A strong field of nineteen Cars lines up for round two of the RX8 Cup series at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Round one at Wakefield saw a real changing of the guard for RX8 Cup as some of the new and younger competitors pushed their way up the grid proving that youth can win out over experience.
The opening round was taken out by rookie racer and RX8 new comer Ryan Gorton who put in a remarkable effort to take pole and three wins from the four races. There was a strong showing from Matthew Butters who made the trip up the Hume Highway from Melbourne to take second place. Justin Barnes showed experience and skill to take third place.
As our attention turns to round two at Sydney Motorsport the top three from round one will all line up to battle it out again. Highlighting the growth of the category the RX8 Cup category will be joined by three competitors having their first taste of RX8 Cup racing. Mark Alder, Gavin Furner and Mark Wilks all will be mixing it with the established competitors.
Many of the recognised competitors return for round two with, Aiden Riley positioned well after finishing fourth – his best finish to date in RX8 Cup. Also much is expected of Jake Lougher at this round, he sits in fifth position after suffering mechanical issues in round one.
Jason Gawler, Bryden Slater, Elliot Malouf will all battle it out in the mid pack.
The effervescent Masie Place will be back after her best and most consistent showing at Wakefield Park, on the fringe of the top ten and improving all the time.
Returning from last year are Shannon McLaine, Nandi Kiss and Brad Harris. All are expected to be fast and in the mix for podium places come Sunday afternoon.
Jackson Noakes and Jack Pennacchia – are both hopping for better runs after their first round outings. Jackson weekend finished early due to a racing incident and Jack experienced some mechanical gremlins with a brand new car – but had a good outing for the final race of the day.
The ever improving Tom Shaw will also be out searching for some consistency on his home track, as too Sam Silvestro who will be looking to bounce back after round one.
Series creator and category manager Ric Shaw said “I am once again thrilled with the entry list for RX8 Cup in these challenging times. There is a great mix of youth and experience with RX8 cup rapidly building as the best one make series in Australia.” When asked why RX8 Cup is such a success – Ric went on to indicate “it is a series created by racers for racers, the emphasise is on simple rules with limited modification in a truly exciting car to drive – the RX8. The cars are cheap to build, cheap to run – but yet the category brings the professionalism and fun of motorsport”
The only remaining question is who will bring home the RX8 Cup in 2020!
Entry List for round 2
Mark Alder #34
Justin Barnes #44
Matthew Butters #23
Gavin Furner #45
Jason Galer #51
Ryan Gorton #28
Brad Harris #74
Nandi Kiss #42
Jake Lougher #66
Elliot Malouf #77
Shannon McLaine #88
Jackson Noakes #10
Jack Pennacchia #4
Maisie Place #80
Aidan Riley #19
Tom Shaw #21
Sam Silvestro #55
Brayden Slater #17
Mark Wilks #25
Standings after Round 1
Round 1 – Wakefield Park
Position Competitor Name Number Total Pole Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 R1 Total
1 Ryan Gorton 28 117 1 30 26 30 30 117
2 Matthew Butters 23 108 28 28 26 26 108
3 Justin Barnes 44 94 24 24 24 22 94
4 Aiden Riley 19 80 18 20 22 20 80
5 Jake Lougher 66 78 22 28 28 78
6 Lachlan O’Hara 24 74 20 30 24 74
7 Jason Galer 51 69 22 9 20 18 69
8 Bryden Slater 17 56 10 12 18 16 56
9 Elliot Malouf 77 49 7 14 14 14 49
10 Maisie Place 80 37 8 7 12 10 37
11 Lachlan Cook 69 37 14 16 7 37
12 Jackson Nokes 10 34 16 18 34
13 Thomas Shaw 21 32 6 8 9 9 32
14 Andrew O’Keefe 13 31 5 16 10 31
15 Ben Silvestro 85 26 26 26
16 Alexander Cook 11 24 12 12 24
17 Sam Silvestro 55 19 9 10 19
18 Jack Pennacchia 4 8 8 8
Race Schedule for 2020
Round 3 Tailem Bend, SA 27th -28th June 2020
Round 4 Syd Motorsport Park, NSW 1st – 2nd August
Round 5 Morgan Park, QLD 29th – 30th August 2020
Round 6 Syd Motorsport Park, NSW 14th – 15th Nov 2020
