|
Lee Castle made a solid return to the track behind the wheel of the Wilson Brothers Racing Subaru WRX Sti, claiming three podium finishes from as many starts at Wakefield Park for the opening round of the Australian Manufacturers Championships over the weekend.
Although satisfied with the result, the weekend proved to be an opportunity missed, after being taken out of the race lead during the second race.
The incident occured late in the 14 lap race at the final corner, when Castle was tagged from behind by Rod Salmon after a safety car bunched the field.
The round started strongly for Castle, qualifying in second position ahead of a quality field, before finishing second, third and second in the three races.
Overall, Castle was happy with the performance for the round.
“We needed a good weekend to bounce back from the disappointment of Bathurst, and to be on the podium throughout the weekend proves our pace and reliability, especially ahead of such a quality field,” said Castle.
“Once we made it to the front, nobody was going to get past us, so it was really disappointing to get turned around in the second race, and it caused a fair bit of damage to the back of the car.
“In the final handicap race, we just didn’t quite get as good a run through the traffic as Rod Salmon, so we had to settle for second.
“Apart from the race two incident, the only other problem for the weekend was the pointscore, but I’m sure the Production Car club will be working on that before the next round.
“With some more improvements to come in the car, we should pick up some more pace and be really able to race with the new Evo 10 Lancers.”
The meeting was Castle’s first visit to the full Wakefield Park layout after he previously raced karts at the facility.
The Australian Manufacturers Championship continues in New South Wales at Eastern Creek Raceway on July 18-19, with another strong field of cars assured.
Qualifying
1. Rod Salmon Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10- 1:06.5202
2. Lee Castle Subaru WRX Sti- 1:07.7869
3. Garry Holt BMW 335i- 1:07.8667
Race 1- 14 Laps
1. Rod Salmon
2. Lee Castle
3. Jake Camilleri Mazda 3 MPS
Race 2- 14 Laps
1. Garry Holt
2. Jake Camilleri
3. Lee Castle
Race 3- 20 Laps
1. Rod Salmon
2. Lee Castle
3. Garry Holt
For more information on Lee Castle Racing, visit www.wilsonbrothersracing.com.
|
