News
Jun 28, 2012
Category: General
Posted by: Kelli
2012 AUSTRALIAN SALOON CAR SERIES - Round Three Review - Winton Raceway
Holden Commodores hogged the podium at round three of the Dial Before You Dig Australian Saloon Car Series at Winton Raceway on June 24 with category rookie Josh Kean winning from Simon Tabinor and Gavin Ross – all in VTs – at the fourth round of the Shannons Nationals.
Kean, a former bike racing South Australian finished fourth in the first of three races before winning the next two while Victorian Tabinor recorded three second places and fellow Garden State resident Ross posted two thirds and a sixth.
Series leader Matt Lovell, who qualified fastest in his Batteries Direct Ford Falcon AU, won the first race but a first corner incident with Tabinor in race two caused Tabinor’s Eurostar Diesel Holden to spin off. He recovered, and in an inspired drive, stormed back to be third across the line, one spot adrift of Lovell who was subsequently penalised 20 seconds and relegated to twelfth.
The third race produced a race-long duel between Kean and Tabinor where the former led early before being passed by Tabinor. Later the latter went wide at a crucial moment, allowing Kean through and he was able to hold on for victory.
It was Lovell’s turn to charge through the field and he was able to get to fourth when the finish loomed. Where he finished in relation to Tabinor was relative to who would be leading the series at the end of the round. At one stage they looked likely be tied departing the rural Victorian circuit, but in the end Lovell was able to maintain his series lead – by a bare seven points.
The track was wet for race one where Tabinor challenged Lovell throughout but was forced to shadow him across the line. Ross was on his own for third in his Blackwell Race Engines/Woolworths Benalla Commodore while Kean nearly lost control of his Crash Australia VT out of turn two and surrendered fourth to the Matt Palmer Commodore.
For the entire race these two plus four battled it out for custodian of the fourth place. Eventually it went to Kean over Sam Milton’s AU, Palmer, Luke Westall (AU), Lindorff and the Harley Phelan Holden.
Milton and Ross entertained in their battle for fourth in the second race where track conditions were drying, with the judges’ nod going to the Ford driver while Westall bested Lindorff and Palmer to take sixth. Shaun Woodhouse (VT) scored his first top ten result ahead of Mark Primmer’s Dial Before You Dig Falcon.
Ross chased the leading two Holdens from the start of race three but was turned around at turn six – which allowed several through. Milton inherited third but faded to seventh by race’s conclusion as Lindorff headed Lovell, Palmer and Ross while Robert Lonie (VT) and Phelan completed the top ten.
Series veteran Geoff Brown was twelfth for the round, his efforts thwarted by two spins in race one, finishing ahead of Brett Cambell’s AU, Westall who didn’t start race three, Ian Chivas, Kelli Stephens, and Rebecca Drummond, all in AUs.
Cameron Moss missed race one when his Ford’s starter motor failed. Aaron Paterson (Trophy Class Commodore VN) and Phil Gray (Trophy Class Falcon EA) both did not finish the second outing and Darren Saddington (VN) was nowhere to be seen in the last. Wayne Patten got one result but the Holden engine cried enough while South Australian Mark Bryan had a crank break on his EA before qualifying and Andy Nowland’s AU was damaged getting to the track.
More information and updates on the Dial Before You Dig Australian Saloon Cars is available at www.salooncars.net.au while complete details on the Shannons Nationals and all its categories can be sourced from www.thenationals.com.au.
Series leader Matt Lovell, who qualified fastest in his Batteries Direct Ford Falcon AU, won the first race but a first corner incident with Tabinor in race two caused Tabinor’s Eurostar Diesel Holden to spin off. He recovered, and in an inspired drive, stormed back to be third across the line, one spot adrift of Lovell who was subsequently penalised 20 seconds and relegated to twelfth.
The third race produced a race-long duel between Kean and Tabinor where the former led early before being passed by Tabinor. Later the latter went wide at a crucial moment, allowing Kean through and he was able to hold on for victory.
It was Lovell’s turn to charge through the field and he was able to get to fourth when the finish loomed. Where he finished in relation to Tabinor was relative to who would be leading the series at the end of the round. At one stage they looked likely be tied departing the rural Victorian circuit, but in the end Lovell was able to maintain his series lead – by a bare seven points.
The track was wet for race one where Tabinor challenged Lovell throughout but was forced to shadow him across the line. Ross was on his own for third in his Blackwell Race Engines/Woolworths Benalla Commodore while Kean nearly lost control of his Crash Australia VT out of turn two and surrendered fourth to the Matt Palmer Commodore.
For the entire race these two plus four battled it out for custodian of the fourth place. Eventually it went to Kean over Sam Milton’s AU, Palmer, Luke Westall (AU), Lindorff and the Harley Phelan Holden.
Milton and Ross entertained in their battle for fourth in the second race where track conditions were drying, with the judges’ nod going to the Ford driver while Westall bested Lindorff and Palmer to take sixth. Shaun Woodhouse (VT) scored his first top ten result ahead of Mark Primmer’s Dial Before You Dig Falcon.
Ross chased the leading two Holdens from the start of race three but was turned around at turn six – which allowed several through. Milton inherited third but faded to seventh by race’s conclusion as Lindorff headed Lovell, Palmer and Ross while Robert Lonie (VT) and Phelan completed the top ten.
Series veteran Geoff Brown was twelfth for the round, his efforts thwarted by two spins in race one, finishing ahead of Brett Cambell’s AU, Westall who didn’t start race three, Ian Chivas, Kelli Stephens, and Rebecca Drummond, all in AUs.
Cameron Moss missed race one when his Ford’s starter motor failed. Aaron Paterson (Trophy Class Commodore VN) and Phil Gray (Trophy Class Falcon EA) both did not finish the second outing and Darren Saddington (VN) was nowhere to be seen in the last. Wayne Patten got one result but the Holden engine cried enough while South Australian Mark Bryan had a crank break on his EA before qualifying and Andy Nowland’s AU was damaged getting to the track.
More information and updates on the Dial Before You Dig Australian Saloon Cars is available at www.salooncars.net.au while complete details on the Shannons Nationals and all its categories can be sourced from www.thenationals.com.au.
