A dramatic weekend of racing has seen Ultimate Karting Sydney racer Tim Brook claim a podium result for the weekend in Townsville.
The Reid Park street circuit proved brutal on the Toyota 86 Racing Series, with a host of crashes claiming a number of drivers.
Brook however avoided much of the drama, recording his best result of the 2017 season to keep his title hopes alive.
“The weekend exceeded expectations in a lot of ways,” said Brook after claiming the third placed trophy.
“I felt optimistic coming into the weekend, I put in a lot of hard work since Phillip Island, the car needed a bit of a tune up as did the driver!
“I definitely felt quietly confident on Friday, this is a great track, a bit of a concrete jungle but a hell of a lot of fun.
“It’s a bit of a shame about what happened in Race 2 with the crash, but luckily we managed to avoid most of it.”
A strong lap in qualifying set up Brook’s weekend, the Ultimate Karting Sydney entry firmly on the second row of the grid.
A thrilling opening race of the weekend saw Brook involved in a three-way dice, edging out Ben Grice for fourth after a ferocious battle that lasted much of the race.
Making progress early in Race 2, Brook was battling with Aaron Seton for second as the field rounded turn two before a multi-car crash accounted for much of the field.
The Ultimate Karting Sydney entry escaped with little more than a scrape to the left side of the car in a race that was abandoned due to the extensive clean up required.
The final race of the weekend saw brook’s hard work rewarded, racing his way into a strong third place.
It a rewarding weekend for Brook who demonstrated immense speed and composure, keeping the Sydney-sider in contention for the Toyota 86 Racing Series title.
Brook is now looked ahead to the third round of the Series, which will take him to familiar territory.
“I’m looking forward now to go back home to Sydney Motorsport Park, where we’ve done a lot of our testing.
“We’ll go there looking to continue this form and pick up some more points.
“We’re still in contention so it’s important for us to go out there and have a good weekend. I’m looking forward to it.”
Round 3 of the Toyota 86 Racing Series will see Brook in action at Sydney Motorsport Park as part of the Supercars Sydney SuperSprint (August 18-20)..
2017 Toyota 86 Racing Series Calendar:
1. May 26 – 28 Phillip Island SuperSprint, Phillip Island, VIC
2. July 7 – 9 Townsville 400, Townsville, QLD
3. August 18 – 20 Sydney SuperSprint, Sydney, NSW
4. October 5 – 8 Bathurst 1000, Mount Panorama, NSW
5. November 24 – 26 Newcastle 500, Newcastle, NSW
