Trans Am
The Trans Am Cup Series delivered three action-packed races at the Ipswich Super440, with Blake Tracey emerging as the overall round winner despite Nash Morris snatching victory in the final race.
Todd Hazelwood dominated the opening race, leading from pole to flag for his first win of the weekend.
Tracey finished second and Tim Blanchard third, while a chaotic opening lap saw several front-runners, including Nathan Herne, Nash Morris and Jarrod Hughes, caught up in an incident at Turn 2.
Race 2 produced another dramatic start, with Brock Paine emerging from the opening-lap to claim his maiden Trans Am Cup Series victory.
Starting seventh, Paine took the lead by Turn 3 and held off Tracey by just 0.6 seconds, with Tyler Cheney completing the podium.
Hazelwood’s race unravelled after contact with James Moffat left both drivers off the road.
Morris then saved his best for last, charging through the field in Race 3 before passing Tracey for the lead on the final lap.
Alice Buckley finished third, while a late brake failure for Ben Bargwanna ended his podium hopes after he hit the fence at Turn 6.
Tracey’s consistency – second in all three races – secured the overall round win ahead of Paine and Hazelwood.
The Trans Am Cup Series next heads south to The Bend for the next round, supporting the AirTouch 500 at The Bend from 11-13 September.
Aussie Racing Cars
Diesel Thomas dominated the Aussie Racing Cars action at the Ipswich Super440, winning three of the four races to claim a commanding round victory at Queensland Raceway.
Thomas began the weekend with a thrilling Race 1 victory, battling through the closing laps to pass Caleb Paterson on the penultimate lap.
Brandon Madden finished second, while Paterson held on for third after leading for much of the race.
In Race 2 Paterson crossed the line first but was later disqualified for a weight-related infringement.
Scott Andriske inherited the victory ahead of Anthony Di Mauro and Mathew Basso, with Madden’s 30-second penalty dropping him to 24th.
Thomas returned to the top step in Race 3, leading from lights to flag, while Di Mauro finished second and Paterson produced a remarkable recovery drive from 25th to third. The result came on Paterson’s birthday, adding another memorable chapter to his weekend.
Thomas then completed the sweep in Race 4, leading home Di Mauro and Josh Thomas to seal the round victory.
The final race was interrupted by two Safety Car periods, including after incidents involving Nathan Williams, Rossi Johnson and several other cars, before Thomas controlled the final one-lap dash to victory.
Paterson finished fifth in the finale, while Andriske and Di Mauro completed a strong weekend.
Aussie Racing Cars goes to South Australia for the AirTouch 500 at The Bend from 11-13 September.
Porsche Equity-One Carrera Cup Australia Championship
Harri Jones strengthened his position at the top of the Porsche Equity-One Carrera Cup Australia Championship with a dominant weekend at the Ipswich Super440, sweeping both races at Queensland Raceway for the second consecutive year.
Jones converted his pole position into a comfortable Race 1 victory after first-time pole-sitter Tom Bewley failed to launch from the grid with an apparent driveline issue.
Aaron Love mounted the strongest challenge through the middle stages but ultimately finished 1.9 seconds behind, with David Russell completing the podium.
The race was interrupted by a lengthy Safety Car period after a coolant leak from Dylan O’Keeffe’s Porsche created a slippery section of track, while a heavy crash involving Tom McLennan and Diesel Thomas also disrupted the race.
Love later fell down the order after contact with Marcos Flack resulted in a spin.
Jones again started from pole in Race 2 and controlled proceedings from the front, while Clay Osborne produced another strong performance to finish second.
Russell backed up his Race 1 podium with third, while O’Keeffe recovered to fourth after an excellent opening lap.
Max Geoghegan crossed the line fifth but was handed a 15-second penalty for contact with Bewley, promoting Jake Santalucia into the top five.
Jones left Ipswich with important momentum in the championship ahead of the next round at the AirTouch 500 at The Bend from 11-13 September.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia GR CUP
Toyota GR Cup championship leader Cooper Barnes endured a mixed weekend at the Ipswich Super440, while Brock Stinson emerged as the standout performer with two victories from the final two races.
Barnes started the weekend strongly, dominating Race 1 from lights to flag to claim a comfortable victory.
Ben Stewart held second despite late pressure, with Zane Rinaldi completing the podium ahead of Kade Davey and Romeo Nasr.
The action was intense throughout the field, with Craig Thornton involved in successive incidents after making contact with Pip Casabene and Jenson Teleskivi at Turn 3.
Stinson then charged from 10th on the grid to win Race 2, taking the lead from Davey in the closing laps.
Davey held on for second ahead of Stewart, while Casabene and Rinaldi completed the top five.
Barnes’ race unravelled early after being spun before running wide at Turn 1, leaving him to finish well down the order.
Stinson backed up his Race 2 victory with another dominant performance in Race 3, winning by 1.2 seconds over Rinaldi, with Davey third.
Casabene and Stewart again completed the top five, while invited drivers Will Davison and Tim Slade finished sixth and ninth respectively.
Barnes ended the weekend 21st in Race 3 but retains the championship lead heading to the Bathurst 1000 from 8-11 October.
