Tin Tops adding some colour to SpeedSeries

The Tassie Tin Tops are adding a local flavour to AWC Race Tasmania this weekend at Symmons Plains and the competitiveness is already clear.

Tassie Tin Tops are a hybrid category consisting of sports sedans, Sports GT and improved production sedans and a 12-car field are in action at the SpeedSeries event.

The fight for victory is expected to be ultra tight has just 0.06s was the difference in qualifying.

Benjamin Newman was able to claw his way to pole position with a 56.4458s lap in his Mercedes AMG GT4.

This proved just enough to fend off Craig Sheahen’s Nissan GTR.

They are the clear pace setters with next best Charles Williscroft a further 1.8s adrift.

However, the field will be wary of the race pace of Williscroft’s Pontiac Grand Prix after he dominated last week at Baskerville, winning all three races.

The first win was also Williscroft’s first chequered flag and only the car’s second meeting.

Despite the longer than usual for local race durations, which included rolling starts, Williscroft defied the prediction his car would suffer brake and tyre issues late in the races, to resist every challenge – not that he got many.

Newman (Mercedes Benz AMG GT) shadowed Williscroft for the entire opening race, but was unable to find a gap, with David Walker (Datsun 1200 turbo ute) finishing a distant third after Honni Pitt (Lotus Exige) made a mistake in third place late in the race.

Pitt started brilliantly and pinched second from Newman on the opening lap of the second race and kept him at bay for nine laps before she was relegated to third again.

The race was red flagged and declared on lap 10, following a coming together between David Walker and Troy Wood (Ford Falcon) on the back straight, with Williscroft again taking the win from Newman and Pitt.

Despite his solid early results, Newman was a non-starter in the final race due to tyre issues.

Williscroft dominated for an easy win from Pitt and Peter Galloway (Datsun 1200 Coupe turbo), with the field spread out and massive gaps between the top three cars.

The Tassie Tin Tops will hold four races across the weekend with the first at 10.00 AEDT Saturday morning.

Main image by Angryman Photography

Race 1 10.00

Race 2 13.20

Sunday March 17

Race 3 10.05

Race 4 13.25

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