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Calder Park ready to stage special Victorian State Race finale

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: October 25, 2023

The 2023 Victorian State Race Series will finish in style by ending a 15-year wait to race at Melbourne’s Calder Park Raceway this weekend.

The state series and Motorsport Australia endorsed championship racing returns to the iconic Melbourne based circuit for the first time since 2008.

The Victorian State Race Series reunion with the ex Supercars track follows the AASA’s Victorian Motor Racing Championship’s triumphant return to the track in August. While the track received its Motorsport Australia licence in August to ensure the season finale could be possible.

It will be the perfect way to cap off a highly-competitive season for Australia’s premier state level series, featuring nine-different categories that will race around the recently-renovated venue where all competitors are keen to either reunite with the track or take it on for the first time.

The categories in action are Saloon Cars, MGs and Invited, Formula Vee, Series X3 Hyundais and BMW E30s, Porsche 944 Challenge, Formula Vee, Improved Production and a new-for-2023 addition of Combined Sedans.

The Victorian Motor Racing Championships in action at Calder Park in August. Image by Geoff Colson

Luke Grech-Cumbo and Daniel Timewell will be leading the charge in Victorian Improved Production, aiming to maximise their respective power advantages down the long main and back straights.

Although Timewell was perfect at the penultimate round in his VF Commodore, Grech-Cumbo will be looking to close out the championship in his HSV, currently enjoying a 58-point lead.

Saloon Cars did not exist in state-level competition when the VSRS last appeared at Calder in 2008. 

Keven Stoopman took part in that particular meeting driving a Holden HQ, and lines up this weekend in the Saloon Cars’ state debut at Calder behind the wheel of a Ford AU Falcon.

Ford’s Daniel Johnson and Holden’s Adam Lowndes will be chasing Saloon Car honours. Image: Supplied

The Saloon Cars championship will go down to the wire with just five points splitting Ford’s Daniel Johnson and Holden’s Adam Lowndes.

Headlining Combined Sedans is a pair of Mercedes AMG GT4 sports cars driven by father-son team of Rob and Bailey Love, whilst William Timms adds to the variety in his Mustang bodied MARC II.

Formula Vee front-runner Reef McCarthy meanwhile enters the weekend among the favourites, alongside Lee Partridge with both entering Calder in their beautifully presented Sabre 02s.

With four round wins out of five and a 69-point lead, McCarthy will be confident of wrapping up the title, while Partridge will be looking to snatch second from Nicholas Jones.

MG and Invited action at the Sandown season opener. Image: supplied

A showdown between Trevor Lindsay, Michel Trathen and Phil Chester in MGs and Invited will be decided this weekend in a grand finale.

Just five points separate the trio with both Lindsay and Trathen tied on 217 points driving a Triumph GT6 and MG Midget respectively.

But it is third placed Chester with the momentum, winning the last two rounds in his menacing MGB V8.

They will be hard to match against a plethora of English combatants adding to the spice and variety of the series.

Competitive action at Calder Park fires up at 9:10am AEDT on Saturday morning, with all categories scheduled to take part in a 20min qualifying session followed by a 25-minute race. Sunday’s action also begins at 9:10am AEDT, with a 20 and 25 minute race for all categories.

 Tickets are available at the gate. Entry is $5 per person, or $10 per car, while children under 16 years old enjoy free entry.

Off-track attractions include a Children’s Treasure Hunt with scattered surprises around the precinct for our junior fans to discover.

The 2023 VSRS season is proudly supported by 888 Capital Group Homeloans. The series also benefits from a welcome addition from weekend partners Metabo Australia, Racer Industries and Supercheap Auto.

Navigate to vsrs.com.au for more information, or follow VSRS on its Facebook and Instagram social media pages for all the latest news and updates.

Main image by Victorian State Race Series

For more of the latest motorsport news, pick up the latest issue of AUTO ACTION or subscribe HERE

Latest podcast: It’s one with the lot!

We cover so much ground this week you would think we were on the amazing race. PG is ill so Andrew and Bruce go through the topics of the week and the sensor button gets another run.

Listen to our latest podcast episode here or on your podcast app of choice.

    

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