NSWMRC UNDER LIGHTS – EVENT REPORT

By BLENDLINE MEDIA TEAM

In conjunction with the 30th Anniversary, the lights came on Sydney Motorsport Park for grassroots motorsport on the weekend of November 14-15. Blendline, in association with my105.com, was there to capture the night action along with all that was going on during rounds four and five of the NSW Motor Racing Championships.

SPORTS SEDANS:
Grant Doulman made it nine wins from nine races in the Kumho Tyre NSW Sport Sedan Championship, after going through round three unbeaten. The Ford Falcon/Chev driver led all the way in race one where Steven Lacey (Chev Camaro) offered the only challenge until he was slowed with a gear selection issue. Nick Smith has his best outing when he took his Mazda RX7/Nissan SR20 Turbo to second ahead of Stuart Inwood in his Chev Corvette. 

On the second lap Willem Fercher speared backwards at Turn 1 in his Holden Monaro, and Darren Steeden also suffered front end damage when his Ford Escort V8 went off there as well. A lap later Phil Ryan overstepped at the fast sweeper and crashed his Datsun 280ZX/Chev into the inside concrete wall. 

Later and in his comeback, Chris Jackson was forced to retire his Calibra/Chev. Therefore fifth and the best of the National Trans-Am cars was Hugh McAlister (Mustang) ahead of Michael Coulter (Mustang) and Graham Cheney (Camaro). 

Doulman had an engine misfire from the start of race two and once he moved to second, Lacey took the lead, although he too had engine problems and it was not long before Doulman was back in front. Smith suffered a faulty ECU connection and was out early, Lacey stopped due to a rear tyre puncture which left Inwood a clear second. McAlister fought off Fercher and Coulter to take third spot. 

In the last it Doulman all the way despite being down on engine power due to a blown spark plug. Lacey came through to second but ultimate could not hold off Smith. Inwood was fourth, and well clear of Trans-Am cars, this time headed by Coulter over McAlister, and Cheney.

HQ RACING NSW
In his strongest outing racing in the HQ Holden Championship, Glenn Deering qualified fastest and fended off the various challengers in each of the fourth-round races. 

In race one Layton Crambrook attacked the leader to no avail. Then it was points leader Luke Harrison’s turn until he was relegated by David Proglio. The latter could not get the job done either and settled for second ahead of Harrison, Chris Molle (in his brother Jason’s car), Brett Osborn and John Baxter.

Proglio challenged Deering throughout the second race but had to again settle for second while Matt Barker came from 14th for third just ahead of Harrison and Osborn. 

In the night race Deering skipped away with an early advantage and maintained it throughout. He was no doubt with the intense dice for second between Harrison and Proglio which went to the latter in the drag to the chequered flag. Barker was fourth, clear of Crambrook who topped the dice he was involved in, over Molle, Osborn and Baxter.

MAZDA RX8 CUP
After four races at round three of the Mazda RX8 Cup Series it was Steve Devjak who took the top spot on the podium while Ryan Gorton finished second and Justin Branes third.

Gorton looked as though a clean sweep was on offer after he won the first three encounters. But race four was his undoing. He went off at Turn 2 on the opening lap due to a problem with the ABS and had another two misadventures there before ultimately finishing the race in fifth.

Devjak battled with Barnes in each outing and finished with a second, two thirds and a last race win. Barnes was third in race one, second in the following two races and was leading until rear suspension damage dropped him to fourth in the last.

Brad Harris was fourth in the opening two races, Anthony Soole picked up minor spot in race three and Jake Lougher was third in the night race ahead of Stephen McLaine who filled in for his son Shannon.

SUPERSPORTS
Aboard his Radical SR8, Nick Kelly led Supersports every lap. Fellow SR8 driver Neale Muston offered the most immediate challenge in race one. He held second until the alternator failed while the similarly mounted Peter White shadowed them until suspension failure put him out. That left Mitch Neilson third ahead of Stephen Champions in their SR3s, after the change of places on the second last lap.

in the following races Muston and White were second and third. White was again able to pull a late move on, and head Champion to the finish in race two and secure fourth. Neilson finished the day with another fourth, before Champion nabbed fifth off Peter Clare in his SR3 on the last lap.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION:
The expected Nissan dominance faded and left Justin McClintock to take Improved Production U2L overall honours in his Honda Civic. Jason Hendy and Kurt Macready in their respective 200SX and Silvia were out in front in the first race. But points leader Macready had a fuel line fitting work loose which triggered a fire, and that elevated McClintock to second behind Hendy. Third place went to Ford Escort driver Ian Price with Phil Armour next in his Suzuki Swift. 

