Phillip Farrow Takes NSW Speedway Crown


press release 8 June 2015
 

Driving the Van Schaik Racing Clubman No. 23, Maitland based Phillip Farrow has won the Karting Australia 2015 NSW Speedway Kart Title in the Over 40s class.

Farrow and team mate, Peter Archer began to assert their authority over the field with two consecutive 1 - 2 wins. In Heat 2, Archer led Farrow over the line while in Heat 3, it was Farrow who led Archer to the flag. At the conclusion of day 1, it looked almost certain that Archer would be high points with Farrow in second. After some controversy however, Archer was disqualified from Heat 3 due to a broken exhaust.

On day 2, another solid result in Heat 4 ensured a pole start for Farrow in the Final. By contrast, Archer was forced to watch from the infield after the “Push Quad” (used for starting) hit Archer’s exhaust and broke the end cap.

In the Final, the track was packed hard and was already taking rubber. With the track developing into a single lane affair, Farrow took full advantage and used his “VSR” clubman to maximum effect. He immediately pulled clear of the pack and continued to open a huge gap. Team mate, Peter Archer had made his way from the rear into 3rd and was pressuring Alan Llewellyn for 2nd.

In the dying stages of the race, the “ambers” came on and the field was bunched up for the final run home. From the restart, Farrow immediately opened a gap with Archer desperately looking for a way past Llewellyn. Matthew Elliott was also challenging Archer for 3rd and on the last lap, an uncharacteristic error by Archer allowed Elliott to pounce.

Phillip Farrow was never challenged and drove a flawless race in the Van Schaik Racing No. 23 Clubman to take a well-deserved win. An ecstatic Alan Llewellyn came home in 2nd with Matthew Elliott crossing the line in 3rd.
At the conclusion of the Over 40’s, the team’s attention soon turned to Peter Archer’s KT Modified.

With day 1 completed, Archer was at the top of the points table after some of the best high line driving ever seen at the Gosford venue. The highlight came in Heat 2 when Archer (already starting from deep in the pack) was shuffled back to last place. From there, he pulled his Van Schaik Racing No. 77 to the top of the track and started a spectacular march forward.

Sitting his right rear tyre just centimeters from the fence, Archer brought the crowd to their feet as he passed kart after kart on the top side of the race track. He would eventually salvage a top 5 result. At one stage, he caught and simultaneously passed two karts around the outside who themselves were already engaged in their own side by side battle. It made for a three wide run through the exit of turn four and had many onlookers in stunning disbelief.
A win by William Lucas in Heat 4 on day 2 saw that driver sneak into the top spot and a pole start for the Final. Archer would start out of position 2 with Peter McKenzie out of 3.

From the green and with a track that had badly rubbered down, Lucas tried desperately to keep Archer high in the marbles. As the two drivers traded blows, McKenzie ceased his moment and blasted down the inside and straight into the lead. Lucas settled into second with Archer third.

Peter McKenzie was in a class of his own and was never seriously troubled. In the meantime, William Lucas looked to have 2nd place wrapped up until his engine expired on the last lap. Instead of pulling off track, Lucas kept rolling as the rest of the pack started to close.

An intense battle between rivals Peter Archer and Jason Bisset had been raging for several laps and as the pair caught Lucas, his kart finally stopped. Archer slammed hard into the back of the stricken kart with Bisset following suit and hitting Archer in the process. In the carnage that followed, Bisset miraculously managed to keep his kart going while Archer struggled to recover as several karts filed past.

Peter McKenzie crossed the line for a well-deserved win with Jason Bisset taking second. In scenes reminiscent of Steven Bradbury in the 2002 winter Olympics, Ben “Poodle” Morgan came home in third. A disappointed Peter Archer would eventually limp home in 5th.

“While I am gutted about my own results, the whole team (including myself) is absolutely ecstatic about Phil’s win. He got close last year with a strong 2nd placing and to go one better is a great result. We always work hard to prepare some strong race karts and to get a result like that is very rewarding. It’s Phil’s first title win and I’m sure he will savor this moment. He deserves it and we are extremely proud of him and this great achievement.” Peter Archer said

 

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