Radical title to be decided at The Bend
THE 2022 RADICAL Cup Australia Series will go down to the wire at The Bend Motorsport Park this weekend, as the equal-largest field of the year takes to the South Australian circuit.
19-cars will front for the title-deciding event that will see five drivers in three cars battle for the outright title.
Winners in the Radical Masters and Rookie standings will also be confirmed this weekend.
Sydneysider Chris Perini leads the championship by just 18 points heading into The Bend’s pair of 45-minute races, with 84 points up for grabs across qualifying and racing this weekend.
The Bing Technologies / GWR driver has led the series since Phillip Island’s opener and has claimed three of the four rounds so far, however his margin remains relatively tiny.
Chasing the series leader will be the dynamic duo of Peter Paddon and Peter Carr, who with relentless consistency have continued to apply the pressure to Perini all season long.
Despite sharing the same First Focus-supported Radical SR3, Paddon is a single point ahead of Carr thanks to one additional bonus point awarded to the former at Phillip Island’s season opener.
While both Perini and Paddon have raced at The Bend before, this weekend will mark Carr’s first trip to the South Australian circuit.
Chasing the West Coast regulars will be Arise Racing’s leading combination of Jordan Oon and Adam Lisle. Oon sits 30 points from the lead while Lisle trails by a further eight.
The duo has finished on the podium in three of the four rounds so far this season to keep them firmly in title contention throughout.
Sixth-placed Elliott Schutte might not be in title contention, however the Arise Racing / VGW driver is one of a host of drivers firmly in the fight for the Rookie of the year title – Schutte, who won the round at Wanneroo earlier this year, is chasing fellow West Aussies Lisle, Oon and Peter Carr for that title.
The Bend’s 19-strong field represents the equal largest of the season so far, matching the 19 starters at Phillip Island’s season opener.
16 cars raced at both Wanneroo and Sydney Motorsport Park while 17 competed in Queensland in the debut season for the all-new Radical Cup Australia.
The Bend’s entry includes the regular host of season-long RCA contenders all looking to end the year on a high.
Joining the field for the first time will be South Australian Mark Rosser, who will be fielded by multiple championship winning squad Team BRM this weekend.
Rosser is a regular frontrunner in GT World Challenge competition however has utilised his Radical SR3 in testing at The Bend previously and is experienced with high downforce machinery.
Fellow South Aussie and Prototype Series ace John-Paul Drake will line up with Michael Whiting in his Taylor Collison entry, while fast and experienced ace Barton Mawer will drive with Terry Knowles in his Ausnets #68 entry.
From the West, Ian Oon and Jay Wong will partner aboard the #35 Arise Racing entry; the former making his RCA debut and the latter his first start since Wanneroo.
The field hits the track on Friday for a trio of 30-minute practice sessions prior to qualifying on Saturday morning.
Race 1 commences at 11:50am Saturday (22nd October) while the 2022 season finale’ is set for a 10:10am start on Sunday.
Both races will be streamed live on 7plus throughout the weekend as part of their broader coverage of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships event and The Bend Auto Fest event.
For more information, head to www.radicalcupaustralia.com.au
2022 RADICAL CUP AUSTRALIA – ROUND 5 ENTRY LIST
CAR | SPONSOR | DRIVER 1 | DRIVER 2 | DRIVER STATUS | MAKE | MODEL |
8 | Arise Racing/VGW/Beyond Custom/LEE | Elliott Schutte | ProAM | Radical | SR3 RSX | |
17 | Team BRM | Mark Rosser | AM | Radical | SR3 | |
18 | Arise Racing | Bradley Russell | AM | Radical | SR3 RSX | |
22 | Arise Racing | Joe Bergic | ProAM | Radical | SR3 RS | |
23 | 82One/RA Motorsport | James Hernandez | AM | Radical | SR3 RSX | |
30 | Taylor Collison | Michael Whiting | John-Paul Drake | AM / ProAM | Radical | SR3 |
31 | First Focus | Peter Paddon | Peter Carr | ProAM / AM | Radical | SR3 XX |
32 | The PPF Studio/Hughesmotorsport | Sue Hughes | AM | Radical | SR3 | |
33 | Arise Racing | Ian Oon | Jay Wong | AM / AM | Radical | SR3 XX |
34 | Champion’s Business Growth Advisors/GWR | Stephen Champion | AM | Radical | SR3 XX | |
35 | Arise Racing | Adam Lisle | Jordan Oon | AM / ProAM | Radical | SR3 RSX |
47 | Shared Runway/Volante Rosso | Peter Clare | AM | Radical | SR3 | |
51 | Race Intelligence | Jonathan Grant | AM | Radical | SR3RS | |
52 | RA Motorsports | Bill Medland | AM | Radical | SR3 RSX | |
60 | Wrightway Road Training/Arise Racing | Andrew Eldridge | AM | Radical | SR3 | |
68 | Ausnets | Terry Knowles | Barton Mawer | AM / Pro | Radical | SR3 XX |
81 | Bing Technologies Pty Ltd | Chris Perini | ProAM | Radical | SR3 XX | |
95 | GCM ENVIRO/888CSE/CQE/ERCEG&CO/AAA Metal Recycling/Stoneridge/SKALA/Source My Parts/BSPORT | Caleb Sumich | ProAM | Radical | SR3 RSX | |
216 | Elec Motorsport | Zig Fuhrmeister | AM | Radical | SR3 XX |