Phillip Island - Cramp does it again!
CVW Manta Racing driver Steve Cramp has picked up where he left off after the previous round of the Donut King Australian Performance Car Championship in Tasmania, taking out today’s solitary race in the series’ final round at Phillip Island late this afternoon...
STEVE CRAMP WINS 'RACE OF THE SEASON' AT PHILLIP ISLAND.
CVW Manta Racing driver Steve Cramp has picked up where he left off after the previous round of the Donut King Australian Performance Car Championship in Tasmania, taking out today’s solitary race in the series’ final round at Phillip Island late this afternoon.
The win – Cramp’s second in the space of a fortnight – came after a drama filled day at Phillip Island, this morning’s first race red flagged after a massive crash on the opening lap as the field ran into the tight Honda Hairpin.
After qualifying on the second row of the grid after a strong performance in Friday’s qualifying session, Cramp made a strong getaway in the first race today and was laying third as the field ran down the fast section of the track towards the hairpin, well known for being a key passing opportunity at the Phillip Island circuit.
However, the two leading HSV’s of Peter Floyd and Trevor Scheumack both ended in the Tyres – Scheumack’s upside down – after running off the circuit causing the race to be red flagged and declared a no result before a full racing lap could be completed.
The second race, that saw Cramp start his CVW Engineering-supported HSV VZ GTS Commodore from the front row, featured a massive battle for the lead for basically the entire race distance, the Adelaide based driver holding off the likes of Beric Lynton, Dean Lillie, Mark King and Garry Holt in a massive five car battle to the line.
Cramp was able to lead all 11 laps to take a thrilling 0.2 second victory after a brilliant race, cementing a remarkable return to form after one of his careers’ most challenging seasons. “I’m really, really pleased with that,” enthused a delighted driver after the race.
“I was side by side with Holty (Gary Holt) in to turn one, so I just kept it planted and hung on! “It was just a fantastic race though, super close the entire way though, but we were able to hold on. It was probably the best race the series has had for a while and really showed how good the parity is in the series at the moment.
“I had the power, Beric Lynton’s BMW a bit better balanced and the Lancer had the grip, but on a circuit like this there was nothing between it. I was actually quite surprised that the car was so good in places where I thought I’d really struggle, so it turned out really well.” He said.
The CVW Manta Racing Commodore will now incur a weight penalty for tomorrow’s final race of the 2005 championship season, Cramp stating that it may not be the penalty some would think. “Around this place, the left hand side of the car is the one you really want tied down to the ground, so having the weight in that side of the car may not be too much of an issue,” he explained.
“Honestly though, I’m not really fussed about it – after today’s result I’m definitely happy to live with it!” Today’s strong result closes the gap between Cramp (6th) and Beric Lynton (5th) in the battle to finish within the top five of this year’s Donut King Australian Performance Car Championship.
Meanwhile, disappointing results today from Barry Morcom (4th in points heading into this weekend’s round) bring both drivers within striking distance of a top four series’ result. Steve Cramp and the CVW Manta Racing team will return to the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit tomorrow morning for the final race of the season, Cramp looking to become just the first person this season to win two rounds of the ultra-competitive series.
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