The GWR Australia outfit has successfully completed another big weekend of motorsport, running seven cars across two national categories at The Bend SuperSprint.
Porsche Carrera Cup Australia – Season-Best Result for Duvashen Padayachee
Duvashen Padayachee has scored a season-best result in Porsche Carrera Cup, finishing the weekend in sixth place overall.
Padayachee qualified 14th, but avoided drama at the start of Race 1 and was able to make up a few places to finish 10th.
Excellent race-long speed in the 20-lap Race 2 enabled Padayachee to improve to sixth, after some good battles with some of the championship front-runners, and he completed the weekend with fifth place in the final, holding off the series leader Dale Wood all the way to the chequered flag.
“The weekend ended well, and Race 3 was one of the best races I’ve had in Carrera Cup,” Duvashen said.
“We still need to work on qualifying – 14th wasn’t the result we were aiming for – but this weekend I found it a lot easier to make up positions in the races.
“Probably my biggest strength this weekend was my race starts – I was able to gain a couple of places off the line every time. The driving standards were also good, people gave me racing room and I was able to make clean passing moves.
“Now we head to a couple of tracks where I’ve had good results in the past, especially the Gold Coast, so I’m confident we can finish the season strongly.”
Duvashen’s father, Indiran Padayachee, recorded finishes of ninth, eighth and 10th in the Pro-Am Class in the three races.
“As always, I had a lot of fun and I was happy with my improvement in lap times this weekend,” Indiran said.
“The car was excellent in Race 1 – it had very good balance, especially through the undulations across the back part of the circuit, and I had a good battle with Michael Loccisano and David Ryan.
“The cold conditions in Race 2 made it a bit more of a handful, and I went off the track quite a few times. The GWR crew made some good changes for Race 3, and the stability was much improved.”
GWR’s Porsche pilots return to the track for the next round at the Bathurst 1000, 10-13 October.
Radical Australia Cup – GWR Title Contenders Return to Podium
The 2019 Radical Australia Cup is set for a grandstand finish at New Zealand’s Highlands Motorsport Park circuit in October… and it will be two GWR drivers battling for the championship.
Peter Paddon and Chris Perini came into the weekend tied on points, and after Saturday’s opening race, the pendulum swung in favour of Paddon, who finished second with Perini in third.
But Perini turned the tables in the Sunday race, some well-judged setup changes allowing him to drive to a comprehensive victory while Paddon finished back in fourth. They finished the weekend second (Perini) and third (Paddon), and Perini will carry an eight-point advantage into the Highlands round.
“We changed the car setup for Race 2, and it was massively improved; I was full of confidence,” Perini said.
“In the context of the championship, it was crucial for me to win today, but the third-place finish yesterday was important as well – I made a mistake in the first corner and I needed to salvage as many points as I could.”
“The Saturday race was good, but the pit stop handicap time in the Sunday race put me back a bit, and then didn’t quite have the pace to run with Chris and the other leaders,” Paddon said.
“It’s going to be an exciting final round in New Zealand, and I’m thoroughly looking forward to it.”
A consistent Paul Braico made it three GWR drivers in the top four.
“It’s been a fun weekend, and I was pleased with my speed especially in the final race,” Braico said. After a DNF in Race 1 due to contact and damage, Kosta Pohorukov recovered to finish sixth in Race 2, while Stephen Champion suffered mechanical problems in Race 1, but fought back to ninth in Race 2 after he was tapped into a spin in the first corner.