also Super TT and Stock Cars which were combined with the Queensland-based Australian Trans-Am.
Other state categories were Replica Tourers, Queensland Touring Cars, Production Cars and Production Sports Cars.
AUSTRALIAN EXCEL SERIES
In two hard-fought races, Matt Boylett completed a winning clean sweep of the round. In the Sunday’s first he had to overcome an early red flag due to Luke Rinaldi’s car on its side. Then he battled with Caleb Paterson, Brett Parrish, Kade Davey and Tyler Collins. Boylett edged out Davey in the end, by 0.004s.
From a safety car interruption in the last encounter, Boylett was able to sneak a tiny gap after he had led a eight-car scrap, and left Toby Waghorn to snare second from Paterson and Blake Tracey. Parrish and Collins were there as well until they came together out of Turn 3.
LEGEND CARS AUSTRALIA
Robert Hogan was the round winner, without winning a race. In the first race on Sunday, Race 3, where the top 10 from Race 2 were reversed, he finished fourth behind Riley Skinner, Scott Melville and Ben Goodridge.
Race 4 became a three-way contest with Melville the winner from Hogan with Goodridge third. The next three of Ryan Pring, Shane Tate and Aidan Williams were barely separated. Brendan Hourigan took the lead of the last on Lap 3, lost out to Hogan for a couple of laps before he relegated Hogan on the last. Goodridge was next from Pring and Tate.
TFH FORMULA RX8
The three Sunday races were all won by Brock Paine where Rob Boaden was second in each. They dominated out in front of the first while Diesel Thomas beat Geoff Connell for third. The next race started with the top eight reversed.
Paine wasted little time in forging his way to the front while it took Boaden several laps to grab second. Steve Devjak was third, clear of Connell and Thomas. Boaden grabbed the lead at the start of the last and resisted several attempts by Paine to get by. Ultimately Paine was successful while Devjak took third from Connell and Ivan Vantagiato.
SUPER TT, STOCKS CARS & AUSTRALIAN TRANS-AM
Over the two races, outright honours were split with Geoff Taunton (MARC GTSS) the first winner and Axle Donaldson (MARC II Mustang) the second. Donaldson led at the start of Race 3 before Taunton went ahead. Donaldson also led the last, but after he was passed, he manage to retake the lead and win when the race finished early.
Scott Nind (Ford Mustang NASCAR) was third in both. Brett Mitchell (Chev OzTruck) was fourth in the first ahead of a close finish between Tony Saint (Mazda RX7/Chev) and Corey Gillett (Nissan S13/Chev) but was penalised post-race. Saint was fourth in the last from Antonio Basile (MARC V8 Mazda).
John Prefontaine (Ford Mustang) was twice the Trans-Am winner, firstly ahead of Alwyn Bishop (Plymouth Duster) and the Pontiac Firebirds driven by John English and Ian Palmer. The latter was forced out of the last where English was second ahead of Bishop.
REPLICA TOURERS
In the first of two outings, John Robinson (Holden Commodore) had a narrow victory over Ian Woodward (Chev Camaro) with Rex Scoles (Commodore) third from Braden Walters (Ford Mustang) and Stuart Walker (Commodore). The latter took out the last race from Robinson and Scoles as Woodward pitted on the last lap with a left rear puncture.
QUEENSLAND TOURING CARS
Peter Bray (Commodore) led every lap of the first Sunday encounter while Ben Malpass (BMW E36) was second in the early part before he finished fourth behind Lee Gravolin (Holden Monaro) and Robert Bellinger (BMW E46). Gravolin diced with Bray in the last be the Monaro driver won ahead of Bellinger and Luke Beveridge (Commodore) as Bray slowed over final lap and was fourth.
PRODUCTION CARS
Both Sunday races were taken out by Beric Lynton (Class X BMW M3), easily over Lindsay Kearns (A2 Ford Mustang) and Tony Levitt (A2 Mercedes C63) in the morning outing. The later race was red flag after the start.
Levitt had pulled off with a limp mode situation while Caitlyn Navin (VW Sirocco R) and Kearns clashed when they tried to avoid the Merc. When the race restarted it was Roman Miller (BMW M2 Competition) second while Daniel Natoli (Audi TTRS) secured third and A1 when Tim McDonald spun his BMW M240i.
PRODUCTION SPORTS CARS
The second 45min race was led throughout by Danny Stutterd in the new Camaro-like IRC GT, even with the mandatory pitstop. Darren Berry (Chev Camaro GT3) was second until around half distance when passed by Nathan Halstead (Porsche GT3R). A lap down were Wayne Hennig, David Valeo and Kevin Vedelago, all in Porsche Cup Cars.
The fourth round the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series is set to take place at The Bend Motorsport Park on August 30-September 1.
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