Marco Manson has taken control of the AU4 Championship with one round remaining after an entertaining fourth round at The Bend’s International Circuit, with just six points separating the top two heading into the season finale.
Manson leaves South Australia on 255 points, ahead of Jensen Marold on 249, while William Beck sits third on 111 in the Gen2 standings.
In Gen1, Jackson Culver has also moved to the top of the standings, holding a one-point advantage over Koby Wilson.
Marold once again set the benchmark in qualifying, taking Race 1 pole with a 1:49.618.
However, a series of penalties for failing to respond to a double yellow flag dramatically altered the grid, with Marold, Joe Imbrogno, Brock Burton, Angus Baills, De’argo Stewart and Luca Cosolo all penalised.
William Beck inherited pole and converted it into a strong start, but Manson quickly moved into the lead.
A late Safety Car compressed the field, with Babbage-Hockey briefly moving into second before spinning after contact with Burton.
Manson held firm to win by 3.78 seconds from Burton, with Marold third. Wilson claimed Gen1 honours from Culver.
Marold bounced back emphatically in Race 2, making a lightning start to pass both Beck and Manson before pulling clear.
Despite further incidents involving Baills and Wilson, Marold remained unchallenged and secured his first victory of the weekend by 5.310 seconds. He also set the race’s fastest lap with a 1:51.321.
Babbage-Hockey completed the Gen2 podium with his first top-three finish of the season, while Culver took another Gen1 win.
Drama struck Marold before Race 3 when a clutch failure less than an hour before the start forced him to begin from pit lane.
Imbrogno led early from the front row before a mistake allowed Manson through, while Marold began a determined recovery through the field.
Manson eventually held off Imbrogno by just 0.486 seconds to claim his second victory of the round. Imbrogno set the fastest lap, with Beck third and Marold fifth after charging back through the field.
Wilson won Gen1 in Race 3, but Gotch was later disqualified for a tyre infringement, promoting Rixon Salvino to third.
Manson’s 68-point haul secured the Gen2 round victory, ahead of Marold on 52 and debutant Imbrogno on 41. Culver won Gen1 with 64 points.
The AU4 Championship now heads to Queensland Raceway for its fifth and final round of 2026 from September 25–27, with both Gen1 and Gen2 titles still firmly up for grabs.
