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[Aussie Performance Cars] Shaw Win Gives Championship A High Five |
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Monday, 15 August 2005 |
Shaw Win Gives Donut King Australian Performance Car Championship A High Five
A fine return to the championship has propelled Ric Shaw to victory lane in round five of the 2005 Donut King Australian Performance Car Championship at Oran Park Raceway, making it five different round winners in five rounds.
Continuing the great season of racing to date, the racing more than lived up to the standards set by the sensational Sydney weather, infront of a massive Oran Park crowd.
Chris Alajajian (Subaru WRX STi) started the opening race of the day from pole position, courtesy of a win on Saturday. He duly obliged and took the lead ahead of Peter Floyd (BP Ultimate HSV GTS) and Garry Holt (Century 21 Real Estate Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII), while Shaw (Sennheiser Audio Mazda RX7) dropped from second to fifth off the line.
Alajajian’s lead wasn’t to last. A rim on his Subaru buckled when he hit a kerb on the opening lap. A pitstop to replace the wheel was necessary, ending any chances of another good result. He was eventually classified 21st.
This handed the lead to Floyd, who soon had his hands full keeping the four wheel drives of Holt and Barry Morcom (Rondo Building Services Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII) at bay. Floyd eventually dropped to third, the Lancers making their way past over the bridge on successive laps. From there, Holt built a steady cushion and took the win, by just over two seconds from Morcom.
As Floyd started to battle with less than happy rear tyres and fell into the clutches of Beric Lynton (Donut King BMW M3) and the recovering Shaw, the battle of the race, weekend, and perhaps season was just getting started. For the majority of the race, the three ran nose-to-tail and often side by side.
The scrap was intense, yet clean and if Floyd was occupied with the championship ramifications, his driving wasn’t showing it. The drivers often swapped positions, but rarely paintwork as the three different cars played to their strengths around the 2.62km layout, with the straight line speed of the HSV ensuring Shaw and Lynton were lime-green with envy.
In the end just half a second covered the trio, with Floyd managing to hold them out and claim third place, as Shaw pipped Lynton. Mark King (Delphi Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII) drove from the rear of the field to claim sixth place, from John Falk (Fibreglass International FPV MkII GT) and Gary Young (Readymix Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII).
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