LATE TITLE PUSH
Scott McLaughlin had to nudge his car back to the pits after yesterday’s Gold Coast 600 win but the young gun has shouldered his way into a title shootout with Jamie Whincup
DAVID Wall spent five years searching for the perfect moment to dedicate to his late father Des.
The Porsche Carrera Cup series winner decided his latest title was the perfect tribute to his dad, a former driver who won the 2009 Kerrick Sports Sedan Series.
Des died at the age of 61 in December 2012 after a short battle with brain cancer.
“It’s emotional for a lot of different reasons,” Wall said after holding his series trophy aloft at the eighth and final round at the Gold Coast yesterday.
“I lost my father five years ago and I’ve been looking for something to dedicate to him so it’s all his.
“If he was here then I’m sure he would be pumped. I miss him.
“It’s unbelievably special. We came third last year and we were happy with that but we set our goal to win the championhip and we bloody did it.”
The PACY/Wilson Security driver finished the series just 20 points in front of nearest rival Andre Heimgartner following a nailbiting final race that decided the series.
It is the smallest series winning margin in Carrera Cup history.
Wall, 34, went into the third and final race of the round needing to finish within the top seven to guarantee his series win while Heimgartner had to win and hope the leader struck trouble. Heimgartner was in the perfect position to strike after starting from pole position for race three while Wall started from fifth.
A nightmare start put Heimgartner back into third before the first corner while Wall held fifth throughout the 12-lap race to take the series win.
“I saw what happened (with Heimgartner) at the start and I knew what I had to do,” Wall said.
“The guys on the radio did a great job to keep me informed of everything.
“I’m more than happy with how it panned out.”
Wall, a former two-time Australian GT Championship winner, finished the season off with four race wins, two round wins and four top three finishes.
The NSW-based driver was also a co-driver to Supercars competitor Rick Kelly for the endurace series.
Gold Coast driver Jaxon Evans won the Carrera Cup round on his home track. He took out races one and three while finishing the second race runner-up to take his tally of wins for the 2017 series to five.