David Sieders produced a faultless lights-to-flag drive to claim the first V8 Utes race win of the new season in Adelaide.
After starting from pole following a host of penalties from qualifying, Sieders made no mistakes at the start and immediately leapt into a healthy lead.
A three-car squabble for second, involving Craig Dontas, reigning champion Ryal Harris and Kris Walton, gifted Sieders an untroubled run to the chequered flag.
Harris came home in second just ahead of local racer Dontas while Walton finished fourth.
Sieders made the most of his pole position as he headed the field into the Senna chicane for the first time.
“Pole, Race 1 win pretty happy now. It’s been two years since I’ve done that, the first two years I came here I poled and had a race win and I’ve have two lean years since so I’m really happy,” Sieders said.
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Dontas moved ahead of Walton to grab second with Harris slotting into fourth.
The entire field successfully managed to navigate the opening lap without trouble but the next tour was not the case.
Erebus Motorsport driver Adam Marjoram clipped the wall and limped back to the pits and subsequent retirement.
“I started P6 so pretty happy with the car and its great coming to a new team with Erebus, I got up to P5 and got up to turn 8 and ran out of talent really and clipped the wall so that’s the day over for us,” Marjoram said.
Meanwhile at the front, Sieders began to open up a lead helped by a huge dice for second between Dontas, Harris and Walton.
Harris soon moved into third and with two laps remaining his pressure on second placed Dontas produced a result. The two-time champ slid underneath the South Australian at turn four.
However, nobody could stop Sieders as he went on to take a comfortable victory from Harris and Dontas.
Andrew Fisher came home in fifth just ahead of Dunlop Series refugee George Miedecke.
Rhys McNally, Elliot Barbour, Jesse Dixon and nathan Pretty completed the top 10.
Wayne Wakefield will start from pole alongside Nathan Pretty to kick of the Race 2 top 11 reversed grid race on Saturday.
Australian Formula 3 Championship Race 1
In the opening 10-lap race Simon Hodge posted a record lap in his Mygale to beat John Magro and Chris Anthony.
Hodge clocked a fastest lap of 1:17.9726s to score a comfortable victory. The only other Mygale driver in the field, Arrie Maree was fourth.
The 20-year-old University student Hodge led all the way from pole position and smashed the outright Clipsal 500 circuit lap record en route to a comfortable victory in his Team BRM Mygale M11 – Mercedes Benz.
It was Hodge’s maiden race victory at a national level in just his fourth Formula 3 race start.
Magro’s second place remains under investigation following a penultimate-lap collision in the final corner with Ben Gersekowski.
The pair had diced for second for much of the race, twice exchanging positions before Magro had his run into the famous Adelaide hairpin two laps from home.
With Magro down the inside, the pair made contact, resulting in Gersekowski spinning before he finished fifth.
Race officials are waiting to review available footage from the control REPLAY XD Cameras that are fitted to every car before making a judgement on whether the contact was avoidable or not.
Aussie Racing Cars Race 2
Peter Carr led home a New South Wales/Toyota Aurion trifecta in a crash-marred second heat.
Carr beat Trent Young while James Abela snared third in a race where six of the 36-car field did not finish.
Touring Car Masters Race 1
Tony Karanfilovski clinched the opening heat in his Ford Mustang, winning by just over a second from Andrew Miedecke in his Chevrolet Camaro SS while John Bowe, in the Dunlop Super Dealers/Wilson Security Mustang claimed third.
Eddie Abelnica (XB Falcon) was classified in fourth placed with reigning TCM champ Jim Richards finishing fifth in the Falcon Sprint.
The Safety Car was called on the third of the six lap race when Les Walmsley’s Treloar Roses HQ Holden was spun at turn four and collected by a hapless Chris Stillwell, who had nowhere to go in his Ford Mustang before collecting the stranded Holden.
There was also contact earlier in the race involving William Vining, Mick Wilson and Rory O’Neill, however all three were able to return to the circuit to complete the race.
There are two more TCM races scheduled for the remainder of the weekend.
*For a full preview and armchair guide to this weekend’s Clipsal 500 click here
*Don’t forget to get a team together for the Castrol V8 Predictor – V8 Supercars’ #1 tipping
