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AUSSIES TAKE FIRST TRANS-TASMAN CHALLENGE
A POWERFUL victory to Glenn Seton has handed Australia the first ever Wilson Trans-Tasman Challenge as the Touring Car Masters and Central Muscle Cars went head to head at Mount Panorama.
The third and final race of the weekend saw the TCM competitors take one side of the grid and CMC runners the other the grid determined from the finishing positions of the opening race of the weekend.
Glenn Seton and Dean Perkins raced wheel-to-wheel into the opening corner the big red XD Falcon slipping in behind the Bathurst legend on the run into turn two.
Bruce Anderson (Pinepac Mustang) was the only driver with any serious dramas at turn one the Mustang hardtop squeezed wide at Hell corner – catching the damp grass on the outside of the circuit and spinning up the escape road without any damage.
Seton powered away on the opening lap Perkins and fellow Kiwi Falcon racer John Midgley leading a freight train that included John Bowe Steven Johnson Adam Bressington Mark King and Brett Youlden.
Midgely held third until the fourth lap when he locked a brake at Hell corner and ran wide through the gravel trap making contact with the wall and ultimately retiring his Falcon after a storming drive at the pointy end of the field.
As Seton charged away in front Bowe continued to battle with Perkins – only able to sneak through on the fifth of six laps after finally overcoming the power of the Kiwi Falcon.
Bowe pushed hard on the final lap and set the race’s fastest lap – only 0.1s behind the lap record held by Steven Johnson – and closed the margin to the leader down to just 2.5 seconds at the line.
The Thunder Road Racing Team Australia driver recorded his third TCM race win at Bathurst and fourth of the season as the series heads into the final round – set for the streets of Sydney Olympic Park in December this year. ÂÂ
Adam Bressington finished third working his way past Perkins on the final lap after a bold move down the inside at Forrests Elbow.
The Whiteline Racing Camaro was quickly re-passed as the pair ran side-by-side down Conrod but with superior top-end grunt re-took the position before they entered the chase for the final time.
It capped off a stunning weekend for the Camaro ace who has impressed since his return to the category earlier this year.
Perkins survived to fourth place proudly flying the Kiwi flag all weekend long and ending it with his best drive of the weekend. ÂÂ
Ever-competitive and at the pointy end of the grid Steven Johnson finished fifth Mark King sixth and Adam Garwood seventh.
The young Tasmanian completed a superb weekend with his third straight starring performance thanks to a charge through the field – the little Capri only 12th at the end of the opening lap.
Brett Youlden’s strong weekend saw him rewarded with 8th place in the Trans-Tasman challenge race Jason Gomersall finished 9th and David Hopper third of the Kiwi cars home in 10th.
With points awarded to each car based on their country of origin Australia won the inaugural Wilson Trans-Tasman Trophy 505 points to New Zealand’s 354.
In an enormous compliment to all competitors all three races and 18 laps of racing went without Safety Car interruption while both practice sessions were held without the need of a red flag.
RACE 3 RESULTS – WILSON TRANS TASMAN CHALLENGE
