A last-lap right rear tyre failure denied Williams a certain victory in the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy at SMP. The Tyler Greenbury Racing driver had built a lead of over 20 seconds and looked set to claim his sixth win of the season.
As Williams crossed the control line to start the final lap, his right rear tyre failed, sending him into a wild slide through the sweeping Turn 1. He managed to save the car and rejoin, but was forced to limp around the entire 3.91km circuit on three tyres.
Xavier Avramides shot past to take the win by 5.1 seconds over Hayden Haikal, with Ryan Suhle completing the podium in third. Daniel Quimby also passed Williams for fourth, and Williams had to settle for fifth despite his earlier dominance.
The 45-minute endurance race was dramatic from the start. Williams rocketed away from the front row, while his rivals battled. It was revealed that Williams saved his best set of tyres for the final race, while Lincoln Taylor used a new set in Race 2 to take a comprehensive win. As a result, Taylor dropped to seventh by the end of the opening lap.
Behind, fierce battles ensued. Hunter Robb, struggling with an ill-handling car, had to fend off Quimby and Haikal. Eventually, Robb's tyres faded and he slipped back, allowing Quimby and Haikal to fight for second. Avramides also moved into the top five after passing Suhle.
The tension peaked in the closing laps. Haikal forcefully took second at Turn 6, but Quimby fought back through the hairpin at Turn 8. Both cars battled side-by-side on the run to Turn 9, but each slipped off the road through the final complex, sliding through the gravel and allowing Avramides through to second.
Ahead, Williams continued to build his enormous margin, but fate had other ideas. Despite an earlier spin, Ruairi Avern clawed back to sixth, while Taylor and Robb settled for seventh and eighth. Anthony Gilbertson finished ninth outright and took the Pro-Am class victory, sealing the class championship with one round to spare. Kamal Mrad recovered to 10th after being involved in the spin with Avern.
Despite the tyre failure, Williams still took the overall round honours and holds the championship lead heading into the final round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at Shannons SpeedSeries.
Read Also
Anderson wins in Sydney to strengthen championship lead. Rookie Patrick Trappett scores podium on debut, while Fawcett loses third due to gearbox issue.
Hayman and Murray dominate Sydney GT4 finale in McLaren Artura, leading lights-to-flag despite additional pit stop time.
Tom Blomqvist storms to IMSA pole at Indianapolis with a 1:14.674 lap, three tenths clear of the field in his Meyer Shank Racing Acura.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!