SUNDAY’S RACING DELIVERS FOR MOBIL 1 APC AT SANDOWN

10 Sep SUNDAY’S RACING DELIVERS FOR MOBIL 1 APC AT SANDOWN

Sunday at Sandown delivered a thrilling conclusion to what was round four of the 2023 Mobil 1 Australian Production Cars today, with two 30-minute races closing out the weekend.

It is safe to say that Sunday belonged to Sherrin Racing, with Grant Sherrin (#27 Sherrin Rentals BMW M4) and Iain Sherrin (#27 Sherrin Rentals BMW M4) claiming 1-2 finishes for Mobil 1 APC Outright and in Class X. Third for APC outright was the class A2-winning entry of Coleby Cowham and Lindsay Kearns (#25 TyrePlus Burleigh Ford Mustang GT).

Joining them in receiving the class winning round honours were A1’s Cameron Crick (#118 Campbell Transport Mitsubishi Evo), B2’s Chris Holdt (#52 Lithostone Surfaces Holden Commodore), and C’s Jake Camilleri (#36 Grand Prix Mazda Caboolture Mazda 3 MPS) and D’s Sam Silvestro (#55 S-Sport Racing Mazda RX8).

Second and third in the classes for the weekend were Hadrian Morrall and Tyler Mecklem (2^nd A1 – #9 Parramatta Vehicle Services Mitsubishi Evo X), Paul Buccini (3^rd A1 – #71 Team Buccini Racing BMW M140i), Brian Callaghan (2^nd A2 – #37 Callaghan Concrete Pumps Holden Commodore VY), Michael Stillwell (3^rd A2 – #6 Stillwell Family Racing Ford Mustang Mk1), Mitch Randall and Chris Gunther (#15 Wahlstrom Financial Services BMW E87 130i), and Allan Jarvis (3^rd C – #70 TOA57D Motorsport VW Polo Gti).

Race three saw Buccini and the A2 Class #3 Rowell Logistics Ford Mustang GT of Michael Rowell line up from the rear of the grid, but they both fought their way through the pack to claim second in A1 and 3^rd for A2 respectively.

Grant Sherrin took the outright and Class X win over X-class runner-up and 2^nd outright, Iain Sherrin. Cowham was third outright and also claimed another A2 class win in his Mustang he shares with Kearns.

Next on the road was Anthony Levitt, (#16 AMG Spares Mercedes C6 AMG) in fourth outright and 2^nd for class A2.

Rounding out the top five for APC was the A1-winning Dean Campbell (#118 DA Campbell Transport Mitsubishi Evo X), crossing the line ahead of Rowell (3^rd for A2), and Buccini (2^nd for A1). In additional exciting news for Dean and his team, they were named the Meguiar’s Best Presented Team for our Sandown International Raceway round.

Next on the road was Michael Stillwell, who was 4^th for A1 from 8^th outright. C Class winner Jake Camilleri (9^th) and 3^rd for A1, Hadrian Morrall, rounded out the top 10 outright for APC, with Morrall’s third place coming despite a flat tyre mid-race and overheating issues in the later stages.

Chris Gunther was second for C class from 11^th outright, followed across the line by the D-class winning Silvestro.

It was a tough start to race three for Callaghan, who was unable to fire due to a starter motor issue. Also striking trouble was Holdt who suffered damage caused by a late race tyre delamination which saw him hit a kerb and ended his race early. Both racers were able to line up for race four, starting the race at the rear of the grid.

In race four, Grant and Iain Sherrin again claimed a 1-2 win for APC outright and in Class X, with Crick rounding out the APC outright podium for the race while claiming another A1 victory.

Crick crossed the line ahead of Callaghan (4^th outright/1^st for A2), while Rowell rounded out the top five while taking 2nd place for A2 for the race. Stillwell was 3^rd for A2, from 6^th outright.

Holdt made a triumphant return following his race three issues for a 1st place B2 Class finish from 7^th outright for APC, while Camilleri crossed the line first for C Class (8^th outright). Rounding out the top 10 outright were Randall and the class D winning Silvestro Mazda.

Race four was something of a race of attrition for much of the field, with two safety cars required. The first was called following an early ‘concertina’ effect in lap one, which saw Buccini, Kearns and Mecklem get tangled between turns 2 and 3. This incident proved too much for the Morrall/Mecklem entry, and the #71 also retired soon after. Likewise, the #25 driven by Kearns suffered a bent front steering arm as a result and was unable to finish the race.

The second yellow flag was triggered around lap 10 when Levitt pulled off the track due to mechanical troubles and was towed back to the pits. Iain Sherrin was spun at Dandenong Road by a GT4 Australia competitor, however was able to resume. In total, four of our Mobil 1 Australian Production Car racers were unable to finish race four (Buccini, Levitt, Kearns and Mecklem).

For the race report from races one and two, please click here.

The 2023 Mobil 1 Australian Production Cars season continues with round five at The Bend Motorsport Park across October 13-15 with four x 1 hour endurance races alongside Mobil 1 Australian Production Cars. Entries are open now at www.ausprodcars.com.au

For further information about Mobil 1 Australian Production Cars and Monochrome GT4 Australia, please contact admin@ausprodcars.com.au or visit www.ausprodcars.com.au.

QUOTEBOARD – ROUND FOUR, 2023 MOBIL 1 AUSTRALIAN PRODUCTION CARS, SANDOWN INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY – SEPTEMBER 10, 2023

1^st for APC outright and Class X – Grant Sherrin – #27 Sherrin Rentals BMW M4

“This weekend has been awesome, really, really good,” Sherrin said.

