Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge
Max Vidau has taken a pair of victories in the opening two races of the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge season at Symmons Plains.
Race 1, which forms part of The Jim Richards Endurance Trophy, went instantly to red flag conditions after a start line crash in which Cameron Crick stalled and was collected by an unsighted Brett Boulton.
On the standing restart, Vidau captured the lead at Turn 1 and put his head down to begin building a margin to Harri Jones in second.
Christian Pancione was the man on the move, getting by Sam Shahin for fifth before going after Aaron Love.
Vidau crossed the line three seconds ahead of Jones and Ryan Suhle, while Love finished in front of Pancione in a shortened encounter.
In Race 2, Vidau got off the line cleanly and once again slotted into the top spot.
Pancione had been running fifth but spun off the last corner in the second half of the race, leaving him down the order.
Seventeen-year-old Vidau held sway until the chequered flag ahead of Jones, Suhle, Love and Tom Taplin.
Shahin enjoyed Am class spoils in both races, while Andrew Goldie headed Class B.
Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge returns for the final race of Round 1 on Sunday at 1250 local time/AEST.
Aussie Racing Cars
Series leader Justin Ruggier has won each of the first two races of Round 2, with Joel Heinrich and Adam Uebergang the respective runners-up.
As expected, both hit-outs were characterised by constant slipstreaming battles on Symmons Plains’ back ‘straight’ which saw the positions at the front end of the field regularly changing.
Ruggier, who has called his double points joker this weekend, qualified only sixth but found himself slingshotting past Kel Treseder to take third on the first racing lap of the weekend.
He ended up in a battle for the lead with pole-sitter Daniel Price and Uebergang, each of whom had spent time in front by the end of Lap 5.
They went three-wide when Uebergang reclaimed first position on Lap 7, just before a Safety Car was called when Treseder made contact with Blake Sciberras at Turn 7 which ultimately saw the latter hit the pit wall.
Ruggier had first place shortly after the restart and Uebergang dropped to fifth when he tried to fight back a lap later.
The Queenslander managed to regain two positions at once on the final run down the back straight, which put him behind Ruggier and a fast-finishing Heinrich at the chequered flag.
In Race 2, Ruggier twice managed to re-pass Heinrich to claim victory despite the effect of extra engine restrictors.
Heinrich was shuffled back to fourth, behind Uebergang and Sciberras, as an eight-car train formed at the head of the field in the latter stages.
Super2 Series leader Bryce Fullwood was fifth each tA wrap of the support category action from Saturday at the Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint featuring Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge and Aussie Racing Carsime in his cameo in the series.
The final two races will be run tomorrow from 0840 and 1210 local time/AEST.
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