RACE REPORT // EASTERN CREEK 6 HOUR

Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Australia has dominated the Dial Before You Dig Australian Six Hour at Eastern Creek Raceway on Sunday the 18th, with Warren Luff and Stuart Kostera continuing their weekend long domination of the event, leading home a team one-two. The winners finished two-and-a-half laps clear of Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X stable mates Inky Tulloch and Steve Jones, with third place going to Peter Conroy and Mark Brame in another EVO X. Incredibly, the six hour long marathon went caution free, with the lack of a safety car intervention allowing the winning duo to walk away from the field... [read more]

“It was a great day start to finish,” Warren Luff said. “It was a true credit to the guys on the Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Australia crew."

For Kostera, the win also puts his Australian Manufacturers Championship title chase back on track. “It couldn’t have gone much better than that,” Stuart Kostera said.

For Team Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart team principal Alan Heaphy, the result caps off some dominating performances in the previous two rounds of the championship. Tulloch’s result meanwhile did no harm to his championship chances; with circuit racing convert Jones impressing on debut.The crew of Conroy and Brame were the quiet achievers for the day, sneaking under the radar and onto the bottom step of the podium. Fourth outright went to Glyn Crimp and Matt Cherry, with fifth going to the class B winning BMW 335i of John Bowe and Peter O’Donnell.

“It’s a terrific car, it really is a pleasure to drive,” John Bowe said. “We struggled a bit for grip throughout the race; the car is probably better suited to Bathurst than Eastern Creek. But I love it, why wouldn’t you want to be here, it’s a great event.”

In the Australian Saloon Car Series, Shawn Jamieson bounced back to form by winning the two action packed races in his Holden Commodore. The third and final race was declared a non-event after a frightening accident involving Dean Kelland, who lost control on the pit straight, colliding heavily with a parked car on the side of the race track. After a precautionary trip to hospital, Kelland was released this afternoon.

The next round of the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships will be at Queensland’s Morgan Park Raceway on August 14-15, with categories including the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship, the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Mission Foods, the Kerrick Sports Sedan Series, the Australian Manufacturers Championship, the Australian Saloon Car Series and the Australian Superkart championships.

For additional images from the Dial Before You Dig Australian Six Hour, click here

Photo/Editorial: Achilles Zsolti