 |
|
| Home | Features | Records | Online Store | Media | Careers | Contact Us |
Back to December 2011 Motorsports News Archive
| 14-12-2011 at 12:00: Young Guns Outdraw Veterans | |
|
They dominated qualifying, had more experienced driver pairings, and with rain forecast they looked to have a natural advantage over the two-wheel drives at the western Sydney racetrack. But victory in a rather soggy six-hour went to the Class B two-wheel drive BMW 335i driven by Nathan Morcom and Chaz Mostert; both 19 year-olds with less than a handful of long-distance races between them. It was the first time that the two young guns had co-driven in an enduro, and the first outright success for the Direct Plasterboard Outlet-Rondo team. Ironically, a mid-race thunderstorm played a significant part in Morcom’s and Mostert’s win. After battling severe tyre wear in the warm, dry early portion of the race, when they ran as low as seventh and a lap down on the leaders, they came on strong once the heavens opened and cooled the track surface. They clawed their way back up the race order with a combination of skilful driving on the track, and brilliant strategy from the pitlane. While the AWD opposition struck every imaginable problem – mechanical failure, excessive fuel consumption, poor pit work and plain bad luck – the orange BMW moved relentlessly forward. In a marathon 76-lap final stint, Mostert caught and passed the Stuart Kostera/Ian Tulloch Lancer to move into second place at the four-and-a-half hour mark. Half an hour later he assumed the lead when the Tony Quinn/Klark Quinn Lancer made its final pit stop. A safety car period in the final half-hour closed up the field before the dash to the chequered flag, but by then there were no serious challengers left. Mostert crossed the Finish line just under nine seconds clear of Kostera, with Klark Quinn a lap down in third place. “It was tough at the start of the race. The tyres lost grip after only 20 laps, and the car was sliding around really badly. It was lucky that there was a safety car on lap 59 because there was no way I could have stayed out until lap 80, which was our original strategy”, said Nathan Morcom. “Then in my second stint the rain came just as the tyres started to go away. They didn’t have much grip in the wet, but I managed to keep the car on the track until I handed over to Chaz at the next safety car. He did a great job to bring the car home in first place. “Thanks to the guys at Morcom Motorsport for preparing a car that didn’t miss a beat all day, and for perfect pit stops during the race.” The winners completed 254 laps of the 2.8km Eastern Creek ‘North’ circuit, a distance of 711.2km. Qualifying (times set by first named drivers) 1. Tony Quinn-Klark Quinn (V.I.P. Petfoods / Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 1m 09.6464s 2. David Wall-Des Wall (East’s Holiday Parks / Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 1m 09.7357s 3. Glenn Seton-Greg Symes (Dodgy Racing / Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 1m 09.8331s 4. Stuart Kostera-Ian Tulloch (TMR Performance / Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) 1m 10.0030s 5. Chaz Mostert-Nathan Morcom (Direct Plasterboard Outlet-Rondo / BMW 335i) 1m 10.3339s Race 1. Nathan Morcom-Chaz Mostert (Direct Plasterboard Outlet-Rondo / BMW 335i) 254 laps 6h 0m 46.2037s 2. Stuart Kostera-Ian Tulloch (TMR Performance / Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) 254 laps 6h 0m 55.1034s 3. Klark Quinn / Tony Quinn (VIP Petfoods / Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 253 laps 6h 0m 48.4531s |
The form guide favoured one of the flock of all-wheel drive Class A cars – six Mitsubishi Lancer EVO’s and a Subaru WRX STi – to win the six-hour production touring car race at Eastern Creek Raceway.^ 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 |