Round 3 of the 2013 Aussie Racing Cars Coates Hire Ipswich 360 V8 Supercar event at the weekend has been run and won. Aussie Racing Cars put on an incredible show of racing over the three days of the event. The category fielded a total of 40 cars, the largest grid of Aussie Racing Cars to ever compete at the QLD circuit and the racing was super close. Only half a second separated the top 30 cars in qualifying which was dominated by Tyres and More driver, Nathan Townsend setting a time of 1:21.7 which remained unbeaten at the end of the weekend. Auger Torque Racing driver Anthony Chemello qualified in 28th place after posting the 16th fastest time in practice 1.

Race 1 went just as planned for the Auger Torque driver working his way through the field to finish 16th at the end of the 12 lap race. Chemello said “Unfortunately we really made a mess of qualifying, the changes we made to the car after practice didn’t quite work for us and it certainly reflected in our lap times in qualifying. We were losing a second through sector 2 and to lose that much time around here makes it hard to make up in other parts of the track.

Race 2 started just as well for Chemello again working his way further up the field in the opening laps with his 4th lap being one of the fastest laps of the race. In 9th place and on the approach to turn 6 two other cars got themselves tangled on the apex blocking the track leaving Chemello nowhere to go but into the side of Travis Edwards Darryl Lee Chocolate Aussie Car. With extensive damage to the Auger Torque car Chemello was rushed to the medical centre and later cleared of any further damaged. Chemello said “That was a big shunt, the car has a lot of damage but I am sure the boys will get it back for tomorrow. The disappointing part is we were running inside the top 10 and with tomorrow mornings race being a reverse grid it would have been nice to start up the front.” After a long night and a big effort by the Allen Smith Racing and Aussie Car mechanics the car was ready to go for Sunday mornings race.

Chemello said ‘Both races 3 and 4 are about getting the car on the track to give our sponsors some value. Although the guys worked hard to get it ready for today the car just wasn’t the same as yesterday. A disappointing way for the weekend to finish but we will be ready for Winton in 3 weeks. Trent Young was too good for the field making a clean sweep of all 4 races, despite carrying the “Dynamic Race System” (DRS) success restrictor which reduces horsepower each time a competitor wins a race. It was an event of “firsts” with category owner, Tony Quinn launching the all new Euro GT Aussie Racing Car with an impressive round result, finishing inside the top 10 overall for the weekend, achieving a best race finish of 6th and taking out the ARC Gold Cup (for drivers over 45) for the round in what was his first ever ARC drive and the first time the Euro GT had been raced. “I’ve raced lots of different cars, in categories all over the world from Australian GT to Porsche’s in Germany and I have to say that the Aussie Racing Cars experience is just as good, if not better.

ARC drivers at the front of the pack are some of the best I’ve seen and next time I’m looking for a co-driver for the Bathurst 12 hour or other GT Events I’ll be looking closely at the ARC front runners”. Said Tony Quinn. Big thank you to our Sponsors Auger Torque, Dial Before You Dig, CCF, Go Off Concreting and Brothers Leagues Club.