FullGas Racing has been rewarded with a podium finish in Round 2 of the 2017 Australian Production Car Series at Winton, drivers Dimitri Agathos and Lachlan Gibbons gallantly fighting through to third place in today’s race after a herculean effort from the team to execute an overnight engine change.
Agathos and Gibbons qualified the Nova Employment/Castrol/Whiteline/Hog’s Breath Café North Parramatta & Castle Hill Subaru WRX STI fourth.
Agathos took the start in Saturday’s 300km race, and almost immediately it was clear the engine had a severe problem – the team made the decision to retire the car after 30 laps.
“The engine wasn’t operating as it was supposed to, so rather than risking total destruction, we elected to park up and give ourselves the best opportunity to repair the car for Sunday,” Agathos said.
What followed was a mammoth 11 hour effort from the FullGas team to remove the problematic engine and fit the spare.
“The team started the engine change at 2:00pm, and didn’t leave the track until 1:00am,” Gibbons explained.
“It was a huge effort from everyone and as drivers, both Dimitri and myself can be very grateful for the team for getting us back onto the track.”
Gibbons started today’s race, working his way from 14th to fourth within the first two laps. A Safety Car allowed him to close onto the tail of Bob Pearson, who he subsequently overtook for third.
Gibbons pitted at the half-way mark and Agathos maintained the car’s top three position for the duration of his stint.
“The car was starting to fuel surge when I came into the pits, and there were a couple of Safety Cars in the opening stint, so we knew if the race ran green to the end, it was going to be tight,” Gibbons explained.
“Dimitri had to save a lot of fuel in the last stint but fortunately we had built enough of a margin over the fourth-placed car by that stage.”
“A podium finish was a sensational result after Saturday’s dramas,” Agathos said.
“This weekend, we worked well as a team, and identified areas of the car we can improve.
“We’re both looking forward to the next round at Sydney Motorsport Park, a circuit we know well.”
The Sydney Motorsport Park round of the Australian Production Car Series will be held on 8-9 July.
