In an exhilarating display of skill and strategy, the Morrall-Mecklem duo dominated the Sherrin Rentals Fight in the Night race, leading for nearly the entire duration of the event.
Race Overview
[IMAGE0CONTEXT:genericunknown] [IMAGE1CONTEXT:bmwunknown] For all but two laps, the Morrall-Mecklem team were the leaders of the Sherrin Rentals Fight in the Night race. This race marked a back-to-back victory for the pair, who, after a narrow 2.4-second win in 2024, showcased their dominance this year. They led for all but two laps and even after incurring a 30-second penalty, they finished a remarkable 20.46 seconds ahead of the competition. The second-place finish went to the Speedcafe Class X BMW M4, driven by Rob Gooley and Mika Ter Horst, the only other car to complete the race on the lead lap.
Key Competitors
One lap behind and securing second place in Class A2 were Lindsay Kearns and Brad Carr in their Mustang, despite facing an early tire failure. They finished ahead of Mark Griffith and Tom Hayman, who claimed victory in Class A1 with their Mercedes-AMG A45. Karlie and Paul Buccini managed to take the B1 title in their BMW M140i, even after making an additional stop due to tire issues. Jake Camilleri, driving a Class C Mazda M3 MPS, finished in sixth place, maintaining his position despite also receiving a 30-second penalty.
Class D Battle
The most intense competition occurred in Class D, where the lead changed just 15 minutes before the race concluded. Emily Cacaviello and Annabelle Rolfo overtook Rob O’Connor and Jesse Dixon to finish five seconds ahead of the pack. Richard Shinkfield and Chris Holdt, driving a BMW M3 E92, secured ninth place and won in Class B2, followed closely by Riley Beggs in a Toyota 86. He was ahead of Josh Trappert in a Subaru BRZ, Oscar Butt/Troy Derwent in a Holden Astra HSV VXR, Greg Wilson in a BMW, and Allan Jarvis in a Volkswagen Polo GTi, who faced delays after losing his lights.
Race Incidents
Ben Gersowski was the first casualty of the race, suffering a power steering failure on the B2 BMW E92. The Subaru BZR driven by Ashton Gealy and Jye Flynn was next to retire, followed by Tony Quinn and Matt McCutcheon, whose Chev Camaro experienced engine failure. Other retirements included David Ling and Troy Williams with fuel pressure issues in their Ford FPV F6, and Trent Whyte and Glen Walker, whose Mustang had a cracked rotor. The most unfortunate incident involved Chris Holdt and Mitch Randall’s A45, which pitted just before the finish, rejoined as the chequered flag waved, and subsequently lost a wheel halfway through the lap.
Race Format
The race consisted of 126 laps and included two safety car periods. Leading up to the thrilling three-hour night race, two 30-minute sprint events were held. In the first sprint, Mecklem led for the initial six laps before being overtaken by Kearns, who maintained the lead through to the end of the 19-lap race. Gooley initially held third place before being passed by Walker. He then found himself in a fierce battle with Quinn, who nearly secured fourth on the last lap, but Gooley managed to edge him out at the finish line. Gersekowski followed, along with Hayman, Karlie Buccini, Shinkfield, and Camilleri. Jarvis won Class D when Cacaviello and O’Connor collided at Turn 3, eliminating both from contention.
In the second sprint, Carr took the lead early and ultimately won the race, with Morrall finishing second and McCutcheon in third place ahead of Whyte and Gersekowski. Horst followed, finishing ahead of Paul Buccini, Griffith, and Camilleri. Dixon claimed victory in Class D, while Max Geoghegan had to retire after stopping out of Turn 3 in the Toyota 86 he shared with Angus Baills. Andrew Milford also retired due to steering damage in the Holden Astra he co-drove with Gerard O’Flynn.
Upcoming Events
The fourth and final round of the Australian Production Car Championship is scheduled to take place at the Winton Wrap from October 31 to November 2. [IMAGE2CONTEXT:bmw_unknown] The Lindsay Kearns/Brad Carr Mustang led at the start but not for long. Image: Mpix