CRAIG AND ADAM BURGESS OVERCOME ISSUES TO WIN WINTON 300
Craig and Adam Burgess overcame issues with their Ginetta to win Winton 300 – Photo: Judi McDonald
THE FATHER/SON pairing of Craig and Adam Burgess had to overcome some obstacles before taking out the 2017 Joss Group Winton 300 at the rural Winton Motor Raceway on November 12.
They had two strikes against the race-winning Ginetta G50 for lapping under the minimum allowable time – once in qualifying and once in the race – before losing power steering for most of the second half of the 100-lap event.
With the race’s initial safety car right on the opening of the compulsory pitstop window, they made the first of two mandatory five-minute stops which only half worked, as the race resumed whilst midway through that stop.
Outright and Division A rivals, Steve and Jake Shelley (Lotus HPE) and Tevan and John Spiteri (Mitsubishi EVO 9) mirrored the strategy in second and third positions. But the former pair went out with a blown engine while the latter were delayed with an additional stop for a broken exhaust.
Second and also on the lead lap were the Division B winners Parry Anastakis and Matt Thewlis in their Peugeot 205 GTi that punched well above its weight.
Jason Miller and Richard Baskus finished third and second in Div B, their ex-Alan East EVO 9 that David Wall and John Bowe finished second at the Bathurst 6 Hour second in, completed the entire 100-lap distance as well. The car purchased less than two weeks beforehand.
Other class winners were Chris Coxhead/Thomas McCready (Class C, Mazda MX5), Jesse Bryan/Jamie Lovett (Class D, BMW E30) and Michael Hopp/Peter Sortwell (Class E, Suzuki Swift Sport).
The 2017 Joss Group Winton 300 was just two minutes off finishing in record time, despite three safety cars and a record high attrition rate where 16 of the 26 starters were classified as finishers.
In the support races, Darren Harris won both Sunday races to win the Alfa Romeo Challenge ahead of Frank Carigliano and Matt Magraith.
Craig Eddy completed an unbeaten run with two further Vic V8 victories. He and fellow Holden Commodore VH driver Mark Kakouri traded fastest lap record times but the latter had contact with a concrete wall in the last and didn’t finish. Victor Argento (Ford Falcon XB Coupe) finished second overall ahead of Jarrod Tonks (Commodore VZ).
For more of the latest national motorsport news, pick up the current issue of Auto Action Magazine, on sale now. Also make sure you follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or our weekly email newsletter for all the latest updates between issues.
