Press Release Courtesy of Luke Nichols
JJ Hamilton has won an absolutely thrilling Ian Boettcher Classic and round two of the NSSS National Super Sedan Series at Hi-Tec Oils Toowoomba Speedway.
The Toowoomba venue copped more than forty five millimetres of rain on the opening night of competition, pushing the opening days program to the morning of day two.
Hamilton secured pole position for the $10036 to win fifty lap main event. Tasmania’s Callum Harper joined Hamilton on the front row, with Mitchell Gee and Joel Berkley slated to start on row two.
Hamilton jumped out to the early lead to lead the opening lap from Harper, Berkley, Gee and Victoria’s Mick Nicola in fifth.
Berkley moved to the runner up spot on the second lap relegating Harper to third.
Former National Champion Trent Wilson started way back in twelfth, but after just five laps Wilson had worked his way to sixth on the top side.
Nicola was next on Wilson’s hit list and he took the fifth position on lap eight. A lap later Wilson moved to fourth continuing his run on the outside to relegate Harper to fifth.
Out front Hamilton and Berkley had broken away from the rest of the field as they raced towards lap traffic.
The battle outside the top five was frenetic as drivers battled two and three wide right across the race track.
National Champion Darren Kane moved into sixth position, as Nicola ran seventh, from Zac Brims, Brock Atkins and Zac Pascoe in the second half of the top ten.
Wilson reeled Gee in as he looked to move on to the podium. Wilson showed his nose to Gee, which also showed Gee the top side, as Gee took the Titan Garages Sweet Chassis to the outside.
Gee and Wilson began to reel in the lead pair as Hamilton looked to break away from Berkley.
Gee closed on the tail of Berkley, as Hamilton was battling heavy lap traffic.
Berkley closed right back on to the tail of Hamilton as lap cars battled three wide in front of the leaders.
Berkley ranged up on the outside drawing level on the outside of turns three and four.
Hamilton thwarted Berkley’s first challenge, cleared the traffic to give himself some breathing room. Berkley had Gee to contend with as Gee looked to go back to back in the Ian Boettcher Classic.
Gee drew level with Berkley on the outside to take second position on lap twenty four. Berkley fought back throwing a perfect slide job through turns one and two to re-take the runner up spot on lap twenty six.
Hamilton again found himself battling heavy lap traffic, allowing Berkley to re-enter the battle for the lead.
Berkley ranged up on the outside and briefly took the lead before he clouted the back straight wall, right before Michael Hally span in front of the leaders to bring out the first caution of the race on lap twenty eight.
Hamilton selected the outside for the restart with Berkley on the inside. Berkley threw the slider into turn one as Hamilton switched back to take the lead down the back straight.
Berkley wasn’t done and threw another slider into turn three as Hamilton again executed the switch back to lead at the line with twenty one laps to run.
Berkley, Gee and Harper ran three wide for the minor placings through turns one and two. Berkley cleared Gee and Harper, and dove deep into turn three to run side by side with Hamilton.
Hamilton cleared away into the lead as Berkley looked to build his momentum on the outside of the race track.
Gee closed back in seeing the top three run under a blanket as they re-entered lap traffic with fifteen laps to run.
Berkley ran wide through turns one and two allowing Gee through to second, as Harper made it a battle in four for the lead.
Hamilton ranged up on the back of traffic as Gee threw a slider to briefly take the lead as Hamilton fought back around the outside to lead at the line with eleven laps to run.
Gee cost himself some momentum as Berkley threw a slide job through turns one and two to move by a lap car and Gee in one fell swoop to re-take the runner up spot. It was short lived as Gee executed the switch back to re-gain second position down the back straight.
Berkley cleared Gee through turns three and four, before Gee fought back through turns one and two, as the pair put on a hell of a show for the fans in Toowoomba.
Berkley finally got clear of Gee as the laps began to wind down. The caution flag was out with six laps remaining after Kane’s raced ended plagued by electrical gremlins.
Hamilton again chose the top side for the restart as Berkley would start on the inside.
Berkley drove deep into turn one, clipping the inside wall, propelling him up the track into Hamilton who clobbered the wall and brought out the caution flag again.
Berkley was sent to the rear and exited the track ending his race in disappointment.
In somewhat of a miracle Hamilton was able to restart after his brawl with the wall and again went to the top side for the restart.
The final caution flag flew after the restart after a big crash in turns three and four saw the end of Zac Brims, Rob Hamilton and Michael Hally.
Hamilton led away at the restart from Gee, Harper, Wilson and Sean Black.
Gee drew level on the inside through turns one and two as Hamilton and Gee ran side by side down the back straight.
Hamilton cleared Gee into turn three as Gee fought back and again drew level, costing himself some momentum allowing Harper to throw a slider in turn three to take second position.
Harper was right on the tail of Hamilton as they greeted the white flag. Harper kept up the momentum through turns one and two, and threw a slider for the lead, but couldn’t clear Hamilton, and Hamilton blasted out of turn four to take the win in absolutely epic race.
Harper crossed the line in second just clear of Gee in third who finished on the podium of the Ian Boettcher Classic for the third season in a row.
Wilson was next across the line in fourth, ahead of Toowoomba’s own Black in fifth.
Matty Pascoe crossed the line in sixth, from his son Brad Pascoe in seventh. Victoria’s Todd Atkins was next across the line in eighth, ahead of his brother Brock Atkins in ninth, and Zac Pascoe who rounded out the top ten.
Enormous credit has to go to Ryan Harris and the entire Hi-Tec Oils Toowoomba Speedway team as it would have been incredibly easy for them to call off the event. Instead we got an epic day of action and two of the best feature races you will ever see on one heck of a race track.
Ian Boettcher Classic and NSSS R2
A Main – 50 laps
1. B48 JJ Hamilton, 2. T22 Callum Harper, 3. Q11 Mitchell Gee, 4. Q44 Trent Wilson, 5. Q26 Sean Black, 6. B15 Matty Pascoe, 7. T1 Brad Pascoe, 8. V36 Todd Atkins, 9. N57 Brock Atkins, 10. B6 Zac Pascoe, 11. V3 Mick Nicola, 12. Q12 David Musch, 13. B4 Sam Hughes, 14. V0 Lucas Roberts, 15. V16 Ash Bergmeier, 16. N81 Darren Dalton (49), DNF GL39 Joel Berkley (44), N29 Zac Brims (44), A1 Darren Kane (44), B11 Rob Hamilton (44), C98 Michael Hally (44), CR15 Brodie Boss (43), N77 Hayden Brims (32), SC99 Jye O’Brien (14).
