 |
|
| Home | Features | Records | Online Store | Media | Careers | Contact Us |
Back to July 2011 Motorsports News Archive
| 07-07-2011 at 09:00: Wakefield 300 | |
|
The 2.2 kilometre Goulburn circuit is extremely spectator friendly, and suitable for this type of event, as the entire circuit can be viewed from all spectator points, and from inside cars on grass banks. With the aid of new rules implemented by race organisers, this year’s event will certainly be one of the most interesting. Based on qualifying times, cars that brake 54 seconds will be required to make a second five-minute compulsory pit stop (CPS). Already there is one CPS in place for 5 minutes, when cars can be refuelled. For those having to make the second stop it should cost them four laps, which will help create more excitement. There are only two cars that are expected to make the extra stop. They are a Lotus Exige to be driven by Sydney’s Andrew McPherson and Matt Bolton, two very experienced campaigners and a Mazda RX-7 powered by a 6-litre Chev engine, with Steve Anslow and the very well known Mazda specialist Ric Shaw driving. Both of these cars have lapped Wakefield Park in the 62 second bracket so they should earn themselves a second stop. Of the chasers, and there are many capable of running lower than 67 second laps, like the Future Racers, with three entered. They are all front runners in their category, with Rod and Jade Barnes in the City Group Racer, 2008 race winner Chris Clearihan driving the Braddon Auto Mart entry and Nathan Jess, the only person to have won the 300 twice (2008/09) in his Canberra Hydraulics Racer, all from nearby Canberra. Clearihan’s co driver is Victorian Kosi Kalaitzidis, a former Australian production car champion, while Matthew Thompson another Victorian is driving with Jess. Also from Victoria are two very fast Volvo’s entered by RRS Tyres Richard Renato Service, with Sheppartons Richard Renato joining Phil Portea in a European Cup Sv0, and Lou Renato and sports sedan racer from Sydney Allan Tillet driving the former factory Volvo L40 driven in production car races by the late Peter Brock. The 2010 race saw the Mazda MX5’s dominate, with the MX5 Mania cars taking a solid 1-2, helped in part by the wet weather, but they will be quicker again this year and they have three cars. Dural’s defending champion David Raddatz and Shane Otten are together again in the #1 car, Rob Hay and Nick Cancian in the second placed car from 2010, and father and son team Steve and Jake Shelley in a car with identical specs to the Raddatz and Hay cars. There is a fourth MX5 also in with a shot of victory, the Hydrawash entry for Michael Hall and Steven Head. A real surprise packet in this year’s event just may be from another Victorian team with a Mini Challenge entered. Henry Draper and Linda Devlin will drive the Mini. Draper is a seriously experienced endurance driver, and when the Mini Challenge last ran at Wakefield Park the top four cars in qualifying were in the 65-second bracket. No endurance race would be worth running unless there was the sound of a V8 thumping around the track, and the Wakefield 300 is no different. Apart from the Anslow/Shaw V8 RX-7, there is the 5.7 litre VH Holden Commodore of Terry Denovan / Mark Morsillo, both regular Wakefield Park competitors but their first run in the 300, and a 5 litre Holden VL Walkinshaw driven by 300 rookies Brett Stevenson/Phillip Bunter. There is even a Holden Torana A9X that competed last year and surprised in the wet conditions. It will be driven by Alan Moses, Steve Fricker and a third driver this year in Gareth Stokes. Proving the race has a bit of everything, it even has its own V8 ute contest with Merrick Malouf sharing his Ford XR8 ute with Quenslander Shane Hunt, and Bryan Fitzpatrick / Daniel Flanigan in a VY Holden ute. Among other cars in the race are a Nissan R32, Mazda 3 MPS, BMW M3, Toyota Yaris, Proton Satria, Peugeot GT5 and Mazda RX7’s (rotary powered). The meeting will also conduct a full support card, with the feature events the Hopwood 100 for HQ Holdens on Saturday and Steve Aaron Memorial for Superkarts on Sunday. Story by Brian Nightingale |
This weekend’s Wakefield 300, now in its sixth year, will see up to 40 starters in an incredible wide range of cars released from behind the safety car at 1.20pm on Sunday to get this year’s much anticipated race underway.
^ Back to top ^
|
Login
 Forgot my password! |
|
Copyright © All Vic Pty. Ltd. 2007-2024 |
Terms of Use | Home | Features | Records | Online Store | Media | Careers | Contact Us |