McLeod untouchable in Sydney Super2 opener

McLeod led home Image Racing’s Jobe Stewart by nine seconds while Tickford Autosport’s Rylan Gray completed the podium.

The race was free of any Safety Car interruptions but began in dramatic fashion.

Triple Eight’s Jackson Walls was too eager to get the race underway and jumped the start. He copped a 15-second time penalty for the misdemeanour.

Ahead of him, Aytron Hodson of Anderson Motorsport couldn’t get going quick enough and dropped from second to sixth by Turn 2.

Untroubled at the head of the field was McLeod who left the drama behind him and stretched his legs over Stewart. Walls was third but assured to lose the final podium place.

Once the race settled down, it was McLeod who led Stewart, Walls, Gray, and Tickford Autosport teammate Nash Morris.

Last year’s champion Zach Bates – now at Eggleston Motorsport – found himself under fire from Triple Eight’s newcomer Ben Gomersall.

At Turn 8, Bates locked up and opened the door for Gomersall to mount an attack. The Toyota 86 graduate showed his nose at Turn 10 and got into the back of Bates, casting the champion wide of the apex.

Conscious of avoiding a penalty, Gomersall let Bates stay ahead on the front straight, but that left the #35 vulnerable to Jarrod Hughes, who wiped his nose on the rear bumper of Gomersall into Turn 1.

The result of that hairy moment was Cody Burcher blowing by Hughes out of Turn 1 who was followed by Lochie Dalton of Tickford Autosport at Turn 4.

After a brief ceasefire, Gomersall and Bates reignited their battle with 12 and a half minutes to go. The Commodore pilots jockeyed for position around Corporate Hill but Bates held on in the first instance.

Finally, with just under 11 minutes to go, Gomersall got the place at Turn 9 and set about bridging the two-second gap to Jordyn Sinni and eventually passed him for seventh.

With 10 minutes to go, McLeod held a six-second lead over Stewart. Walls was still third, but with a penalty hanging over his head and Gray not far behind. Morris was fifth ahead of Hodson, Sinni, Gomersall, Bates, and Dalton.

In the closing laps, Gray got by Walls at Turn 5 after the Triple Eight driver bowled a wide.

In front, McLeod was untroubled. He cruised across the line 9.3 seconds clear of Stewart with Gray another 0.3s back.

Walls was fourth on the road but was demoted to 10th after the penalty was applied.

Results: Dunlop Super2 Series Sydney 500, Race 1