Round 1 - Australia (Adelaide) |
BEGINNER SERIES |
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At 10.00 AM on Sunday, the first IAF1GPC race of the year took place with the Beginner Series enrtries rolling out onto the grid. Only four had shown up for the first event of the season.
As the lights flashed off, Champion Kevin Walker made the best start, shooting through the middle of the slower starting Wilcox (pole) and Stevens. On lap 2 Wilcox started what would be a race long grudge-match between the two, elbowing past Walker into the chicane. Walker had not been impressed by the move and, coming down the Brabham straight tried a late breaking manouvere which tapped the rear of the BCR and spun Wilcox around. All of this allowed Adam Stevens to take 2nd and then blast past Walker into the chicane for 1st. Behind them, Wilcox immediately set the fastest lap.
On lap 7 Walker and Wilcox amazingly both had spins at different sections of the track but rejoined unscathed, Stevens now enjoying a lead of around 15 seconds.
Wilcox was proving to be faster on-track than Walker and had soon caught up the GMC Racing machine. On lap 17 came the move which was to Wilcox a legitamate passing manouvere and to Walker downright dangerous. As they came towards the hairpin at the end of the Brabham Straight, Walker thought Wilcox was too far behind to attempt a pass and began turning in - only to find the BCR with all wheels locked screeching down beside him. With no chance to turn in, Walker had to turn left instead of right - up the tight escape road. By the time he had managed to get the car turned around and back onto the circuit, Wilcox was 27 seconds up the road. "It was an insane manouvere," Walker was quoted to say later, "He left his braking far too late and left me with the choice of either heading up the escape road or having a massive accident which would have had us both off."
With the field now spread out the order remained Stevens, Wilcox, Walker and a lapped Millican to the end although Wilcox had been taking huge chunks out of his team-mate's lead in the final laps. The BCR cars came home victorious for the only 1-2 finish of the day.