JUSTIN DOWEL PREVAILS RXAUS AT WINTON

Justin Dowel triumphed in the RXAus round at Winton Raceway – Photo: Supplied

RXAus (Australian RallyCross Championship) took to Winton Raceway over the weekend for their fourth round of the series.

Justin Dowel was the big winner of the weekend, taking out both the All-wheel-drive class and the SuperFinal after two days of competition.

The Victorian’s charge was helped when nearest rival Will Orders, was forced out of the final heat race with a broken diff mount following earlier contact.

This allowed Justin’s son Troy Dowel to finish second ahead of tarmac rally veteran Steve Glenney.

“Today was 100%, flat ultimate commitment racing and just maximum attack all day,” Justin Dowel said.

“The track was so fast and it just rewards full aggression, and I think that’s how we drove today.

“The championship is coming together well. The racing between Will and I was great – I was happy because I still set the fastest lap.

“I’m so grateful that Winton went to the effort that they did. They’re fully committed to getting us back here and it’s only going to get bigger and better, no doubt about it.”

Mike Conway took out the 2WD class – Photo: Supplied

In the 2WD class, it was Mike Conway who prevailed in a dramatic final.

The race was red flagged after four laps of its scheduled six laps when Arron Windus crashed heavily just prior to the left hander in Winton’s specially built RXAus dirt section.

Windus was working his way through the field, having started from the back row of the grid, when he ran wide racing alongside Richard McNay. He made heavy contact with the tyres at speed, and while his car was heavily damage, Windus emerged unscathed.

Troy Dowel backed up his AWD performance, with second place in the 2WD class as well. Ashlea Bright came in third.

“I’ve grown up racing at Winton so it was great to come here for the RallyCross. The track really suits our car so we can use all the horsepower, especially once some of the slippery stuff was washed off a bit,” Mike Conway said.

“There’s four of us on a similar pace in 2WD, and the competition has doubled, so it’s really good.”

In the Excel Cup it was a battle between Ron Bustard and Hayden Taylor, with Bustard claiming the upper hand. Kelvin North finished third.

RXAUS WINTON HEAT – ROUND 1

Excel: Dan Donnelly
2WD Group 1: Mike Conway (Escort)
2WD Group 2: Richard McNay (Commodore Ute)
2WD Group 3: Arron Windus (Mazda 2)
AWD Group 1: Will Orders (Mitsubishi)
AWD Group 2: Aaron Bowering (Subaru WRX)

RXAUS WINTON HEAT – ROUND 2

Excel: Dan Donnelley
2WD (3): Arron Windus
2WD (2): Braeden Kendrick
2WD (1): Troy Dowel
AWD (2): Troy Dowel
AWD (1): Justin Dowel

RXAUS WINTON HEAT – ROUND 3

Excel: Neil Schey
2WD (3): Arron Windus
2WD (2): Braeden Kendrick
2WD (1): Mike Conway
AWD (2): Jamie Sargent
AWD (1): Justin Dowel

RXAUS WINTON CLASS FINALS

Excel: Ron Bustard
2WD (3): Arron Windus
2WD (2): Richard McNay
2WD (1): Mike Conway
AWD (2): Troy Dowel
AWD (1): Justin Dowel

RXAUS WINTON SUPERFINALS

EXCEL: Ronnie Bustard
2WD: Mike Conway
AWD: Justin Dowel

We’ll have more details in the next issue of Auto Action Magazine. In the mean time make sure you follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all the latest updates.