Newer Article (archived) |
[V8UTE] Wimmer takes maiden Ute victory
by Sean Henshelwood
(Archived)
Wimmer takes maiden V8 Ute Series victory
Mount Panorama, Bathurst - 11 October, 2008
Young Queenslander Kurt Wimmer took one of the biggest wins of his career, on the biggest stage in the country after winning the reverse-grid Yokohama V8 Ute Series race at Mount Panorama this morning.
Off the front row of the grid alongside pole-sitter and Global Trader team-mate Ryal Harris, Wimmer drove a sensible race, shadowing Harris for the early laps, before making his move on what would be the final competitive lap of the race.
Behind the pair, title contenders Layton Crambrook, Grant Johnson and Kim Jane were forced to battle through the midfield, Jane making the most of his better starting position to be on the leading pair by lap five, however he was unable to get to the lead after the race was slowed behind the pace-car on lap six as a result of Johnson's contact with Ute veteran Charlie Kovacs at Forrest Elbow.
A tightly bunched group that included Crambrook, Gary Baxter, Jack Elsegood, Clint Harvey and George Miedecke had been captivating the huge Bathurst crowd, with Miedecke forcing the most attention with his aggresive move on Johnson for position at Murray's Corner.
On the final racing lap though, Kovacs, who was immediately in front of Johnson, understeered hard into the outside wall at the 'Elbow', leaving Johnson with nowhere to go, the resultant contact ultimately claiming both cars.
They weren't the only victims of the corner though, talented Victorian driver Shanan Sidebottom also coming to grief at Forrest's on the opening lap, just clipping the wall on the exit of the corner with the right front, the damage though enough to eliminate him from the race.
With the Johnson/Kovacs incident causing concern for officials, and a smoking Greg Willis rolling to a stop on the run up Mountain Straight, officials had little choice but to call out the pace car, which ultimately set the final result.
Yokohama V8 Ute Series
Rnd#7, Mount Panorama, Bathurst
Race Two – 11 October, 2008
1. Kurt Wimmer (Global Traders Commodore)
2. Ryal Harris (Global Trader Commodore)
3. Kim Jane (Trading Post/Bob Jane T-Marts Commodore)
4. Colin Corkery (Supercharge Falcon)
5. Gary Baxter (SAGE Automation Commodore)
6. Craig Dontas (Ideal Electrical Falcon)
7. Layton Crambrook (Mother Energy Drink Falcon)
8. Clint Harvey (N&L Transport Commodore)
9. George Miedecke (Lubrimaxx Falcon)
10. Jack Elsegood (Coopers Pale Ale Falcon)
11. Stephen Robinson (Vanuatuland.com Falcon)
12. Gary MacDonald (Kanga Loaders Commodore)
13. Glenn McNally (West Coast Racing Commodore)
14. Ben Dunn (Storage King Falcon)
15. Justin van Twest (Capalaba Wreckers Falcon)
16. Ben Kavich (Grease Monkey Motorsport)
17. Wayne Lamont (Lamont Constructions Commodore)
18. George Elliot (Vittoria Coffee Commodore)
19. Yanis Derums (Kanga Loaders Commodore)
20. Brad Patton (Ideal Electrical Falcon)
21. Steve Hodges (ISRI Truck Seats Commodore)
22. Robert Jarvis (BVC Racing Falcon)
23. Denis Cribben (Madashell Motorsport Falcon)
24. Warren Millet (Wake Up Backpackers Commodore)
25. Michael Bartsch (Bartsch Builder Falcon)
26. Peter Burnitt (Ideal Electrical Falcon)
27. Andrew Fisher (Jesus All About Life Falcon)
DNF. Nandi Kiss (JFTA/PROTEC Commodore)
DNF. Charlie Kovacs (Red Express Commodore)
DNF. Grant Johnson (Grove Juices Commodore)
DNF. Greg Willis (Grove Juices Falcon)
DNF. Shanan Sidebottom (Green Petroleum Commodore)
| Newer Article (archived) | |
| Browse 'NATIONAL' | |
| Browse 'NATIONAL' Archive | |
