Title Fight Heats Up As Harris Scores Maiden V8 Utes Win At Sandown

MELBOURNE – Teenager Ryal Harris scored his first series win and the top-three contest for the 2005 Yokohama V8 Ute Championship wentinto overdrive in round six at Sandown International Motor Racewaytoday.

Harris took his Disc Brakes Australia team Holden SS to victory on a wet track in the first of three races at the Sandown 500 meeting.

Australian-based Dane Allan Simonsen won the second heat for his Coopers Pale Ale team.

Harris remains third in the series but his win brings him closer to second- placed Marcus Zukanovic, who in turn cut the gap to current leader and defending champion Damien White. White has struggled to join the top 10 runners at Sandown.

He now has 503 points, Zukanovic 460 and Harris 417, with two rounds remaining after Sandown.

For the first time in the Yokohama V8 Ute Championship all 32 eligible cars started this weekend’s round.

"It’s wonderful to see the full field of V8 Utes on track this weekend," series manager Bill West said.

"Since joining AVESCO and the V8 Supercar program, the V8 Utes category has progressed strongly.

"The competition and the level of professionalism of our teams is superb and the interest from fans and sponsors is at unprecedented levels."

Rod Wilson qualified his Holden on pole position this morning at the head of a train of nine Holdens, most of which held the first spot at some stage during the 20-minute session.

However, he made a slow start on a wet track in race one and it was New Zealand teenager Chris Pither who rocketed from fourth spot to lead into the first corner.

Harris followed from position two, then it was Wilson, James Brock and Gary Baxter.

Brock was a big mover, having qualified eighth, but he dropped off the leading group after mid-race contact with the Ford of another son-of-a-legend, James Moffat, who had set the 10th fastest qualifying time.

Harris made his move on Pither on the second last lap, while Moffat picked off Wilson for third place.

An elated Harris celebrated his first win in the utes category and the first win for his Disc Brakes Australia team. He also became the 10th different winner from 17 races this year.

"This is fantastic. The car has been great all weekend. We’re third in the championship, but with the two guys ahead of me finishing well down in this race I think we’re well and truly in the fight," he said.

Rob Jarvis failed to take the start of race one after the oil pump failed in his Falcon, while Allan Simonsen’s progress from 12th qualifying position was hindered by two off-track excursions, which resulted in a drive-through penaltyon lap seven.

He finished 19th after running as high as fifth early in the race.

Zukanovic started from pole in the reverse-grid second race, but it turned out to be no advantage.

Dave Griffin went straight from second spot on the grid into the lead in his Brad Jones Racing/Pedigree Falcon, while Zukanovic, Jack Elsegood (Ford) and Grant Johnson (Falcon) all tangled at turn one.

Griffin led for most of the eight-lap event, until Simonsen and Gary Baxter (Holden) charged through into the first two places.

Zukanovic recovered for fourth and some valuable series points. Ryal Harris could not maintain his race-one form and finished 26th after receiving a drive-through penalty.

Although Simonsen’s victory was impressive, it has been a bittersweet weekend for the Coopers Pale Ale Team.

All three of its cars were excluded from the results of the previous round at Mallala following a stewards hearing convened over the weekend.

The series stewards deemed that the pistons fitted to all cars were not as listed in the vehicle recognition documents. Jack Elsegood, driver of car 11 for the team, has lodged his intention to appeal the decision.

Baxter and Pither are on the front row for tomorrow’s third race, ahead of Wilson and New Zealander John McIntyre, who raced impressively today in his first V8 Utes outing.

Results

Race 1 (8 laps)
1. Ryal Harris (NSW) Holden SS
2. Chris Pither (NZ) Holden
3. James Moffat (Vic.) Ford Falcon XR8
4. Gary Baxter (SA) Holden
5. Rod Wilson (Vic.) Holden
6. John McIntyre (NZ) Holden
7. James Brock (Vic.) Holden
8. Marcus Zukanovic (Vic.) Ford
9. Kerry Wade (WA) Ford
10. Damien White (NSW) Ford
Fastest lap – Allan Simonsen (Vic.) Ford, 1 min. 37.39 sec.

Race 2 (8 laps)
1. Allan Simonsen (Vic.) Ford
2. Gary Baxter
3. Dave Griffin (NSW) Ford
4. Marcus Zukanovic
5. John McIntyre
6. Rod Wilson
7. Chris Pither
8. Allan Grice (Qld) Holden
9. James Moffat
10. Kim Jane (Vic.) Holden

Fastest lap – Marcus Zukanovic 1 min. 36.01 sec.

Qualifying
1. Rod Wilson (Vic.) Holden SS 1 min. 26.04 sec.
2. Ryal Harris (NSW) Holden 1:26.17
3. Gary Baxter (SA) Holden 1:26.27
4. Chris Pither (NZ) Holden 1:26.35
5. John McIntyre (NZ) Holden 1:26.51
6. Gavin Bullas (Vic.) Holden 1:26.59
7. Allan Grice (Qld) Holden 1:26.68
8. James Brock (Vic.) Holden 1:26.75
9. Kim Jane (Vic.) Holden 1:26.78
10. James Moffat (Vic.) Ford Falcon XR8 1:27.98

Championship pointscore (after Race 2, Rd 5)
503 Damien White
460 Marcus Zuckanovic
417 Ryal Harris
389 Rod Wilson
385 Gary Baxter
376 James Moffat
352 Kim Jane
348 Gavin Bullas
337 James Brock
306 Chris Pither

Weekend timetable
Sunday – 10.05 am Race 3 (8 laps)

Television
Races from round six of the Yokohama V8 Ute Series will be shown nationally on Network Ten on Sunday 25 September, on the Trackside program between 2 pm and 3.30 pm.

Sandown lap records
Race – Damien White (Holden SS) 1 min. 27.1369 sec. (16/5/04)
Qualifying – Gary Baxter (Holden) 1:26.8959 (15/5/04)

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