Braune well placed for overall win

VICTORIA’S Robert Braune is in the box seat to take overall first place in the combined Commodore Cup, HQ Holden and Improved Production bracket today.

Driving his BMW E30 Improved Production vehicle, Braune finished first in both races at Hidden Valley yesterday.

“I’m very pleased with this weekend. We came up here three or four years ago and I called a bit of unfinished business,” Braune told the Sunday Territorian.

“I got on the podium, but we didn’t get an outright.

“We’ve done a lot of meetings since then, but we came back this weekend hoping for top five, and so far, it’s been really good.”

Sitting behind Braune in the over two-litres class is Queensland’s Michael Uebergang and Territorian Tim Playford, two drivers Braune said would keep him honest in this morning’s final race.

“In the second race, I buggered up the start a bit and Tim Playford got a jump on me,” Braune said.

“I thought ‘right, we are in for a bit of a run’, and it was for a couple of laps, until I took a dive on him down on turn one.

“I’m over the bump now, two out of two. If I finish somewhere in the last race, I’ll be on the podium.”

Meanwhile, in the under two-litres class, the Territory’s Craig Wright leads the pack, while Darwin’s Bryce Fullwood is the Commodore Cup frontrunner.

“I’m in amongst the Improved Production cars,” Fullwood, who is placed eighth overall, said.

“I’m getting a bit frustrated, because I have got a lot of lap speed in the Commodore Cup car, but the others have got a lot more horsepower down the straight, so I can’t pass them.

“But I’m having a really good time and the car that Dad has prepared is going really well.”

Territorian Duane Cambridge leads the HQ Holden pack, in front of fellow locals Marian Bujnowski and Gavin Thompson.