News - Modified Production Number 8
Maryborough - Rd 2 Fraser Coast Series
We saw New Years Eve in at Charlton Raceway with both Rodney & myself racing the Street Sedans of Lee & Jesse Volk. Rodney qualified out of 4 but after some contact in the early laps as he was contesting the lead he ended up watching the rest of the race from the infield with a broken ball-joint. I struggled to get used to the car and came home at the end of the field, but technically beating Rodney!
New Years day we headed off to Maryborough for the 2nd round of the Fraser Coast Series. With double points on offer for the 2 night meeting, there were again 50 cars in attendance.
Night One.
Heat 1: started 11, finished 10.
Heat 2: started 4, finished 3.
Heat 3: started 1, dnf. The pole line was watered for the start of most races so pole was not the place
to be. Rodney swapped the lead with Travis Barron for a few laps before there was a race stoppage. Rodney's
tyre was starting to go flat so on the stoppage he was ordered to the infield losing the opportunity to gather
valuable points.
Night Two.
Heat 4: started 1, finished 2.
Heat 5: started 11, finished 8.
B-main: started 2, finished 1.
A-main: started 19, dnf.
Yet again, Rodney just missed out qualifying for the A-main and started off the front row of the Bmain. Rodney led the entire shortened race (due to a looming curfew) setting the 3rd fastest lap time of the race meeting at 16.188 sec. Nathan Macdonald set the quickest time at 16.073 and Todd Doyle 2nd fastest at 16.181.
Winning the B-main saw Rodney start out of 19th for the A-main. Rodney gained a few positions early on in the race and sat mid-pack till around lap 27 when he then started to make a move forward. The car was strong and had plenty of pace. He got up to 8th and was still moving forward when he tagged the wall coming out of turn 4 on the last lap. The front went in hard and ripped the suspension out of the front right hand side of the car. The car limped to the infield for the rest of the field to finish the race. Johnno Collins of Cairns won the feature with a strong looking race-car and Dennis Shallcross and Ashley Barron followed him home for the minor placings.
The double points on the race meeting have left a huge gap in the overall points for the series which are basically impossible to re-gain in the last 2 rounds. Rodney was extremely happy with the weekend though knowing that the car was strong at the end of the feature and moving forward, and to have set the 3rd quickest lap time for the meeting. I'd be happy to see him qualify straight into the Amain for once, but he sees it as just another chance to race the car, and that's what he's there for - to race and have fun.
We hit the track again Sunday 10th January as support for World Series Sprintcars at Charlton.
Cathy