Round two held at Wakefield Park in Goulburn proved that truck racing can still deal out tough close racing.
A thick blanket of fog had settled over the track over both days, which delayed the start of the races.
As the pea-souper lifted, GLE Racing Kenworth of Shannon Smith hit the track with blistering pace for qualifying, following on from the speed from Round 1. John Hepburn from New Zealand driving the Shane Gray Kenworth took 2nd even after the whole truck caught alight around turn 1. This set Team Quality racing back for the remainder of the day, while they tried to repair the truck with the part they have bought from Auto News and sourced a new engine, which ended in an ‘all-nighter’.
John Hepburn gives a run down of events that just happened to the Kensworth here at Wakefield
In the Team’s Championship, with the #2 Kenworth now out of action, Mitch Quirk in the Isuzu took a demanding foothold on the race and plenty of action in what was really tight, quality racing and the Mack of Prillwitz proved to be a sleeping giant in this series, holding together 2 respectable 2nd place finishes. Shannon Smith in the GLE Racing is becoming more familiar with the rig, picking up the chequered flag in the 2nd race.
Sunday morning, the cold night air on the Goulburn Plains had set about another blanketing, delaying the start, the teams made use of the extra time by what looked like their own Masterchef competition – barbecues fired up, and the mouth watering smells of bacon, eggs and snags filled the pits.
Something amazing happened for race 1. The Team Quality team had worked throughout the night to get the replacement engine in, and be ready for the day. Low and behold, Hepburn dashed down the inside of the final turn under Smith – who had been solid up until then, placing Smith onto the dirty line and sprinting side by side down the straight for the New Zealander to snatch the win and the points.
Michael Coulter had problems with the Isuzu in Race 1, and parked the truck, which saw his weekend cut short.
Race 2 – Zammit negotiated the field from the outset and took the race with a five second lead over Barry Butwell and ten seconds back to Hepburn. Rounding out the field was Bomberle who had a horror race after visiting the grass, and failed to get back into the mix.
In the third, the Kenworth’s made it 1-2-3 after the two Macks missed the start with Hepburn & Zammit went down the inside, and took the lead. Smith, righted his wrongs, being sandwiched between the Macks, which he was able to overcome with a few laps remaining, allowing him to sneak into third posiion. Butwell & Prillwitz was able to keep up with the pack, with all 5 large trucks crossing within 10 seconds.
After their horror start in the last race, the Mack trucks were on pole position for the Super Prix once again. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the power to contain the faster teams. Good clean racing provided moving space over the 10 lap race that was shortened to 6 for time constraints, which allowed Smith and Zammit to tussle it out. Shannon Smith proved just too good in the end as Zammit was making ground falling short by 3 seconds. John Hepburn a further 3 seconds behind and Prillwitz & Butwell rounding out by the length of the straight each.
Next Round at Winton Motor Raceway in Benalla VIC on the weekend of the 26th & 27th September will feature the popular Rigs, Rods & Rides motor showcase for its third year. Attracting hundreds of trucks, hot-rods, and motorcycles all showcased in the paddock with polished chrome, you can find our best Stylish AVG Helmets for all Riders.
