Walsh takes Winton Dunlop Series win

A scintillating start set-up the Race 2 and round victories for Ash Walsh in the Dulop Series at Winton Motor Raceway.

The Matt Stone Racing Ford gridded up eighth under the reverse top 10 format, but jumped to second by the first corner.

A mistake from lone front-row starter Andre Heimgarter at the end of the opening lap then handed Walsh a lead he would never lose.

Fifth place starter Paul Dumbrell gave chase after sneeking by Heimgartner on the second lap, but could do nothing about the Ipswich native.

Walsh controlled a mid-race Safety Car restart to eventually take the flag 1.9s ahead of the Eggleston Holden.

Team-mate Garry Jacobson was third after making the best of a spirited scrap between Paul Morris and Cameron Waters.

Waters led a train of cars struck behind the Sargent Security Ford in the early laps, before making an inside dive at Turn 1 just past the halfway mark.

The two Falcons made contact when Morris turned in, shooting the veteran across the infield grass.

Jacobson moved through on both Fords at Turn 3, while Morris bumped Waters sideways at Turn 4 before understeering off through the grass at the following corner.

Although Morris rejoined at Turn 7 still in third position, he soon dropped back behind Jacobson and Waters and drove steadily to an eventual fifth.

Brad Jones Racing duo Andrew Jones and Chris Pither finished sixth and seventh respectively, while Steve Owen charged to eighth after spinning to the back in a tangle with Jones on the opening lap.

The Safety Car had been called on Lap 7 to retrieve Aaron McGill’s Holden from the Turn 4 sand trap after a spin.

The resulting restarted claimed the cars of Morgan Haber, Josh Kean and Shane Price, which were all damaged in a nose-to-tail collision.

The race’s hardest luck story was saved for Taz Douglas, however, with the pole-sitter forced to pit at the end of the warm-up lap with mechanical issues.

He spent the race moving in and out of the pits, eventually taking five laps down.

Waters’ Saturday yesterday ensured him second for the round, with the consistent Dumbrell holding onto a reduced series lead in third.

See below for the full results for Race 2 

See below points for the full Meeting results

See below for the full Series Points