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GARRY’S PHILLIP ISLAND SHANNONS NATIONALS WRAP – SATURDAY

Jordan Love took out the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge title - Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

By Bruce Williams

Jordan Love took out the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge title - Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

Jordan Love took out the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge title – Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

PORSCHE GT3 CUP CHALLENGE

THE FIRST Shannons Nationals category has completed season 2017 today at Phillip Island with Jordan Love winning the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge despite not finishing the last race.

The Professional Class driver won the opening two races ahead of John Steffensen and John Karytinos and was in a great stoush for race three winning honours after a lengthy safety car, but bunkered on the final lap.

Brenton Grove was the man he was dicing with and went on to win ahead of Karytinos and John Morriss. Ben Stack was fourth despite a mid-race spin.

Karytinos took the Elite Class round win but the interest was who would take the title for the season between Anthony Gilbertson and Sam Shahin.

The two had contact in race one which Gilbertson was penalised for. By race three the latter had to finish ahead or just one place behind Shahin. But both, along with Steffensen, were involve in a melee from which all three failed to finish. As a result, Gilbertson took the Elite title.

V8 TOURING CAR SERIES

Tyler Greenbury took out race one of the V8 Touring Cars - Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

Tyler Greenbury took out race one of the V8 Touring Cars – Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

DESPITE BEING pipped for pole, Tyler Greenbury (ex-Triple 8 Eggleston Motorsport Holden Commodore VE) had the better jump over series leader Jack Smith (Brad Jones Racing VE) and held him out for the duration of race one.

There was a safety car called when Gary Hills crashed his Commodore VE into the pit wall out of turn 12. Almost instantly after the race resumed, Jordan Boys (ex-Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon FG) fired off at turn 1 whilst attempting to take third off Michael Anderson (ex-Ford Performance Racing FG).

A local yellow was used for the remainder where Jon McCorkindale (ex-SBR Falcon FG) finished fourth ahead of the two ex-Tasman Motorsport VEs driven by Jim Pollicina and Michael Caine, and Chris Smerdon in his ex-SBR FG.

AUSTRALIAN PROTOTYE SERIES

Phillip Hughes returned to the winners circle in the Prototype series - Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

Phillip Hughes returned to the winners circle in the Prototype series – Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

THE FIRST race of the final round saw Phillip Hughes and his Radical SR3 return to the winners’ circle with an all-the-way victory.

Hughes qualified second fastest behind fellow Radical driver Chris Sutton, and jumped to an immediate lead. Sutton held down second ahead of series leader Mark Laucke (West WX10) until both were passed by Aaron Steer in another WX10.

Gerrit Ruff (West WR1000) passed David Crampton (Radical) for fifth with a lap to go and then snared fourth off Laucke on the final circuit.

Sutton’s result has seen him overtake Terry Peovitis (RFR F1000) for second behind Laucke in the outright title hunt. Peovitis missed qualifying due to illness and finished ninth.

AUSTRALIAN PRODUCTION CAR SERIES

Rick Bates and Bob Pearson will start the APCS 4 Hour from pole position - Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

Rick Bates and Bob Pearson will start the APCS 4 Hour from pole position – Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

QUALIFYING FOR the fifth round and tomorrow’s four hour endurance race was split into two groups with Classes C, D and E out first and then followed by Classes A1, A2, B1 and B2.

With inclement and unpredictable weather, the former groups did their times in the dry while the latter groups’ session started on a damp track . . . and for a little while it looked like the two Class C Renault Meganes from Osborne Motorsport might take the front row.

But the track dried quickly and Rick Bates stormed through in the Mitsubishi EVO X RS he will share with series leader Bob Pearson to edge out Grant Sherrin (BMW M4) for pole while Will Brown was third quickest in Rod Salmon’s Mercedes Benz A45 AMG.

Jeremy Gray (Ford Falcon FGII GT-F), Garth Walden (A45), Lachlan Gibbons (Subaru Impreza WRX STi) made for six A1 Class cars at the top ahead of Michael Auld (Class B2, Holden Commodore SSV) and Hadrian Morrall (Class C, Renault).

Nathan Callaghan (Class A2, Holden HSV) was ninth ahead of Andrew Turpie (Class D, Toyota 86) while best of the Class E brigade was Mark Griffith (Toyota Echo).

AUSTRALIAN GT TROPHY

Rod Salmon took out the opening Australian GT Trophy race - Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

Rod Salmon took out the opening Australian GT Trophy race – Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

THE SCHEDULED 50-minute first leg was curtailed to 42mins following a lap 17 crash opposite the Hayshed for the Travers Beynon Audi R8 LMS. It had been leading the race after the round of mandatory pitstops.

Stephen McLaughlan (Audi) was the early leader ahead of team mate Rod Salmon until a spin on lap ten. At virtually the same time Beynon displace Salmon for second and took the lead as a result.

The race finished under safety car conditions with Wayne Mack second after starting last in his Ferrari 458 following a qualifying crash. Matt Turnbull, minus the engine cover off his Lamborghini which dislodged on the opening lap, finished third.

Rod Smith (Audi) was fourth ahead of Richard Gartner (Lamborghini) Rick Mensa (Audi) and Jan Jinadasa (Lamborghini) were next across the line while McLaughlan recovered for eighth ahead of John Goodacre (MARC Cars Ford Focus V8) and Mark Griffith (Ferrari F340).

Make sure you follow us on social media FacebookTwitter, Instagram for updates throughout the Shannons Nationals at Phillip Island this weekend. Also make sure you pick up the current issue of the magazine for all the latest news.