KANE TAKES OUT A THRILLER IN THE IAN BOETTCHER CLASSIC

by | Jan 2, 2023 | QLD, SSA Super Sedans

Press Release by Luke Nichols.

Darren Kane has won the second annual Ian Boettcher Classic at Hi-Tec Oils Toowoomba Speedway, in what will go down as one of the most thrilling finishes of the season.

Kane would start the thirty six lap main event from grid eight, and find himself right at the pointy end when it mattered most.

Tasmania’s Callum Harper won the Pole Shuffle earlier in the evening to secure pole position. Harper would elect to start from the outside with Toowoomba’s own Sean Black to start from pole.

Harper would get away to a good start and launch into the lead. Rookie sensation JJ Hamilton rounded up Black on the outside to move to second at the start of lap two.

Tasmania’s Adam Beechey made his way past Black on lap six, and set about chasing down Hamilton.

Brad Pascoe started the race from seventh and worked the inside of the track to make his way to fourth after eight laps.

Beechey would move to second by Hamilton after twelve laps, and Pascoe would go with him a lap later to move to third.

A lap later the caution light would be out for the only time in the race for a spinning Zac Brims.

The challengers would come for Harper at the resumption, with Harper, Beechey and Pascoe running three wide into turns one and two.

Kane would capitalise and move by Pascoe for third. Hamilton would also grab Pascoe to move into fourth.

Harper for the first time in the race came away from the top side of the track, using the bottom in turns three and four, whilst still running the top in turns one and two.

Beechey was working the bottom nicely, and would show the nose to Harper with sixteen laps remaining.

Harper would make his way down to the bottom in turns one and two, and look to stick to the rubber and hold on for the win.

Harper would hit lap traffic with eight laps to run, and sail back to the top of the track. Beechey would take the lead into turns one and two with seven laps remaining.

Kane and Hamilton both got by Harper, and then Kane would take the lead with six to run. Kane would move to the middle of the track to try and get by the lapped cars, and Hamilton would take the lead on the inside with four laps remaining.

Kane was able to get alongside the rear quarter panel of the lap car to box Hamilton in on the bottom and re-take the lead with three to run.

Kane would go on to record the narrowest of victories, crossing the line a narrow two tenths clear of Hamilton. Mitchell Gee would get by Harper on the final lap to take third just six thousandths of a second clear of Harper in fourth.

Tyson Moon stormed through the field after starting from fifteenth to round out the top five.

The top seven cars were separated by an incredible 1.1 seconds, in what was an incredible finish! Twenty three of the twenty four starters went the distance with only one car failing to finish the race.

The great news is the third Ian Boettcher Classic is locked in for December 30th and 31st next season, as the Super Sedan division continues to go from strength to strength!

Ian Boettcher Classic
A Main – 36 laps
1. Q36 Darren Kane, 2. Q48 JJ Hamilton, 3. Q11 Mitchell Gee, 4. T22 Callum Harper, 5. N47 Tyson Moon, 6. T14 Adam Beechey, 7. Q18 Brad Pascoe, 8. Q44 Trent Wilson, 9. N57 Lachlan Onley, 10. Q26 Sean Black, 11. Q12 Damon Musch, 12. V0 Lucas Roberts, 13. V3 Mick Nicola, 14. Q10 Steve Jordan, 15. Q98 Michael Hally, 16. Q31 Harry Doyle, 17. N29 Zac Brims, 18. N77 Hayden Brims, 19. Q15 Gavin Northfield, 20. A1 Matty Pascoe, 21. Q28 Zac Pascoe, 22. Q7 Colin Kaine, 23. Q96 Josh McLaren, DNF Q13 Scott Taylor (27)

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