Brims Blitz Continues
22/10/07…SSA Media Release
Defending champion Wayne Brims expanded his lead in the chase for the 2007/2008 Ian Boettcher Volkswagen Super Sedan Championship Series with victory in round four at Rockhampton Speedway on Saturday night (October 20). After starting his Brims Bulk Transport Pontiac from pole position, Brims was initially outgunned by front row partner and top qualifier Jamie McHugh until the latter headed infield on lap 20 with fuel pump failure.
Once in front, Brims was untroubled in his charge to the chequer to collect his third feature win from four starts and move more than 150 points clear of McHugh in the series standings. Piloting the Dodge campaigned with great success last season by Steve Jordan, Cairns young gun Damien Bugler finished in second spot, with local rookie Craig Torr annexing third.
Another Super Sedan rookie in Digger McCallum finished fourth ahead of Gladstone’s Will Gould, Bundaberg’s Bevan Collins and yet another newcomer in Jody Barnicoat, with Leigh Williams languishing at the back of the pack as the final finisher after starting from the second row of the grid.
Brims got proceedings underway with a win in the opening heat before Wayne Randall launched his season in successful fashion with victory in heat two ahead of McHugh, who subsequently took out heat three. Williams proved too strong in heat four, with Brims and Steve Pearce sharing the spoils in the final preliminaries.
In the Dash, McHugh zoomed from the outside front row to upstage Brims in the 6-lap sprint, with Bugler advancing from position five to finish third. Williams was next best ahead of Des Korn and Gordon Shaw.
Given his success in the Dash, McHugh again opted to start from the outside for the feature event and again the tactic proved successful as he outpaced Brims and led the field away. With the track still in good condition, McHugh cut his quickest lap of the night on lap five and was running strongly at the front of the field until misfortune befell the Ian Boettcher Race Parts Mazda RX8 with just six laps remaining. Brims assumed the lead ahead of Bugler and Korn, whose demise on lap 22 elevated Torr onto the podium. McCallum and Gould moved ahead of Collins on the penultimate lap to complete the first five. Others who failed to go the distance included Shaw, Pearce and Wesley Hose, while Randall was unable to take his place in the field for the feature.
2007/2008 Ian Boettcher Volkswagen Super Sedan Championship Series progressive pointscore (top ten): Wayne Brims 700, Jamie McHugh 524, Ian Brims 400, Craig McGeorge 323, Steve Pearce 264, Chris Albert 244, Des Korn 194, Barry Craft 188, Bevan Collins 178, Darren Kane 154
Results
Heat One: 1. Wayne Brims, 2. Bevan Collins, 3. Gordon Shaw, 4. Damien Bugler, 5. Will Gould
Heat Two: 1. Wayne Randall, 2. Jamie McHugh, 3. Des Korn, 4. Craig Torr, 5. Wesley Hose
Heat Three: 1. Jamie McHugh, 2. Craig Torr, 3. Des Korn, 4. Gordon Shaw, 5. Wesley Hose
Heat Four: 1. Leigh Williams, 2. Wayne Randall, 3. Wayne Brims, 4. Damien Bugler, 5 Will Gould
Heat Five: 1. Wayne Brims, 2. Damien Bugler, 3. Leigh Williams, 4. Will Gould, 5. Digger McCallum
Heat Six: 1. Steve Pearce, 2. Jamie McHugh, 3. Gordon Shaw, 4. Wesley Hose, 5. Jody Barnicoat
Dash: 1. Jamie McHugh, 2. Wayne Brims, 3. Damien Bugler, 4. Leigh Williams, 5. des Korn, 6. Gordon Shaw
Feature Race: 1. Wayne Brims, 2. Damien Bugler, 3. Craig Torr, 4. Digger McCallum, 5. Will Gould, 6. Bevan Collins, 7. Jody Barnicoat, 8. Leigh Williams, DNF – Des Korn, Gordon Shaw, Steve Pearce, Wesley Hose, Jamie McHugh
The 2007/2008 Ian Boettcher Volkswagen Super Sedan Championship Series is supported by the following sponsors: Ian Boettcher Volkswagen, Australian Garages and Carports Wholesale, Sport Engines, Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Racer Pro, Miami Smash Repairs, Art By Mickey, Hoosier Racing Tyre, Afco Shock Doctor, Ian Boettcher Race Parts