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James Golding tops the tables as S5000 heads towards Season 2
VALVOLINE Garry Rogers Motorsport driver James Golding might not be the defending champion, but he does lead the way when it comes to the numbers behind the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship.
The Victorian ace leads a vast majority of the S5000 record books following its first full year of racing, which included four Gold Star rounds and two competing for the Shannons Tasman Series.
Six rounds, 19 races and 231 laps of competition were contested throughout 2021; a total of more than 860km of racing.
Golding’s six race victories – three each in the Gold Star and Tasman Series, respectively – make him S5000’s most winning driver.
Tim Macrow (4 wins), Joey Mawson (3) and Kaleb Ngatoa (2) are next on the winners list, which includes eight different drivers from the 19 races held in 2021.
Golding also leads the way in top three race finishes, with nine from his 19 race starts.
His teammate Nathan Herne has eight podiums to his credit but is yet to win an S5000 race, while 2021 Gold Star winner Mawson also finished in the top three on eight occasions last year.
10 of the 19 drivers to start an S5000 race last year recorded a top three race finish, showcasing the competitive depth of the field.
Golding also holds the lead in the laps led tally, taking point for 51 of the 231 racing laps completed last season.
That puts him one in front of Tim Macrow, while Mawson led 42 laps – all of them within the first nine races of the 2021 Gold Star season.
Mawson holds sway on the fastest laps tally (5), ahead of teammate Thomas Randle and Golding, with three each.
As a result, Mawson holds the S5000 lap records at Symmons Plains, Phillip Island and Sandown, respectively – the Symmons Plains benchmark also the outright lap record for the historic venue.
Golding holds the S5000 records at Sydney Motorsport Park and Mount Panorama, Bathurst, respectively.
Golding’s 1m59.8375s best in the first Bathurst race stands as the first sub-two minute lap of Mount Panorama set in racing conditions.
Race Tasmania will launch the 2022 Australian motorsport season featuring Supercheap Auto TCR Australia, S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship and the Turtle Wax Trans Am Series.
Make sure you get your tickets through Moshtix.