News - Modified Production Number 8
Cairns - Qld Title
After arriving in Cairns on Monday and being tourists for a few days, it was time to switch from holiday mode to race mode for the Practice night. The track was dusty and slippery and a litte tricky to master.
Rodney went out for the first run and ran the new engine in just circulating on the low line of the track. He stayed out on the track for the next group to try the car out, but a plug lead fell off and he had to pull in without completing a full lap. After returning to the pits to rectify that Rodney hit the track again and this time was able to put in a few good sessions. The new engine seems to going well.
Problems with the transponders not registering with the loop being buried very deep in the Cairns track, meant many laps were not recorded. With what laps they had recorded, Rodney had set the 10th quickest lap time out of all the cars that practiced.
The Calcutta followed the practice with the highest bid for Steve Price at $250 with Aidan Raymont going for $205. I put all my faith in Rodney and backed him for $50.
NIGHT ONE
The track had only a little more drive once it was prepared for the first nights racing, but a rut in between turn 1 and 2 made it tough to get through the top corner for the first round of heats. All the heats were run with minimal stoppages or incidences.
Heat 1 - start 4, finish 2
Heat 2 - start 6, finish 3
Heat 3 - start 8, finish 4
At the end of the first night, after 3 rounds of heats, Rodney was in 7th position in the points.
NIGHT TWO
Heat 4 - start 3, finish 3.
The final heat wasn't enough to move Rodney up the points ladder, and he qualified out of 7 for the A-main.
The A-main was a hectic race and Rodney seemed to be caught in the middle of a front slowing bunch, and the rest of the field coming from behind, all wanting to get in and have a piece of the action. Poor #8 copped a battering, and Rodney had to switch from attack mode to defensive driving just to maintain his position. A few times he went looking a bit higher on the track for more drive, but the minute he did someone would make a move up the inside. He had to battle to get his position back and ended up finishing the race in 5th position.
The full details of the title race can be read here on the ASCF website.
CONGRATULATIONS to Shane Macdonald who bought home Qld 1!!!!! Shane drove an amazing race to drive around the outside of Cairns local star Johnno Collins to take the lead in the final laps of the race after starting out of position 6. Johnno Collins followed Shane home in 2nd, Mark Raymont 3rd, Darryl Etherden finished in 4th, and Rodney rounding out the top 5.
Cathy