Wood takes maiden Super2 victory

Walkinshaw Andretti United protege Ryan Wood has taken his first Super2 victory in only his third race in the series.

Wood did not get the best start but came through to win the first 40 minute Dunlop Super2/3 race in West Australia, while Cameron McLeod managed to snare the Super3 component on the very last lap.

Wood was third after the start and subsequently worked his way past Brad Vaughan (Tickford Racing Ford Mustang) and then the race leading Zak Best (Anderson Motorsport Mustang) to win the 40 minute race by 4.5 seconds.

Vaughan was able to also pass Best to take second place while Brad Jones Racing’s Lachlan Dalton and Matt Chahda in their Commodores were fourth and fifth ahead of Aaron Love and Zane Morse in their warring Mustangs. The pair had contact early in the race and ultimately finished four tenths of a second apart.

Jay Hanson crossed the line eighth ahead of fellow Commodore drivers Aaron Seton and Zach Bates. Two laps from the end of the 35 laps race, Hanson was looking for a way past Cameron Crick. There was slight contact between them on the pit straight and Crick overshot at turn one before he recovered for 16th.

In his Super3 victory, McLeod (Nissan Altima) finished in outright 11th. Until the last lap he trailed Jobe Stewart (Commodore VF) and in the midst of some Super2 runners, slipped past Stewart for the win.

Stewart was 14th overall, behind the Super2 ZBs driven by Nash Morris and Jordan Sinni. Third in Super3 was Mason Kelly ahead of fellow Altima driver Jett Johnson who edged out Matt McCutcheon (VF). Ryan Gilroy was 22nd and fifth in Super3, ahead of fellow Commodore drivers Chris Smerdon and Jason Gomersall.

The Safety Car was out as the first lap was completed. Eggleston Commodore teammates Cooper Murray and Kai Allen had contact at turn six which caused the former to spin inside the corner. While Murray was able to continue, Callum Walker had gone off on the outside and bunkered his ZB. Allen was not out of the wars either as he had to continue at reduce pace with no power steering.