Camden-Based racer Cameron Crick has continued his podium form at the recent Toyota 86 Racing Series round at the OTR Supersprint. Crick would finish 3rd Overall for the round whilst netting two 3rd place finishes – but crucially the round saw the 20-year old close the gap between himself and the top 2 racers in the championship standings. The OTR Supersprint marked the first ever elite motorsport event to be held at the brand new Tailem Bend racing circuit, and Crick certainly enjoyed the opportunity to take part in the historic event.
“I think the event ran very well and the crowd provided a really good atmosphere throughout the weekend. They certainly got their money’s worth as there was plenty of action on the track and I’m definitely hoping to get back to this impressive venue in the future”, Crick stated.
Whilst the young speedster would marvel at the facilities on offer off the track, his focus was firmly placed on keeping the #7 Clintons Toyota/Plus Fitness Racing entry at the front of the field, and continuing his surge up the championship ladder. Crick would display good pace in both practice sessions on Day 1, however was disappointed with his efforts in qualifying, where he finished 8th on the time sheet.
“I don’t feel like from a car and driving standpoint we gave our absolute best in qually, and with some of the guys we’ve got in this field if you aren’t on your A-game you simply can’t expect to stay up the front”, Crick explained, “I think given the lack of experience we have at ‘The Bend’ we just had to take what we could from the time we’d had on track and try to get everything where we wanted it for Race 1”.
Despite a poor start off the grid, Crick would battle with fellow championship contender Luke King in the early laps, before passing King to set up a dramatic climb up the field. In what was an action-packed Race 1, Crick capitalised on the mistakes of fellow drivers and weaved his way through the pointy end of a 36-strong field of racers, before finishing the race in 3rd position. Marred again by a poor start where he gave up 2 positions by the first corner, Crick would recover to 4th position in Race 2, as the young speedster did his best to fend off several cars hot on his heels throughout the entire race. Race 3 would be the closest contest of the weekend, where the top 7 cars would be locked in a fierce contest all the way until the conclusion of the final lap. Crick would reside in 4th position for the majority of the race, before seizing his opportunity off a Cam Walton error to dive into 3rd position on one of the final corners. In a race meeting which saw 7 different drivers reach the podium in 3 races, Crick was a model of consistency, as the Camden-Based Racer fought through a variety of challenges to post his impressive results.
Crick’s 3rd place finish marked his 4th podium finish in the last 6 races, part of an impressive run of 7 consecutive races where Crick has finished inside the Top 6. This statistic is no mean feat, given that the Toyota 86 Racing Series is a one-make championship which has rolled out almost 50 drivers over the first 3 rounds. This level of consistency has Crick poised to make a run for the Toyota 86 Racing Series championship at the halfway point of the series, as he currently sits 56 points behind the leader in 3rd position. In spite of this, Crick’s attention has stayed strongly fixed on his next race meeting, when the Toyota 86 Racing Series will move to Sandown for the Rabble.Club Sandown 500.
“We copped some bumps and bruises throughout the weekend and so we’ve got our work cut out with just over 2 weeks between ‘The Bend’ and Sandown”, Crick stated, “The focus is now entirely on our preparation and that next session, because as nice as its been to enjoy some success lately that top step (on the podium) is the focus and making sure we can go one better every time we roll onto the track”.
This impressive attitude has propelled Crick firmly into the spotlight as one to watch in the Australian motorsport scene, as the 20-year old continues to improve with each race meeting.
The remaining rounds of the 2018 Toyota 86 Racing Series will take place at the;
Rabble.Club Sandown 500 (September 14-16)
Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 (October 4-7)
Coates Hire Newcastle 500 (November 23-25)
Cameron would like to express his gratitude to a fantastic sponsorship team;
Clintons Toyota
Plus Fitness
Pro-Axle Australia
All Safe Group
A&T Puckle Electrical
HDSA Group
Adtrans Hino
EWP Plant Hire
MyProperty Consultants
Castrol Australia
O’Neill Civil
Muscat Trailers
Pitman Trucks
Cleanaway Environmental Services
JP’s Metal
Rapid First Aid
Clean Geeks
Direct Steel Traders
Hawk Carts
Creative Signworx
Viztek Media
ACM Parts
