Arron Windus came through a titanic battle with Troy Dowel to take victory in the third round of the RXAus.com.au Australian Rallycross Series at Winton.
Windus’ triumph was not without its troubles after issues with his Hyundai i20 saw him swap cars with his father Darren in order to make the final.
The 22-year-old from Ballarat locked horns with rival Dowel (Volkswagen Polo) throughout the weekend with the latter taking out the semi-final before lining up for the final.
Windus erupted to an early lead in the final after electing to take his joker lap on the first tour of six at Winton’s dedicated Rallycross layout.
That gave him clear track position while Dowel battled with Mitsubishi pilots Steve Glenney and Cahal Carey.
Once Dowel had taken the joker mid-race he closed on Windus and smashed the circuit record in his pursuit.
However he was unable to work his way past the Hyundai i20 of his rival.
Steve Glenney was a close third in his Techsport Racing Mitsubishi Lancer.
After an early setback, Windus was overjoyed to claim his second consecutive win.
“It’s a great feeling because it’s been a really challenging weekend,” said Windus.
“My original car had issues earlier in the weekend so dad (rally ace, Darren) was good enough to loan me his so, so we can continue to fight for the championship.
“We had plenty of other setbacks, but the semi-final and final were just great. Really hard, clean racing with Troy.
“It’s going to be a fantastic championship battle between us.”
Meanwhile, Will Orders won the two-wheel drive class after an entertaining final that saw him battling with Zac Edwards and Matt Lee throughout.
The RXAus.com.au Australian Rallycross Series continues with a visit to the revamped Marulan circuit in rural New South Wales on August 5.
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