Dean Tighe stormed to victory in the 2022 Australian Hillclimb Championship.
The 76th edition of the event was run and won at Mount Cotton on Saturday, as a torrential downpour forced the cancellation of Sunday’s schedule.
Tighe blasted a 37.46s on the third run in his carbon-fibre Empire Wrath, which is powered by a supercharged Hayabusa that runs on methanol, to seal the national title.
In doing so, he follows in the footsteps of his father Ivan, a three-time winner of the championship.
“I’m quite stoked about winning it, it hasn’t quite sunk in yet,“ Tighe told Speedcafe.com.
“To win the Australian championship on my local hillclimb in front of family and friends, it’s really cool.
“To also become the first second-generation winner and first father and son to win the Australian championship with Dad is nice.”
A wet start to the day and looming weather forecast prompted Tighe to set a time at the earliest opportunity.
“The day started damp and the first run we ran intermediates,” he added.
“Most other cars were on slicks, so we were quick by about three or four tenths.
“The day dried up a little bit so everybody went to slicks for the second run, we were quickest again about a second and a half which was good.
“Third run we went quicker again by about another a second and a half and that was the 37.4s.”
“The weather was looming during the day, so the idea was to try and get the run in quick, which I did.
“It was pretty tight and very competitive.”
It is also the second national title for the Queenslander in a week, after he claimed the Motorsport Australia Supersprint Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park in his Formula 3 Dallara, powered by a Formula 1 Judd engine, the weekend prior.
“We have had a very good seven days, let’s put it that way,” he added.
“It has has taken quite a few, quite a few months of organisation to be able to get everything in a row to make everything work.”
Following Tighe, the fastest outright competitors were Formula Libre – 1301 to 2000cc winner Gregory Ackland, with 2022 Historic Leyburn Sprints winner Dean Amos in third.
Other class winners included: Rhys Ellison (Road Car – 1601 to 2000cc), Derek Holstein (Road Car – 2001 to 4000cc), Graham Orr (Mods Road Car – Up to 1600cc), Harry Doling (Mods Road Car – 1601 to 2000cc), Barry Smith (Group K), Craig Carlson (Group L), Michael Gedhe (Group R), Alan Don (Group V), Stephen Hoade (Group N – Up to 2000cc), Glen Wesener ( Group N – 2001cc and Over), Stephen Callaghan (Group S – Up to 2000cc), Bradley Smith (Circuit Excel), Warren Heath ( Imp. Production – Up to 1600cc), Craig Klingbiel (Imp. Production – 1601 to 2000cc), Ken Graham (Imp. Production – 2001cc to 3000cc), Riley MacQueen ( Imp. Production – 3001cc & over), Warren Bell (Time Attack – Open 2WD), Brendon Byfield (Time Attack – Open 4WD); Ashley McKenzie ( 2B/2F Prod Sports – Up to 1600cc), Paul Finch (2B/2F Prod Sports – 1601cc to 2000cc), John Engisch (2B/2F Prod Sports – 2001 to 3000cc), Michael Larymore ( 2B/2F Prod Sports – 3001cc & over), Brett Batterby (2A Sports Cars – 1601 to 2000cc), Jeffrey Graham (A Sports Cars – 2001 to 4000cc), Timothy Blake ( 2A Sports Cars – 4WD All), James Heymer (2C Supersports – All), Timothy Wrightson ( Sports Sedans – up to 1600cc), Gavin Taylor ( Sports Sedans – 1601 to 2000cc), Benjamin Ford ( Sports Sedans – 2001 to 3000cc), Wayne Penrose (Sports Sedans – 3001cc to 6000cc), Christopher Beahan (Formula Vee – 1200cc), Rick Miles ( Formula Ford – All), Benjamin Jagger (Formula Libre – up to 750cc (inc Superkarts), and Alan Foley (Formula Libre – 751 to 1300cc).
GALLERY – 2022 Australian Hillclimb Championship Day 1
GALLERY – 2022 Australian Hillclimb Championship Day 2
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