HEAT IS ON: Tim Hutchinson found the Victorian Standard Saloon Championship heats at Redline Speedway a bit too hot to handle and had to scramble from his car. Picture: Jeremy Bannister
A FLAT tyre failed to stop Scott Whittle from taking out the final of the Victorian Standard Saloon Championship at Redline Raceway on Sunday.
The Geelong driver, who calls the Buninyong circuit his home track, led the 35-lap final virtually from start to finish in his distinctive Valiant to claim his fourth Victoria title in the tin top class.
Fast-finishing Leigh Gooding finished second, just half a second behind, with Darren Forrest third.
“I’m thrilled to win here in front of my home venue crowd,” Whittle said. “It was a hard race, I am buggered.”
Chris Stewart won heat one of the first round on Saturday before Whittle scored his first race win of the weekend.
Robbie Bruce, Matthew Domburg and Warrick Howie were the other victors in round one.
Whittle was one of the heat winners in round two, along with Gordon Russell, Gooding, Jacob Vuillermin and Forrest.
He then became the only driver to win all three heats with another victory in round three, along with Vuillermin, Jason Parsons, Nick Chrystie and Stewart.
With a fourth win, in the fifth round on Sunday night, Whittle qualified on pole position for the final, ahead of Russell, Stewart, Gooding and Forrest.
A series of mechanical breakdowns interrupted the start of the final. When the race finally started, Whittle went straight into the lead, Forrest and Vuillermin chasing.
After a re-start following a crash involving Shane Ardley, Russell’s charge was hamstrung by a flat tyre, putting him out of contention. After a final re-start, Whittle maintained the lead despite a flat tyre of his own, to take the chequered flag.
In the Ray Welsh Legends Cup for SDAV Hot Rods, Jason Kavanagh took the win, harried all the way by Dean West.
In Saturday night’s Wingless Sprints, Sam Wren passed race leader Dayn Bentvelzen with two laps to go in the 20 lap final.