Gurton trims Johnson’s lead with gutsy drive

Jett Johnson has had his points lead reduced to 87 points after Kyle Gurton took out the opening race of the final round of the TA2 Muscle Car Series at Winton Motor Raceway today.

Johnson entered the weekend with a 91-point lead, but he started on the back foot after suffering an engine failure during Friday’s practice, and to compound matters he received  a 10 point penalty for failing to attend the drivers briefing this morning.

Once the race arrived, drivers had to contend with tricky and wet conditions and as the chequered flag approached it was a two-horse race between Gurton and Jackson Rice.

Kyle Turton swoops around the outside of Jackson Rice to take the lead at Winton. Image: Supplied

Gurton said he secured the important win with a gutsy move at the tight left-handed turn 1.

“I spent those last ten or nine laps just sitting behind Jackson [Rice] working out where he is strong,” he said.

“I had an opportunity coming down the main straight, Jackson went a bit wide on the wet stuff.

“I put my stuff up on the dash and went around the outside of turn one, it was a bit hairy out of one and two but I got the move done and got the win.”

In qualifying, Rice stunned everyone by setting the fastest time early, only to be bumped by Dream Racing teammate Kyle Gurton later in the session with a 1:24.3.

Series frontrunner Mark Crutcher jumped into second overall, three-tenths slower from Rice, while South Australia’s Brad Gartner was bumped back with a five spot grid penalty.

The top 10 shootout was held on a wet track, with Rice turning the tables on team mate Gurton to take pole with a 1:44.6, eight-tenths ahead of the rest.

Due to the conditions, the race started under the control of the safety car with both Zac Loscialpo and Lee Stibbs going off at Turn 1, while John Holinger was up to fifth at the end of the first lap.

Peter Robinson was the only driver to roll the dice and run Hoosier slicks on a drying track, but struggled early to stay in touch with the field.

South Australian Brad Gartner leads an angry pack of cars onto the back straight. Image: Supplied

Johnson was struggling with lower tyre pressures and was battling with Bates, Gartner and Holinger, with Gartner passing Johnson into Turn 9.

Robinson in the Wagner Corp Dodge started to come alive mid race and ran side by side with Crutcher into Turn 11 before going on to set the fastest lap, while Gurton closed on Rice for the race lead going around the outside at Turn 1 on Lap 12.

Rice, now running in second then went off at the Turn 6 sweeper, letting Gartner who had a strong drive from the back of the field into second, while Loscialpo slowed in the Tempest Solutions Camaro with a flat tyre.

Robinson continued his charge forward into fourth, while Johnson now had improved tyre pressures and ran down Gartner right on the finish line for second by just one-tenth.

TA2 Northern Series champ Graham Cheney struggled to finish the 15 lap race in seventh after coming out of hospital earlier in the week, but remains 87 points off Johnson’s series lead.

Only 38 points separate Bates and Mark Crutcher in the Circo Master Class with three more 12 lap races tomorrow to determine the 2022 TA2 Muscle Car Series champion.

Tomorrow’s races will be live streamed on the TA2 and AMRS Facebook pages and replayed on 7MATE free to air on December 12.

TA2 Muscle Car Series Championship standings

1st: Jett Johnson – 995
2nd: Graham Cheney – 908
3rd: Nicholas Bates – 878
4th: Zach Loscialpo – 845
5th: Mark Crutcher – 840

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