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Pos Car Competitor/Team Driver Vehicle Cap CL Laps Race.Time Fastest...Lap1 30 Thunder Road Racing Team Austr Glenn Seton (QLD) Ford Mustang Coupe 5000 AUS 6 14:02.7945 5 2:19.5899 2 18 Wilson Security / PAYCE John Bowe (VIC) Holden Torana SL/R 5047 AUS 6 14:05.1688 6 2:18.6711*3 95 Whiteline Racing / Fabre Austr Adam Bressington (NSW) Chevrolet Camaro SS 5800 AUS 6 14:09.0947 4 2:19.6810 4 175 Perkins Racing Team Dean Perkins (NZ) Ford Falcon 5800 NZ 6 14:09.4101 3 2:20.3529 5 17 Synergy Race Engines Steve Johnson (QLD) Ford Falcon XY GTHO 5800 AUS 6 14:09.8640 4 2:19.8063 6 85 Whiteline Racing / King Spring Mark King (QLD) Chevrolet Camaro RS 5800 AUS 6 14:10.2023 4 2:20.5789 7 21 Giraffe Civil Contracting Adam Garwood (TAS) Ford Capri Perana 5800 AUS 6 14:13.7644 3 2:20.0271 8 56 Gabriel Shock Absorbers Brett Youlden (VIC) Holden Monaro GTS C 5800 AUS 6 14:14.0804 5 2:21.1103 9 35 iseek Racing Jason Gomersall (QLD) Holden Torana A9X H 5000 AUS 6 14:14.3193 3 2:20.7716 10 160 Hopper Car Construction David Hopper (NZ) Chevrolet Camaro 6000 NZ 6 14:14.9612 4 2:21.0745 11 2 Shannons Insurance Jim Richards (VIC) AMC Javelin 5898 AUS 6 14:23.6889 5 2:20.1117 12 88 TIFS - Warehousing & Distribut Tony Karanfilovski (NSW) Ford Mustang Trans A 5800 AUS 6 14:36.6761 4 2:22.2876 13 44 Colin Meadows Racing Team Colin Meadows (NZ) Chevrolet Camaro SS 6000 NZ 6 14:45.3528 4 2:24.0611 14 52 Outbound Racing / wheels.com.p Keith Kassulke (QLD) Holden Monaro GTS C 5800 AUS 6 14:45.5948 4 2:23.9523 15 60 Glennan Transport/ANGLOMOIL Lu Cameron Tilley (NSW) Valiant Pacer 4390 AUS 6 14:46.8922 4 2:24.1229 16 66 Vernon & Vazey Truck Parts Steven Ross (NZ) Holden Commodore VK 6653 NZ 6 14:47.3206 4 2:26.5212 17 48 Melbourne's Cheapest Cars Eddie Abelnica (VIC) Ford Falcon XB Coupe 5800 AUS 6 14:58.6598 6 2:20.1562 18 43 Wasn't Me Racing Tony Galbraith (NZ) Valiant Charger 6555 NZ 6 15:08.8102 2 2:27.9054 19 77 Dirty Boys Just Dig It Duane Ingley (NZ) Dodge Challenger 5800 NZ 6 15:12.8756 6 2:28.1639 20 27 Burger Fuel Wellington Tristan Teki (NZ) Chevrolet Camaro 6700 NZ 6 15:14.0103 6 2:27.7414 21 70 Ray White Real Estate Brendan Mason (NZ) Chevrolet Camaro SS 6600 NZ 6 15:16.0039 6 2:26.2299 22 165 GDM Retail Systems Michael Eden (NZ) Ford Falcon 6000 NZ 6 15:17.4107 6 2:27.1479 23 4 Skye Sands Rusty French (VIC) Ford Mustang Fastbac 5800 AUS 6 15:17.4287 5 2:27.1184 24 10 Sunliner RV Tony Hunter (VIC) Chevrolet Monza 2+2 6000 AUS 6 15:18.9381 5 2:26.8790 25 33 Class Harvest Centre Otago Steve Scoles (NZ) Chevrolet Camaro 6000 NZ 6 15:19.4659 6 2:27.0006 26 169 Pinepac E Frame Bruce Anderson (NZ) Ford Mustang Fastbac 5866 NZ 6 15:20.8771 6 2:25.6102 27 74 Lyndways Builders Wayne Mercer (VIC) Ford Falcon XY GTHO 5800 AUS 6 15:20.9047 5 2:27.9071 28 46 THD Motorsport Leo Tobin (VIC) Ford Boss Mustang 5000 AUS 6 15:21.8519 6 2:28.0087 29 168 Case IH Mark Holland (NZ) Chevrolet Camaro 6718 NZ 6 15:23.3454 6 2:28.3854 30 121 Steve Hildred Motors Steve Hildred (NZ) Holden Monaro 6000 NZ 6 15:23.8667 6 2:27.8685 31 97 Johns Furniture Removals Allen Boughen (QLD) Mercury Comet 4736 AUS 6 15:25.4958 6 2:27.9508 32 22 Aussie Muscle Car Run / PRT Fa Nigel Benson (SA) Holden Monaro GTS C 5800 AUS 6 15:26.3344 6 2:28.1265 33 167 PPG Steve Noyer (NZ) Ford Mustang 5000 NZ 6 15:29.6185 6 2:29.0632 34 130 Team West Cam Crawford (NZ) Ford XA Hardtop 6100 NZ 6 15:58.3193 5 2:33.0003 35 19 Tincone Industrial Services Darren Beale (QLD) Holden Monaro GTS C 5800 AUS 6 15:59.5600 5 2:31.5837 36 888 TDM Calvin Andrew (NZ) Holden Commodore VK 5000 NZ 6 16:15.8265 6 2:35.5359 37 117 Dannevirke Honda Greg Cuttance (NZ) Ford Falcon 6718 NZ 6 16:34.8158 5 2:42.0091 38 118 Chesters Greg Holden (NZ) Ford Falcon 5625 NZ 5 14:07.1255 5 2:41.8491 39 26 STL Sean Fowler (NZ) Holden Torana SL/R 6000 NZ 5 14:08.9907 5 2:43.1572 40 02 Hawk Brake Pads Dave Roberts (USA) Chevrolet Camaro SS 5800 US 5 14:24.4139 4 2:46.8038 41 13 Kumeu Village Medical Centre John Elliott (NZ) Holden Torana XU1 3310 NZ 5 14:55.5507 3 2:56.0489 DNF 119 Central Muscle Cars NZ John Midgley (NZ) Ford Falcon 6735 NZ 4 9:51.4458 3 2:20.3696 DNF 25 Maxi-Trans Trailers Paul Freestone (VIC) Chevrolet Camaro 5800 AUS 4 10:17.5505 3 2:25.9379 DNF 135 Central Muscle Cars NZ Grant Dalton (NZ) Chevrolet Camaro Z28 6500 NZ 3 8:21.7063 2 2:43.3350 DNF 622 Tony Barrow Racing Tony Barrow (NZ) Holden Commodore VK 5700 NZ 1 3:24.3008 DNF 49 Clarke Machine Hire Paul Clarke (NZ) Ford Mustang 6000 NZ 1 5:54.8387