MCDONALD KEEPS UP THE TRADITION AS HE SCORCHES TO A DOMINANT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY
Rob McDonald found no problem in doing the traditional double of winning the World and National championships in the same season, looking on another planet to his competition all of the National weekend.
Qualifying on pole was almost a given and the victory totally predictable, McDonald winning by half a lap and putting every finisher up to third a lap down. Best of the mere mortals were Billy Wood (second) and
John Christie.
The opening heat always looked like a win for front-row starter Wood. The World champ left like a rocket at the start and rapidly pulled clear of Peter Elliott and Nigel McCauley when the first yellows came out for a two-car crash on the East bend.
Shortly after the restart Elliott abdicated his position with a lurid backwards spin over the winners’ hump. Gordon Alexander – running second – also went out after contact with a backmarker, all of which preceded a further yellow for debris on the course.
The hard-charging McDonald was already within striking distance of the premier places and, following the caution, the World champion scythed past a couple more just to underline his electric pace with P3 behind Wood and McCauley.
Jeff Riordan snatched the early lead in the second race with defending champ Derek Martin hot on his heels. This pair went at it for many laps until Adam Hylands blew his motor. The resulting oil slick caught a few out before the inevitable yellow.
With only two laps remaining from the green there didn’t seem time for Martin to unseat the leader until Riordan pulled up with a flat tyre gifting Martin the win.
The third encounter was the race of the day – maybe of the season.It started with John Christie and Perry Cooke blitzing past Davy McKay in a first lap three-wide clash to go first and second. Christie pulled the smallest of gaps over Cooke but with traffic a continuous problem there was never much between them. Ben McKee kept up a dogged pursuit in his Merc with Jason Kew and the flying McDonald also rushing to join in.
McDonald had just eclipsed Kew to attack McKee when two backmarkers collided on the back straight. As the leaders swerved around them the first six became one bunch in an intense battle. There was at least one four-wide moment, Christie emerging from the clinch still enmeshed in traffic and now with the eager McDonald alongside. Side-byside laps followed as they both fought to pass the lap-down John
Sibbald before McDonald forged a way through down the inside of both cars on the last lap to apparently grab a stupendous win.
The steward had other ideas however, with the World champ copping a two-place penalty for contact, giving the victory to Christie.
The final heat was a good deal less frenetic. Aaron Dew made a demon start to lead Ross McWilliam, Dew definitely out to claim a result for the work the team had put in to make the meeting.
With first and second established, attention turned to McDonald’s progress. He looked head-and-shoulders above the rest and was already after the leaders even before a caution was thrown for the spun car of Les Compelli. When the race resumed McDonald jumped Shane Murray to go third but never looked like dislodging
Dew and McWilliam from the top places and probably knew he didn’t need to.
If Saturday was hot Sunday was hotter still, so perhaps the only thing that might have stopped McDonald romping away was if his car suffered in the soaring temperatures. In the event, it was only the opposition that wilted…
McDonald made sure Wood didn’t interfere as they tore into lap one and, despite the fact there were still 74 laps to run, that really was the race won and lost right there.
As the leader cleared off, most of the interest centred on the places battles.
With Wood also leaving the other frontrunners behind, Martin was locked in combat with Christie and Shane Murray, with the impressive Hayden Ballard and Haird next up. Ballard pressed Murray until he found a way through but when Haird tried to follow him Murray slammed the door and got spun for his trouble.
The appearance of the 50 laps board was McDonald’s signal to really get going. Up to that point Wood still had him in his sights but now the leader simply checked out.
Way behind Wood the MartinChristie duel raged on until Ballard and Haird caught them to force the issue. Christie finally darted under Martin with Haird zipping past both Martin and Ballard when they clashed along the home straight. Ballard finally got by, towing Cooke with him, and it was clear Martin was in trouble and his race soon over.
The remaining laps were all about seeing how many placemen the leader could lap and, in the end, only Wood and Christie remained on the lead lap when McDonald triumphantly swept under the chequers.