Bathurst support categories put on memorable show

Wednesday 11 October, 2023
Photos: Edge Photographics/MTR Images/Priceless Images
The Repco Bathurst 1000 took centre stage on Sunday afternoon, with all motorsport fans around the country keeping an eye on the iconic race.
 
And while the famous Repco Supercars Championship race was the main event for the weekend, there were plenty of other categories putting on a show for the travelling fans and those watching via the broadcast.
 
Re-live the results from each of the five categories on the jam-packed support bill.

Paynter Dixon Porsche Carrera Cup Australia

British driver Harry King enjoyed a dream debut at the famous Mount Panorama circuit, coming away from the weekend with a clean sweep of victories.
 
The 22-year-old proved just too good for the field of 30 drivers in the popular one-make championship, as he won three tight races against 2022 champion Harri Jones and broke the lap record in the process – a remarkable achievement considering he had never raced at Mount Panorama.
 
King and Jones were the two stand-out performers for the whole weekend, with the latter getting the edge in Qualifying to secure pole position with a record-breaking run of the famous six-kilometre track.
 
It didn’t take King long to snatch the lead off Jones though, with a pass on the opening lap being followed by the Brit leading the way for the rest of the race, while Chris van der Drift slotted into third after issues to Vidau.
 
The top three would stay the same for the rest of the weekend, with King beating Jones by just three-tenths in the second race before a new lap record in the final race helped him secure the clean sweep over Jones by five-tenths.
 
It was a similar story in the category’s Pro-Am class, as Liam Talbot enjoyed a perfect weekend of wins over Adrian Flack, while Matthew Belford finished in third place at the expense of Sam Shahin.

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Dunlop Super2/Super3 Series

Eggleston Motorsport’s Kai Allen won the latest round of the Dunlop Super2/Super3 Series after a thrilling battle with Zak Best.
 
Just three points separated the two drivers at the conclusion of the race meeting with Allen taking out top honours thanks to a victory in the second race of the weekend.
 
Having qualified on the front row alongside polesitter in Best, Allen dropped down a place in the opening race of the weekend as Aaron Love stormed to the lead after four laps into the race and claimed the victory.
 
Love’s luck didn’t last though as he crashed out during the second race, while Best eventually crossed the line in top spot and four seconds ahead of Allen – only to be demoted down to second following a five-second post-race penalty and elevating Allen to the win.
 
Finishing the weekend in third place was Zach Bates, while Ford Mustang drivers Aaron Cameron and Brad Vaughan made up the top five.
 
Cameron McLeod was victorious in Super3 after two wins from two races, beating Jobe Stewart and Mason Kelly in both affairs.

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Haltech V8 SuperUte Series 

Aaron Borg was in true form at Mount Panorama, taking the round win ahead of Ryal Harris and Adam Marjoram in an intriguing battle.
 
The ACDelco/Sieders Racing Team driver made it a birthday to remember after picking up a victory in race one, which was also the 100th race of the dual-cab era of the series, while Harris finished behind Borg’s Sieders Racing Team teammate David Seiders.
 
The grid was reversed for the second of four outings, but this time it was Harris who took out the win after charging through the field in an impressive display, while Borg and Marjoram finished second and third respectively.
 
The top three remained the same for race three, with Harris again taking the win ahead of Borg while Morjoram.
 
A race win for either Borg or Harris would have been enough for round honours, but it was the former who eventually took out the round thanks to an early pass on Harris that ultimately sealed the deal. 

 

Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series

Ryan Casha just missed out on the perfect weekend after the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series winner won two of the three races.
 
Casha was too good for the huge 32-car field, as his dominance started in qualifying when he claimed pole position by almost two-tenths over Jack Westbury.
 
Casha then led the field from lights out to the chequered flag in races one and two, leading Clay Richards across the line in the opener and Cody Burcher in the second race.
 
The round winner came ever so close to completing the clean sweep in the final race, however, Burcher managed to snatch the lead off him on the final lap to win an epic battle by just two-tenths.
 
Fortunately for Casha, the second place proved enough to win the round as Burcher solidified second on the standings, while two consecutive third-place finishes was enough for Richards to finish third.

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Precision National Sport Sedan Series

Precision National Sport Sedan Series legend Tony Ricciardello has bounced back in the series to take out the round victory in Bathurst.
 
With Jordan Caruso having enjoyed round honours in Queensland recently, Ricciardello enjoyed a return to Victory Lane, courtesy of wins in races two and three.
 
Finishing second in the opening race behind Steve Tamasi, a DNF to Tamasi in race two elevated Ricciardello to top spot where he steered his famous 1984 Alfa Romeo GTV across the line ahead of Caruso.
 
While Tamasi managed to climb his way back up the order in the final race, he could only get as high as fourth place as Ricciardello’s victory over Caruso earned him the overall round victory.
 
Finishing the round in third place behind Caruso was Ashley Jarvis, while Tamasi ended up in seventh overall.

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