“I finally got some luck go my way after a tricky season so far. It has been a very important weekend for our championship aspirations, a really good weekend where we have been able to claw some points back on that.

“And Iain (Sherrin, driver of the #72 Sherrin Rentals BMW, 2^nd for APC outright and class X) had a good weekend too, so it is great to have a Sherrin Racing 1-2 outright and in class.

“I am not sure where I will be exactly now in the championship chase, but this weekend really should help close that position up to possibly second in the title chase.

“It has been a really good result for the team, 1-2 for the weekend is just great.

“Not only did we win in APC, we were also mixing it up with the GT4 Australia cars as well which was cool (Sherrin was third on the overall combined grid in three races). I had some great battles with Mark Grifith and Steve Jukes,  racing with them made me really push a little bit harder and I got really good times out of my car.

“The car was just hooked up as well as having the straight line speed that we normally have, so we were able to get off the corners really well which helped us stay with them. They still had it over us in the corner but not as much as normal, and having two long straights helped us too. It was kind of a like a real big see saw, we would get a run in the straight and then they would close it up, and sometimes traffic would close it right up and ignite the battle again – it was really good fun with a lot of good battles.

“To have the car right up there not only in APC but overall is a really good credit to the team – they have done a great job setting it up and everything just kind of fell into place with us. I am really happy with the way this weekend went.”

1^st for A2/3rd APC outright – #25 TyrePlus Burleigh Ford Mustang of Coleby Cowham and Lindsay Kearns

Coleby Cowham

“I haven’t been here to Sandown since 2019 so it was good learning the track again and feeling the car on a different tyre with the Yokohama over the MRF that we had last time, it was a lot of fun to drive, and it was an awesome weekend,” Cowham said.

“The results across races one, two and three were great, obviously it was not the best way to finish with the DNF, but that is how it goes sometimes. Lindsay drove great, and the crew did a great job all weekend keeping on top of the car, so I am happy overall – thanks to Ashely, Craig and Shane, and also TyrePlus Burleigh, Car Mods Australia and Exedy Clutches for their support.

Lindsay Kearns

“The last race result is unfortunate, and we will be getting some parts tomorrow for it to get ready for The Bend,” Kearns said, who was at the wheel for that incident.

“The feeling of the hits felt monumental, but the damage wasn’t as bad a I thought, we broke a steering arm, a rear taillight, a front light and so on, but it definitely felt a lot bigger in the car.

“I just feel sorry for the other guys involved, I am still not one hundred percent sure, but you don’t want to ruin anyone’s race, it is all about having a respectful race, and it is a real shame.

“I am really grateful to our team for all of their efforts. The other three races, while we had poor starts, we had a good car, and it was just a matter of settling it down and getting through the field. It was good fun, and the car went well and seemed to have what it needed to have. Congratulations to the Sherrins also on their weekend, they had a great one.”

A1 winner – Dean Campbell, sharing the #118 DA Campbell Transport Mitsubishi Evo X with Cameron Crick

“This is a really good result, we had one race that didn’t quite go to plan, but the rest has been really good,” Campbell said.

“It was a fantastic weekend with a good result, good points. It would just have been nice to get some rain over the weekend, so we could have gone a bit further up the field,” he laughed.

“Overall, it was a really good weekend. And also we put a lot of emphasis on having everything Micky Mouse, so it is great to be recognised with the Meguiar’s Best Presented Award.

“My thanks goes to Matt Cook, MGC Heavy Mechanical, Cameron Crick, and Central West Bricks.”

B2 class winner – Chris Holdt – #51 Lithostone Surfaces Holden Commodore VZ

“It was good to bag some points for the season,” Holdt said.

“The boys put a big effort in after our issues at QR to get the car dialed in really well. It ran well and we were pretty happy with how it went, and we are looking forward to The Bend now.

“In race three this morning we had a tyre delamination which sent us off the road and damaged an oil cooler line, so we had to pull the pin, but luckily there was no major damage so we could be back for race four.

“Thank you to our sponsors, Lithostone Surfaces, La Rocca Marble and Granite, Burson Auto Parts, Air and Allied Sales Pacific, Trans Communication and Prestige Stripes and Signs.”

C class winner – Jake Camilleri – #36 Grand Prix Mazda Caboolture Mazda 3 MPS

“It was another good performance by the mighty Mazda! It is a little bit different here with a big horsepower track, so I sort of didn’t have the chance to run with the other class cars as much as usual, but it was still good, and I had a good time.

“The car was faultless again, and I must say a big thanks to the team and to Grand Prix Mazda for their support.

“I had a lot of fun. I was running two cars again this weekend, so I had a lot of driving, I sure know Sandown pretty well now!” he laughed. “I have done a bit around here, and it was really good. It was great to get the little Mazda out and have a good run here with it, it is a cool track.”

D class winner – Sam Silvestro – #55 S-Sport Racing Mazda RX8

“For me it was more about moving up through the outright grid and setting personal best times this weekend, especially as it was my first time I have been able to run here in reasonably dry conditions,” Silvestro said.

“It was a great weekend for me as I was able to achieve that, going from 21^st outright in race one to finishing 14^th outright in the last race, and of course the Class D win. A win is a win, but for me the weekend was all about personal bests at this track, and I was really happy with how it went.

“I would like to thank my wife Donna, who was my pit crew, radio lady, coffee maker – she did it all. A big shout out to her for all her hard work.”