Macready returned for race two, but it was over early with a blown engine. Hendy also pulled out with an oil pressure sensor issue. McClintock won comfortably, Armour took second, and Henri Price came from the back for third in his Civic. 

Hendy was off the back for night race. He stormed through to second, however was unable to make an impression on McClintock. Third went to Armour ahead of Price and Craig Wildridge in his Ford Escort.

Jordan Cox and his Suzuki Swift Turbo easily won the three Improved Production O2L races. Mazda RX7 mounted Joe Lenthall and Scott Tutton in his Mitsubishi EVO 3 made better starts before Cox was able to get pass. Tutton overtook Lenthall for second while Nigel Williams was the best of the V8s, his Holden Commodore finished ahead of the Darren Herbert EVO 5, Matt Holt and his HSV Clubsport, and the Dan Ridley VK Commodore.

In the second race Tutton led Cox until Turn 4. Lenthall finished second as Tutton retired with a broken driveshaft which gave Bob Brewer, a race one retiree, third in his Commodore ahead of Williams and Holt. 

Cox left his best to last where he cruised to another victory under lights. From the rear, Tutton finished second ahead of Brewer who copped a start line penalty that would drop him to fifth behind Williams and Holt. Lenthall was a retiree 

FORMULA VEE:
Jacer drivers filled the top four spots in race one for Formula Vees. Aaron Lee just won race one over Aaron Pace, Jason Cuts and John McDonald. Then came Darren Williams (Sabre), Simon Pace (Checkmate) and Craig Sparke (Jacer). Dylan Thomas (Stinger) set the fastest lap from the back, but suspension damage put him out. 

Lee and Williams did not start race two and Thomas retired two laps in with fading oil pressure. Cutts was able to pull a small gap late in the race to beat Simon Pace, Sparke, and McDonald. Behind Corey Ogden (Corsica) and Luke Collett (Polar), Aaron Pace recovered from a big spin for seventh.

In the last, McDonald had rear suspension damage on the warm-up. Aaron Pace won, just in front of Lee by 0.01 seconds. Simon Pace was third ahead of Cutts, Sparke, Williams, Ogden, and Williams. 

In the 1200 class Mathew Pearce was the best of the 1200s, as he finished ahead of Stephen Butcher (Stinger) and Michael Gale (Mako) each time.

FORMULA RACE CARS:
Rod Brincat stalled his Formula 3 Dallara at the start of race three and resumed last before he charged through to record his third Formula Race Car win. He led all the way in races one and two. Phil Morrow (Dallara) was second in race one – having started tenth – finishing ahead of Formula 4 Mygale pilots Nathan and Adam Gotch.

Morrow spun on a big oil slick in race two and retired from race three. The Gotch brothers were second and third in the second with Adam ahead. In the last it was Nathan the best of the pair, filling third behind Rob Rowe and his Dallara.

FORMULA FORD:
Victory in the second round of the NSW Formula Ford Championship was between Tom Sargent in his Mygale and Cody Burcher aboard a Spectrum. Burcher narrowly won race one and Sargent took the honours in races two and three. After a third in opener, Jake Donaldson (Spectrum) was a retiree with a blown clutch in race two and a non-starter in the last.

Young debutant Noah Sands picked up third in race two, driving a Mygale, ahead of Zach Bates, Jordan Mazzaroli and Jude Bargwanna. In the last it was Mygale driver Bates who filled third ahead of Mazzaroli in the Spirit, and Bargwanna, also Spectrum mounted. 

Mitch Gatenby in a Spirit was dominant in the Kent class, blitzing his rival Daniel Frougas (Spectrum) each time. Van Diemen pilots Shane Nicols with two, and William Lowing scored thirds. 

SUPERKARTS
In Superkarts Lee Vella (125cc Avoig Elise) had engine dramas in qualifying and race one. But after that, won races two, three and four. Tony Moit (250 Anderson Maverick) was a comfortable winner of race one, ahead of 125 class karters Mark Robin and Aaron Cogger in Avoigs, and Lucus Vitale in an Anderson. Moit was second in the second race but his day was done. Paul Campbell (125 Avoig) scored second in races three and four while Vitale and Jock Dos Santos (Arrow) each picked up a third.