Déjà vu At Pro Tour 1

Full results on mylaps.com HERE

For the second time in two weeks, David Whitmore and Tyler Greenbury got together in the final corner of their final race of the day - and the result was no different; Whitmore dropped from the lead to second place as Greenbury fired off into the scenery.

Greenbury had been leading much of the Rotax Light final at Geelong and Whitmore had been on his tail before getting by early in the last lap. Whitmore then drove defensive and on the final corner Greenbury nosed into a gap that wasn’t really on, ran over Whitmore and spun into the gravel.
 
These two will next go head-to-head in Rotax Light at the Vic Open. Roll on Oakleigh...

Up to the final, CC/Intrepid driver Josh De Maio had everyone covered, qualifying fastest, two heat wins and beating David Sera in the pre-final by over 5 seconds.

On the grid, his opponents seemed resigned to the fact they wouldn’t be able to run with him in the final. But in the push and shove of the opening laps, De Maio was bumped wide and off the track, throwing a chain.

Sera’s run at the front was also short lived and he soon dropped back when the rear axle grub screws came loose, Dave retiring from the race before he cooked the engine.

This left Greenbury with Whitmore and Max Johnston hunting him down. While one could argue he was handed the win in the final corner, Johnston was actually very fast and had done a superb job to work his way onto the tail of the leaders in the first place, having starting sixth.


Above: De Maio’s DNF was a cruel blow after a polished performance


Above: Rotax Light winner Max Johnston


Above: Never question Tyler Greenbury's will to win. People line the fence to watch because the guy doesn't stop fighting for victory until the show's over.


Above: You could tell that, deep down, David Whitmore was not happy post race, but he was a model of composure during the podium presentation after a tough but frustrating final

V8 Supercar driver Jason Richards might have been grabbing the DD2 headlines, but Queensland’s Kyle Ensbey was winning all the races. The KAOS Karting driver kicked off his 2010 campaign in grand style, going through the weekend undefeated and setting the fastest lap in the Final.

Following him home was another Queenslander, Damian Ward, who remarkably recovered after being pinned underneath his kart during the Rotax Light Pre-Final not less than 45 minutes prior.

In his first Rotax DD2 appearance, Daniel Baker came home third ahead of Travis Millar and Brinley Gread. Richards was eighth having started last after a motor problem in the pre-final.


Above: Victory speech for Kyle Ensbey

pro tour geelong
Above: Ryan Reynolds performs a trackside DIY wheel alignment after opening lap contact in the DD2 final


Above: Bring on the next BingaVision! Brinley Gread (almost) ready for the final

Formula JMA (Junior Rotax) was broken into two weight divisions.  The Light class was taken out by Rockstar Energy Drinks CRG driver, Pierce Lehane. Having proven quite dominant in the preliminary races, Lehane had a tough final in what was a brilliant race. Lehane, Joseph Mawson (Arrow) and James Macken (Tony Kart) all had a go in the lead.

Mawson was a strong second on his Jnr Rotax debut. He was initially compromised by qualifying mid pack, but mentor and mechanic Mick Robson reckons Mawson will be one to watch in future.

Liam Morey came home third (and fastest lap in the final) after plugging away all weekend long, whilst New South Welshman Jake Coleman was fourth. Fifth was Macken, the Gold Coaster having one of his best Rotax weekends, unfortunately a slight error in setup cost him a chance of something better after leading the race early on.


Above: Heart-stopping moment for Joseph Mawson when his engine decided to not fire as the pack drove away.


Above: No, Clint Cathcart has not shrunk and gone back to juniors. It's Liam Morey on his way to 3rd.


Above: Michael Stewart

For the first time, Formula JMA Heavy was conducted in Australia. Jaymee Frampton showed the boys how it was done, qualifying fastest and winning the final by 4.4s over Lachlan Marshall and Scott May. Results are provisional pending a decision on Marshall’s engine.


Above: JMA Heavy podium - Jaymee Frampton 1st, Lachlan Marshall 2nd and Scott May 3rd

Local Kosmic driver Daniel Richert started off the weekend in Rotax Heavy with all guns blazing, qualifying fastest and winning all the heats. But come the pre-final and final, Pro Karting CRG pilot Jason Pringle stepped up the pace. Richert led the opening laps and set quickest time in the final, but Pringle had track position and made no mistakes to take victory from Richert. Rick Pringle was third after a valiant fight with Paul Rodgers. Aaron Rintoul rounded out the top five. After a strong weekend in the heats, Rintoul was forced to come from back in the pack after running too lean in the Pre-Final.


Above: Jason Pringle leads Daniel Richert, Aaron Rintoul and Paul Rodgers

The Rotax Over 35’s were taken out by Geelong driver, Frank Fella. After Central Coast (NSW) driver Luke Wall took the Pre-Final, it was set up to be a fantastic race, however Wall exited the event on the first lap after a collision with Ross Wilson. Shane Mundey took home second in his Aurora team Intrepid and Anthony Waye annexed third in the second Aurora team machine. Mark Newman and last year’s Rotax Pro Tour Melbourne winner, Paul Mapperson rounded out the top five.

Despite such an early start to the year, the 2010 Rotax Pro Tour has enjoyed a strong opening event. The following Pro Tour races are set to be just as hard with an unprecedented nine places up for grabs to the Rotax World Finals. More details of these events to be announced soon.


Above: Over 35's podium, Frank Fella 1st, Shane Mundey 2nd and Anthony Waye 3rd


Above: Brett Mullavey leads Tyler McDonald, Rotax Light


Above: Junior Light drivers about to fire off the lolly water


Above: It was hot and windy at Geelong. Clerk of course Graeme Monds chased down an errant sign that took off in a gust.


Above: Ouch! Damien Ward chews some asphalt


Above: With all the hype and emotion surrounding the battle for the Rotax Light lead, hardly anyone noticed that Darren Anderson got himself onto the podium. Dylan Lindgren #96 acknowledges the red flag after Ward's inversion.


Above: It was a very short final for Over 35s pole sitter Luke Wall


Above: Daniel Stein, Rotax Heavy


Above: Junior Light winner Lehane

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