Photos: Edge Photographics
Dunlop Super2 and Super3 Series
Dunlop Super2 and Super3 Series held its fourth round for 2023 as part of the Repco Supercars Championship’s return to Sandown, delivering some stellar competition from the category’s frontrunners.
But it was Ryan Wood who ended the weekend victorious, finishing his campaign at Sandown with a total of 279 points, placing him ahead of runner-up Cooper Murray by 33 points.
A third-place finish in race two wasn’t enough to throw the Holden Commodore ZB driver, who finished race one with a steady lead and the fastest lap.
However, with a race two win, Murray proved himself a strong contender, capable of an impressive comeback from seventh place in race one.
His strong performance placed him alongside Zach Bates and Townsville 500 winner Kai Allen, who rounded out the round podium tied for third with 240 points.
Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series
The TGRA 86 Series delivered its share of highlights, adding to the weekend’s excitement with key performances from Campbell Logan and Clay Richards.
After a fourth-place finish in race one, outright round winner Logan masterfully jumped up to first, a lead he held onto in the category’s second and third races.
However, his outright win was ultimately made easier due to the premature departure by race winner Richards, who looked to be in good form after winning the category’s opening race, before a DNF in race two after only four laps took him out of contention, returning in race three to reach only 24th place and finishing 17th overall.
Keeping clean throughout the weekend were Reuben Goodall and Jarrod Hughes, who consistently finished second and third across the three races and rounded out the overall podium.
Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia
In the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup it was Dylan O’Keefe who fought his way to an outright round win.
The winner fell just short of a clean sweep, winning races one and three by margins of only a second, but narrowly losing out on first in race two after finishing less than two tenths of a second behind race winner Callum Hedge, who finished fourth overall.
The closeness of O’Keefe’s lead was a testament to the category’s competitiveness, with Bayley Hall and Dale Wood, who finished second and third respectively, closely following the frontrunner at every turn.
Meanwhile, the Pro-Am class unfolded very differently, with winner Dean Cook topping the points without any race wins.
Instead the three wins were shared by Rodney Jane, Sam Shahin and Adrian Flack.
Haltech SuperUte Series
Aaron Borg was the round winner for the Haltech SuperUte Series, after winning two out of the weekend’s four races.
Borg led race one by the smallest of margins, only a second ahead of Adam Marjoram and Ryal Harris in second and third.
The three continued their fight in race two, with the roles reversing to see Harris in first, four hundredths of a second ahead of Borg, while Marjoram dropped to fourth, more than four seconds behind the leading duo.
However, Harris’ run was short-lived, with the driver losing out in race three with a only lap remaining to end up with a last place finish, leaving the top spot open for Borg to repeat his race one win by a greater margin of almost two seconds.
While Harris was able to make a return in race four, it was Marjoram who rounded out the weekend for the SuperUtes, taking a race victory and earning the points needed to finish second overall for the round.
Keyword: Support categories shine at Sandown Supercars