Team TRTPower Rankings: Queensland Raceway
The Shannons SpeedSeries made its annual trek north, producing a high quantity of talking points to discuss in this week’s Power Rankings.
ABOUT THE RANKINGS: The TRT Power Rankings are compiled by your nominations from social media and edited by the TRT editorial team. They’re designed to give a balanced, as fair as possible critical overview of those things that excelled and those things that struggled, at each event. It’s (mostly) a democracy, and what you nominate generates the order, so have your say next event via our social media channels, @theracetorque on Facebook, Twitter and Insta. Look for the call out each evening and get commenting!
HOT
1. Queensland Raceway
The Quinnification of Queensland Raceway continues – the safety of the circuit has been tweaked, with portions of the circuit repaved. Plus, TQ has had the measuring tape out, and is looking to continue work on further bringing the facility up to spec. The place has never looked better – it’s now a remarkable legacy of just getting stuff done.
2. GT4
GT4 is so damn hot right now. Off the shelf race cars, plug and play, a proven thing the world over, there’s an awful lot to love about it. The racing over the weekend should be exhibit A. The first race was an absolute belter – the battle to the finish between Tom McLennan and George Miedecke was a blockbuster; it was just a shame that it ended in contact. The three-hour Sunday race wasn’t quite at the same level, but it remained an interesting strategic battle throughout, with Miedecke/Rylan Gray taking home the choccies.
3. GT World Challenge Australia
Hyper-aggressive stuff in hypercars – the elbows were out, and shares in carbon fibre were up. Once the dust had settled on Saturday evening, Alex Peroni and Mark Rosser were victorious, while relatively regular programming resumed on Sunday, when Toowoomba-based Will Brown combined with Bathurst-based Brad Schumacher, who in winning for rural and regional Australia, also became the first repeat winners from the six races contested to date in 2024.
4. The Crowd
18,534 – this is a part of the world crying out for some high-quality motorsport.
5. Porsche Sprint Challenge
Oscar Targett is starting to run away with this: his three-race winning spree on the weekend means that he has now won three straight rounds. Otherwise, it was a rather spicy weekend of racing, with plenty of elbows out motorsport.
6. TCR
After Tom Oliphant secured pole position, Tony D’Alberto took control, winning races one and three, with the second race reverse top-ten affair claimed by likable local lad Ryan Casha. Zac Soutar and Josh Buchan finished second and third for the event, and they continue to hold down the top two spots in the poinstscore ahead of Jordan Cox and Brad Harris. And with six drivers covered by 70 points, there is plenty to play for as the season concludes…
7. Trans Am
It was a big weekend at the races for Todd Hazelwood, with his three race wins seeing him rocket to the top of the Trans Am leaderboard. Nathan Herne looked fresh with his new Mustang panels, and was in the conversation throughout after claiming the race one victory. It was not necessarily the most cutthroat meet by Trans Am standards, but still intense motorsport.
8. Battle for GT4 AM
It is indeed a fact that John Bowe remains harder to pass than a kidney stone. His efforts to retain the win in the AM Cup from the three-hour race were just great. The sight of the two Randall Racing BMW M4s duking it out was tremendous, with Jamie Augustine having to settle for second at the chequered flag.
9. Ryan MacMillan Passing Miles Bromley, Formula Open, Turn 1 Race 3
It had the potential to be an aeroplane shunt, but somehow it wasn’t. An epic move, and well played from both, with MacMillan sweeping the weekend.
10. The Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia Scholarship Series
Kiwi Ben Stewart won the round after two wins from the first two heats, while Max Geoghegan got cleaned up in the rollover in the finale, but held on with a battered car to win that encounter.
FURTHER HOTS
Thomas Randle
So, Thomas Randle is:
- A very competent race car driver.
- Racecar simulator coach to the stars.
- A Formula 1-grade pianist.
- A better commentator than most commentators.
A fantastic addition to the on-air team over the weekend.
TV Things
- Thomas Randle – see: Thomas Randle HOT
- Josh Buchan – see: Thomas Randle, another race car driver who does a mega job with a microphone with his own very unique style and sense of humour.
- Greg Rust – did a mega job patrolling the pitlane throughout. Huge effort and a vital cog in the broadcast component in ensuring the right stories were told from the lane.
Jordan Cox Double Duty
The more Jordan Cox there is in our lives, the better.
WHAT
It’s great to see some manufacturers other than Toyota having a crack in the Toyota 86s
Hopefully, Todd Hazelwood doesn’t get a big head with all of this race-winning…
Hazelwood who?
Having said that about Hazelwood, apparently, Josh has a race car driving talent we didn’t know about. Or Todd has taken 273 Test Match wickets. Suspect the former.
NOT
1. Jack Wood
Took a huge Toyota 86 tumble at the end of the back straight on the first lap of the final race. Thankfully he walked away, and also it didn’t end up on the wrong side of the barrier. Sadly, it also ruined their one TV race for the weekend.
2. GT Race 1 Stack
Ugly and expensive, ruling the Grove AMG out for the event. Brenton Grove subsequently aired his feelings on the situation with vigour.
3. Aston Martin Qualifying Drama
The new to Australia Aston lost a wheel at turn one with Ben Porter onboard, and was out for the weekend on Saturday morning.
4. TCR Tear Up
Aaron Cameron copped an elbow from Bargwanna, who was hit by Oliphant, with Cameron spearing across the infield from the exit of turn three to the track at turn six. Fortunately, there was nobody arriving at turn six at the time; he missed the pit lane and limped around for a lap with a flat tyre. Wild. Oliphant wound up with a drive-through penalty, which was protested with a Josh Williams crossed with Will Power protest at the finish line at the conclusion of the race.
5. TCR Tear Up Volume 2
Tom Oliphant certainly gave race control a rather severe NOT for penalising him in the second TCR race. His post-race spray was top-tier.
6. Brock Gilchrist dropped it from the lead
Expensive after a big lockup. Bonus points to Eric Constantinidis as well.
7. Various Bingles
8. GT3 drivers being read the riot act
…on Sunday morning after the many Saturday dramas. Fortunately, it appeared to pay off with a much cleaner and much less expensive Sunday sprint.
9. GT4 Spin
A minor off that produced a safety car, which transformed the complexion of the three-hour race.
10. Jordan Cox Qualifying
Last in TCR, 10th in Trans Am, but was disqualified for going underweight. A truly Mercedeseque way to end a session.
SOCIALS
Lovely
Shot
Shot (again)
Our Official of the Round
Banter
Caption time
MEME
