Australian Super Truck Championship decided this weekend

The 2014 Hi-Tec Oils Australian Super Truck Championship is set to reach a thrilling conclusion this weekend, as part of the AASA Australian Capital Territory Championships at Wakefield Park.

After the first three rounds of the Super Trucks, Frank Amoroso holds a 14-point lead over Steven Zammit and Paul Reyntes, who are equal second, with Beau Hewat a single point further adrift in fourth.

Amoroso won the opening round at Wakefield Park in May, but Hewat was the dominant force in Rounds 2 and 3 at Winton, allowing him to creep into title contention despite missing the start of the season.

Amoroso said his points lead is far from comfortable.

“There will be a lot of pressure this weekend, which I’m really not used to; throughout my career I’ve been known as a flamboyant driver who likes to have fun, but with so much at stake this weekend, it’s a completely different mindset,” Amoroso said.

“It’s going to be a tough round, and it’s not good enough for me to just cruise around and finish races, I really need to beat Steve, Paul and Beau in at least a couple of the races.

“We’ve done a lot of engine and suspension work to make sure the truck is as fast as it can be, but we still have a weight disadvantage of about 500kg compared to some of the others.”

The weekend will again feature an abundance of track time for the trucks, with a pair of “Team’s Championship” races followed by the four Driver’s Championship races, which conclude with the 10-lap reverse-grid Super Prix.

“It’s no secret the reverse-grid races have worked to our advantage this year, because I’ve been able to work my way through the traffic and then defend against the faster trucks,” Amoroso said.

“The field is a lot closer now than it used to be; everyone is much more evenly-matched but the racing is a lot cleaner as well.

“I’ve been racing for 26 years but never won the championship, so to finally do it would be very special for the crew, some of who have worked with me since I started.”

While the trucks are the headline act this weekend, a multitude of other categories are also on the program including two-hour, twin-driver endurance races for the Pulsar Challenge and NSW Excel Racing Series.

The Pulsar enduro has attracted a field of more than 20 cars, to be piloted by an array of well-credentialed drivers.

Former national HQ Holden Champion Keven Stoopman will be joined by multiple Australian Saloon Car Champion Bruce Heinrich; the duo will head into the race as short-priced favourites after Stoopman’s domination of the last Pulsar Challenge round at Winton.

However, they will be seriously challenged by the likes of Peter Green Jnr/Gus Robbins and Max Healy/Geoff Fear, while this year’s Australian Super Six Touring Car Champion Gavin Ross is also part of the field, teaming up with Greg Wood.

The AGI Sport cars have been the ones to beat in this year’s NSW Excel Series and that should again be the case in their enduro, with the three cars of Nathan Gotch, Nick Filipetto and Glenn Smith heading into the weekend as favourites. Gotch is on double duty, also teaming up with Kyle Austin in the Pulsar enduro.

Other categories on the program this weekend are Miniature Race Cars, Super TT, Stock Cars, Swifts and making their debut at Wakefield Park, the NSW V8s.

Spectator admission for adults is $25 for Saturdayand Sunday and $40 for a two-day pass, with children under 16 free.