Press Release by Luke Nichols.
Tasmania’s Callum Harper has become the new South Australian Champion after winning the 2023 Blenks Automotive and Performance SSA Super Sedan South Australian State Title at the Murray Bridge Speedway.
Harper would be the top qualifier after three rounds of heats, and would be joined on the front row by Victorian Lucas Roberts.
Roberts would get the jump from pole position after Harper opted to start from the outside.
Roberts would lead the first three circulations untroubled before the caution light was on for a spinning Corey Ramsdale.
Roberts would lead from the restart, under pressure from Harper, and Harper’s pressure would pay off when he took the lead on lap six.
Collins would take second from Roberts a lap later and begin to chase down Harper.
Dave Gartner would be the next driver to displace Roberts, taking third with eighteen laps to run.
The caution light was out for Ramsdale again with seventeen laps to run.
Under caution Harper was given a one plus one penalty after the stewards deemed his pass for the lead to have been made partially on the infield, sending Harper back to third for the restart.
Collins would restart in the lead, with Gartner and Harper hot on his hammer. Gartner began to build the momentum on the top side of the track, and was right on the tail of Collins at the halfway mark of the race.
Gartner continued to apply the pressure to Collins and there looked to be contact in turn one, which would send Collins spinning, and bring the caution light out with twelve laps to run.
Stewards deemed the incident as a racing incident and reinstated both Collins and Gartner to their positions for the final twelve laps.
Collins would lead away at the restart, running a higher line on the track.
Gartner would follow Collins around the top, whilst Harper poked the nose up the inside into turn three with eleven laps to run.
Gartner would fight back on the outside out of turn four, and retake second position down the main straight with ten laps to run.
Gartner ran wide in turns one and two, and Harper would complete the pass out of turn two.
Harper changed his line back to the top of the track and railed the outside of turns one and two to take the lead with seven laps left.
Harper stretched his legs and ran away in the final stages to claim the win and his first South Australian Title.
Collins would come out on top in his battle with Gartner to claim second.
Gartner crossed the line third, ahead of Roberts in fourth, and Paul Blenkiron who rounded out the top five.
2023 SSA Super Sedan South Australian State Title
A Main, 30 laps -1. T22 Callum Harper, 2. T1/V1 Jamie Collins, 3. S18 Dave Gartner, 4. V0 Lucas Roberts, 5. S22 Paul Blenkiron, 6. S93 Kym Jury, 7. V99 Travis Ramsdale, 8. S58 Neville Nitschke, 9. V9 Corey Ramsdale, 10. V12 Darren Giacometti (29), DNF V16 Ash Bergmeier (4), S12 Kym Hammerstein (3), S52 Michael Brown (3).
