|
 |
|
|
|
|
Nathan Sitting Pretty With Adelaide V8 Ute Win, Harris And Sieders Penalised
Nathan Nitrous Pretty took out both the Armor All Pole Award and Race 1 today (Friday, 1 March) at Round 1 of the 2013 Auto One V8 Ute Racing Series – protected by Armor All at the Clipsal 500 at Adelaide Parklands.
|
|
|
This was Pretty’s first Pole and Race 1 win, and he’s enthusiastic about the rest of the weekend.
“I’m very excited, it’s a great thing for my new sponsors in Milwaukee Power Tools, CQ Group and Holden, a big thanks to all those guys. All the guys have been putting a lot of work in, back at the work shop all year for this to actual eventuate so it’s a big pay back to those guys. At the moment it couldn’t be any better. I want that number one on my door for a change,” said Pretty.
Pretty started alongside his 2012 rival David Sieders on the grid, and was increasing his lead on every lap until a safety car was called on lap three when Kim “The Assassin” Jane put his Bob Jane T-Marts Holden into a tyre bundle, breaking the steering and slamming the wall hard on the exit of Turn 1, before spinning back in the middle of the track. Luckily, he was missed by the rest of the field and managed to move the ute out of the way.
Unfortunately, the ute will need a complete rebuild and he won’t make it back on the track for the rest of the weekend.
“I think I had a little mistake coming into turn 10, and I just locked up the top brakes, I’m pretty sure I got hit from Ryal coming into the main straight which got me sideways, the old bump and run. As we were going down the main straight in turn one, I just felt like I was being squeezed so I probably turned in a fraction early and clipped the tyre barrier and that was enough to rip the steering out of the car and the rest was just a wild ride,” said Jane.
The race resumed with 2 laps remaining, however another incident occurred when local Troy Dontas also hit a tyre barrier at the same spot, also tagging the wall and shortening the race by 1 lap.
Pretty held the lead, however Sieders was pipped on the last corner by reigning Champion Ryal Harris in his Tapout Energy Ford. Reigning Clipsal champ Kris Walton was fourth over local Gary “Chucky” Baxter, who celebrated his 300th race claiming fifth overall in his Sage/Automation Holden, from Stratco Racing’s Rhys McNally in sixth.
Rookie Elliot Barbour had a great race to come home in seventh on debut, ahead of former V8 Ute Champion Jake Elsegood in his Fuchs/ Hustler Mowers Ford. Jesus Racing’s Andrew Fisher was ninth from Hawkins Transport/ HT Racing’s Ryan Hansford, who was lucky to round out the top ten after a tap with the wall earlier in the race.
In post-race steward’s hearings, Ryal Harris was penalised 10 positions in the race 1 results for on incident with David Sieders, Sieders was also penalised for passing under yellow flags at the end of the race, dropping him well back in the results.
Nathan Pretty drew position number 9 from the random grid ballot draw for Race 2, which provisionally puts Jesse Dixon in the Hayman Reese Holden on the front row, alongside Ryan Hansford in the Hawkins Transport/HT Racing Ford.
The Utes will hit the track tomorrow at 10:25am for Race 2 and again on Sunday for Race 3, which will be televised LIVE as on Network Seven (check local guides).
PaddockTalk Perspective
|
|
|
| |
|
