Grand final fever sweeps Victoria
If there is any doubt that motorsport isn’t taken seriously in Victoria, the government has granted the state a public holiday ahead of the grand final of the Vis State Race Series, which concludes this weekend at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
A total of 11 different categories are set to hit the track, with several of the titles set to go down to the wire.
If you squint, the Formula Fords have fielded entry lists this year not dissimilar to those found at National rounds, with several drivers set to back up from the top-tier event at The Bend last weekend.
Matthew Hillyer is the lone Mygale ranger in a sea of Spectrums at the top of the points, and won the most recent Vic State Formula Ford race contested at the Island back in May.
The only genuine challenger will be Jordyn Sinni, some 46 points adrift, although he did win the opening two races from that most recent visit to the venue.
In the Kent-powered Formula Ford 1600, only two points split Richard Davison (above) and Brendan Jones, with both winning races last time out at Sandown.
The story was similar in Formula Vee at Sandown, with both Heath Collinson and Reef McCarthy taking home the chocolates, with only 11 points between the duo with a total of 100 still up for grabs this weekend.
The Historic Touring Cars are back for their third event of the year after skipping Winton and the most recent Sandown round.
Coming into the finale, it’s a Bowtie-Blue Oval battle at the top of the charts, with Darren Collins (Camaro) holding down a 49-point advantage over Peter Meuleman (Mustang).
The HQ Holdens have been turning on some quality old-school racing lately, with the competitiveness on track reflected in the point score.
Andrew Magilton comes into Phillip Island with a slender two-point advantage over Andrew McLeod, with numerous other drivers a mathematical shot at the title.
As elsewhere around the country, the Hyundai Excels have continued to be a star attraction once again in 2022.
Heading into Phillip Island, Hugo Simpson has stretched out a 62-point lead over Ethan Grigg-Gault, impressively with three feature race wins to his credit from the four rounds contested to date.
The pecking order at the top of the Improved Production championship is a Holden benefit, with the General currently placed in positions one through five.
Coming into the weekend, Jarrod Tonks (Commodore) tops Adam Poole (Monaro) by 27 points.
The Porsche 944s remain as competitive as ever, with James Westaway currently leading Cameron Beller and Adam Brewer, ditto the BMW E30s continue to turn on a show, with Alex Jory currently top of the pops from Geoffrey Bowles and Brian Bourke.
The Sports Sedans will be out in force, with John Ippolito set to duke it out with Francois Habib (header image) for the crown in their respective Holdens.
In the Saloon Cars, Shawn Jamieson has all but wrapped up the title, having claimed ten victories to date this year.
Likewise in the Sports Cars, Ben Schoots has been an unstoppable force in 2022, claiming a perfect score to date aboard the Sin R1 550.
Tickets are $20 Saturday, $30 Sunday or $35 for the weekend, with qualifying kicking off at 9:05am on Saturday with the first round of racing commencing at 12:45pm, with two rounds of racing slated for Sunday from 9am.
If you can’t make it trackside, all of the action will be streamed live and free via Blendline TV through the usual channels.
Mark Walker (administrator)
A vastly experienced Motorsport Public Relations operator, journalist, commentator and photographer, Mark brings his unique angle to The Race Torque in both words and imagery. As well as serving as our key photographer on the ground at major events around Australia (and overseas), Walker will often chime in with his unique and pin-point sharp viewpoint of the racing world via the keyboard too.
