Independent Race Series News
Morgan Park - Day Two
Conditions at Morgan Park were ideal for most of Saturday for Independent Race Series practice and qualifying. A little bit of wind and a few drops of rain made way for fine conditions in the afternoon.
The action on the circuit was mixed. The Formula Tasman and Le Mans Sports field was quite small, and Sam Dale set the fastest time in his Reynard 94D, with a 1m04.9s lap. John Biddlecombe in his Saker clocked a 1m13.4s lap.
In the RocketSports and Future Racers, local star Robert Free set the pace, with a 1m10.4s lap, holding out the Holden Roadster-mounted Graham Smith. Biddlecombe in the Saker was next fastest, with Clive O'Connor taking fourth in another Holden Roadster (1m16.6s).
The categories with the greatest amount of jostling were Production Racing Cars and Touring Car Challenge.
In the Production Racing Cars, most of the field is covered by just 6 seconds, and there are 8 cars covered by just 3 seconds - the action should be hot on Sunday! Anthony Soole took pole in his Lotus Elise (1m12.4s), Hans Riehs got his Mini Cooper S really moving to take second (1m14.1s), just edging out Clark Stott in his Mazda 3 MPS (1m14.9s). Richard Mork took 4th, John Willmington 5th, Neil Byers 6th, newcomer Josh Riehs 7th, Malcolm Rea 8th, James Flanagan 9th, Nick Chambers 10th, and newcomers Carly Black and Candace Shafell filled 11th and 12th.
In the Touring Car Challenge and Muscle Division, Darren Saillard set the fastest time, but it almost didn't happen - Saillard was fighting a gearbox problem which forced him to drive with one hand while he used the other to hold the car in gear! Saillard still managed a blistering 1m04.4s lap. Richard Mork was next quickest, with a 1m08.0s lap, Gary Leaton in 3rd, Phil Groeneveld 4th, and a relieved David Gardner in 5th. Gardner had his throttle jam wide open at the end of the straight, and his quick reactions saw him pull up just short of contact with the tyre barrier. Next up was the two-wheeling Joe McGinnes in his XY Falcon, followed by Merrick Malouf in his V8 Falcon Ute.
Onboard video from Dave Gardner's V8 Supercar will be available shortly on the iRace Blip TV page - click here to view.
A live gallery of photos from the event is available. Visit the iRace gallery here. Or you can access the images directly through the iRace Flickr gallery, where you can download the full resolution versions for printing or reproduction.
The weather looks good again for tomorrow, when all the action is scheduled to happen at the exciting Morgan Park circuit.
The action on the circuit was mixed. The Formula Tasman and Le Mans Sports field was quite small, and Sam Dale set the fastest time in his Reynard 94D, with a 1m04.9s lap. John Biddlecombe in his Saker clocked a 1m13.4s lap.
In the RocketSports and Future Racers, local star Robert Free set the pace, with a 1m10.4s lap, holding out the Holden Roadster-mounted Graham Smith. Biddlecombe in the Saker was next fastest, with Clive O'Connor taking fourth in another Holden Roadster (1m16.6s).The categories with the greatest amount of jostling were Production Racing Cars and Touring Car Challenge.
In the Production Racing Cars, most of the field is covered by just 6 seconds, and there are 8 cars covered by just 3 seconds - the action should be hot on Sunday! Anthony Soole took pole in his Lotus Elise (1m12.4s), Hans Riehs got his Mini Cooper S really moving to take second (1m14.1s), just edging out Clark Stott in his Mazda 3 MPS (1m14.9s). Richard Mork took 4th, John Willmington 5th, Neil Byers 6th, newcomer Josh Riehs 7th, Malcolm Rea 8th, James Flanagan 9th, Nick Chambers 10th, and newcomers Carly Black and Candace Shafell filled 11th and 12th.In the Touring Car Challenge and Muscle Division, Darren Saillard set the fastest time, but it almost didn't happen - Saillard was fighting a gearbox problem which forced him to drive with one hand while he used the other to hold the car in gear! Saillard still managed a blistering 1m04.4s lap. Richard Mork was next quickest, with a 1m08.0s lap, Gary Leaton in 3rd, Phil Groeneveld 4th, and a relieved David Gardner in 5th. Gardner had his throttle jam wide open at the end of the straight, and his quick reactions saw him pull up just short of contact with the tyre barrier. Next up was the two-wheeling Joe McGinnes in his XY Falcon, followed by Merrick Malouf in his V8 Falcon Ute.Onboard video from Dave Gardner's V8 Supercar will be available shortly on the iRace Blip TV page - click here to view.
A live gallery of photos from the event is available. Visit the iRace gallery here. Or you can access the images directly through the iRace Flickr gallery, where you can download the full resolution versions for printing or reproduction.
The weather looks good again for tomorrow, when all the action is scheduled to happen at the exciting Morgan Park circuit.