SUPERCARS PAIR TAKE WIN APIECE, BUT TAMASI LEADS SPORTS SEDAN TITLE
Previous title winner Steven Tamasi leads the Precision International National Sports Sedan Series after a thrilling opening round at Wakefield Park.
Tamasi left the event with two seconds and a victory, while Race 1 winner Thomas Randle ended his weekend in the second with gearbox failure. Late addition, Kelly Grove Racing Supercars driver Andre Heimgartner struggled with brake bias during the opening encounter, but recovered to take a last gasp, final lap victory in the third race of the program driving the Duggan Family Homes Chev-powered Aston Martin DBRS9.
Randle was in commanding form on Saturday, taking a comfortable pole-to-flag race victory driving his father’s title winning SAAB 9-3 Chev ahead of Tamasi’s Holden Calibra and the 13B-powered Fiat 124 driven by TCR Australia privateer Brad Shiels, contesting the state championship.
Behind the lead trio, Michael Robinson in his venerable Holden Monaro and the Chevrolet Camaro of Steven Lacey battled for the minors with it decided on the line in favour of the Victorian due to a transaxle failure for the latter.
Heimgartner had an eventful race after qualifying second to Randle, spinning halfway through the event due to struggling with brake bias to finish 11th.
Fog delayed and thus shortened the schedule to 12-lap races for the Precision International National Sports Sedan Series, but it was a day of attrition.
Randle started from pole, but an early safety car to remove the stricken Chris Jackson Holden Calibra on the exit of Turn 2 bunched the field as Heimgartner climbed to fifth by the conclusion of the first lap.
Randle bunched the field up on the lap 4 restart, which allowed Heimgartner to jump to third quickly before a gearbox fault dropped the SAAB out of not only the race, but for the remainder of the weekend.
This elevated Tamasi into a lead he failed to lose, finishing ahead of Lacey, Shields, Stuart Inwood in his Chevrolet Corvette and Robinson.
Heimgartner again visited the pits and dropped to 10th.
The Kiwi Supercars driver had it all to do in the final, but he did not disappoint. At the conclusion of the opening lap, Heimgartner was fifth, before setting a 56.942s lap on lap 4 as he began to chase the Calibra of Tamasi.
The closing stages were thrilling as Tamasi held the Aston Martin at bay with lapped traffic coming into play. It appeared the Victorian had held on, but as the pair entered the Wakefield Park fishhook for the final time, Tamasi was held up giving Heimgartner the opportunity to sweep through to take the win.
Behind, Shiels finished a strong third in the Joe Said-owned Fiat to lead home the state contenders leaving Lacey and Inwood to complete the top five.
Tamasi leaves Wakefield Park in the series lead ahead of Lacey and Robinson, who finished sixth in the final.
