The third round of the 2017 Shannons Nationals is done and dusted, after what was a great day of national series racing at a sunny Winton Motor Raceway.
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia presented by Pirelli
Jordan Love has had a clean-sweep of race wins in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia, taking both of today’s victories at Winton.
Love, who has now extended his lead in the outright series and Professional class, led both of today’s races from start to finish, while all of the battles unfolded behind him.
Debutant Peter Major was second for the round, branding himself as one of the new drivers to beat in the series.
Brenton Grove rounded out the podium for the weekend, while Anthony Gilbertson finished fourth for the round and came home first in the Elite class.
Gilbertson’s fellow South Australians John Karytinos and Sam Shahin finished fifth and sixth respectively for the round.
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia will now prepare for their fourth round of their 2017 season, as they head to Sydney Motorsport Park on 7 July.
Australian Production Car Series
Chaz Mostert and Nathan Morcom have claimed the round win in the Australian Production Car Series, after taking out the final 300km race at Winton.
Their RS Focus managed one-better from yesterday, with Mostert holding off yesterday’s pole sitter Rick Bates in the closing stages of the second race.
The race started with pressure from yesterday’s race winner Will Brown, with the young driver taking the lead from Morcom early in the race.
Unfortunately towards the end of the race, the Rod Salmon/Brown entry suffered mechanical issues and missed the podium.
Dimitri Agathos and Lachlan Gibbons although had a personal best result, with the pairing finishing third in the final race.
Scott Gore was fourth outright and won Class B1, while Tyler Everingham and Michael Almond triumphed in Class C, taking the win for the class after not starting yesterday.
Dominic Martens and James Keene wrapped up Class D, with Leigh and Gerry Burges taking out the Invitational class.
A2 winners were Vince Ciallella and Chris Lillis, while Class E winners were Jason Walsh and Paul Currie.
The Australian Production Car Series returns to the Shannons Nationals at Sydney Motorsport Park for their third round on 7 July.
Australian Prototype Series
Jason Makris not only took his first pole position and race win during the second round of the Australian Prototype Series, but also his first round win in the series.
The Queenslander drove his West WX10 to another two victories today, fending off his eager rivals in two nail-biting races.
Aaron Steer kept Makris honest in Race 3, but was unable to get through to the front.
While in Race 2, it was F1000 racer Terry Peovitis who was on Makris’ tail, as the pair battled hard for the race lead.
Steer’s strong effort in the final race saw him on the podium with second for the round, with Peovitis rounding out the top three standings.
Current series leader Philip Hughes finished fourth for the round, ahead of Gerrit Ruff, Philip Tan and John-Paul Drake.
The Australian Prototype Series now heads to Sydney Motorsport Park for their third round on 7 July.
CAMS Australian GT Trophy Series presented by Pirelli
Steve McLaughlan has taken both of today’s race wins in the Australian GT Trophy Series, handing him the round victory at Winton.
McLaughlan kept his Audi R8 clean in the two races, taking the clean-sweep after qualifying second yesterday.
In Race 2 he was forced to work hard for his win, pressuring Matthew Stoupas into a mistake on the penultimate lap.
Rod Salmon was also in the thick of the action, leading the opening race and also catching the lead pack in the final laps of Race 2, but made a mistake and ended in the gravel.
Rick Mensa had a breakthrough weekend, coming home with third overall.
Travers Beynon will also leave Winton with a personal best result, after finishing fourth for the round.
Technical issues and race incidents left the favourites Rio Nugara and Jake Fouracre without a result, after the qualifying their Audi R8 on pole yesterday.
The Australian GT Trophy Series will return to the Shannons Nationals for the third round at Queensland Raceway on 5 August.
Click here to watch a replay of today’s racing at Winton Motor Raceway
The Shannons Nationals now heads to New South Wales for the fourth round of the season, to be held at Sydney Motorsport Park on 7-9 July.
