Emily Duggan has continued to set the standard for women racing drivers in Australia, making a stunning start to her 2017 motorsport campaign with second place overall in the opening round of Series X3 NSW for Hyundai Excel race cars at Wakefield Park on the weekend.
Duggan qualified third, and finished third in all four races. She also set the fastest lap in Race 2, and her consistency ensured she finished runner-up for the weekend.
The highlight of the weekend for Duggan was her thrilling battles with Ben Bargwanna and Nik Hough in each race. The three drivers put on a specially entertaining show in Race 4, running three-wide down the main straight with Duggan pulling off a brilliant overtaking move around the outside of her two rivals.
“Racing against Ben and Nik was a lot of fun, there were some pretty tight moments and we had strengths in different parts of the track,” Duggan said.
“We showed a lot of respect for each other and even though we were racing hard, it was very clean and fair as well.”
Duggan’s run of top-notch results ensured she accumulated a healthy points haul; as a result, she sits just eight points behind leader Matt Stockwell in the standings.
“It’s an excellent start to the season, and very pleasing to continue running up the front of the field,” Duggan said.
“The car performed strongly throughout the event and it didn’t take long to come to grips with the new Federal tyres, they’re definitely an improvement compared to the previous control tyres.
“As always, the car handled brilliantly on the Supashock Suspension and the Winmax brake package ensured I was able to stop with confidence.
“I love being behind the wheel of a race car and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has to offer,” Duggan concluded.
Series X3 NSW Top 10 Pointscore
- Matt Stockwell – 200
- Emily Duggan – 192
- Nik Hough – 182
- Ryan Mee – 164
- Adam Bryant – 158
- Dean O’Neill – 154
- Matt Price -134
- David Lo-Iacono – 120
- Michael Golding – 116
- Maurice Piper – 116
