After years of trying and two second place finishes, Tristan Green has finally broken through to take his first ever win in the Keen’s Driver Training SSA Super Sedan WA Title event at the Trade Hire Augusta Margaret River Speedway.
In a race that was bookended by stoppages, Green held strong throughout the entire forty lap distance to hold off defending champion Matty Pascoe and claim his maiden WA Title, while Phil Barton finally broke the curse and got on the podium after over a decade of close finishes and bad luck.
Green and Pascoe would start off the front row together after each winning two heats apiece, and as the race got underway they shot off the line, with Green getting the edge while Pascoe went wide out of turn four.
Unfortunately chaos erupted just behind them, cars piling in, Keith Higgs launching into the air and rolling hard, Kyle Larson clouting the wall and Zac & Warren Minshull, Darren Coles and Bryce Fisher all cannoning in hard.
All five cars would suffer significant damage and be left on the infield, leaving just eight cars for the complete restart.
Green got away cleanly on the start using the lowline while Pascoe kept his machine half track high and he looked for a way through. Rob Knox and Phil Barton would fight hard behind them as the rest of the pack quickly dropped away.
Shayne Reid headed infield after two laps, leaving two battle packs on track, Green leading Pascoe, Knox and Barton while half a lap behind Lukas Lampert, Dean Trotter and Josh Macalpine were fighting it out.
As the laps wound down Green continued to pull further and further away while Pascoe was under incredible pressure from Knox, with Barton loitering right behind and waiting for his chance.
On lap ten that chance came, Barton putting the nose under Knox, but unable to complete the move. The same thing happened the very next lap though and Barton made the move stick to take over third.
Green would make his way into the first of the lapped traffic on lap fifteen, while Barton’s #36 machine began to emit puffs of smoke, despite not slowing any. As Green continued to get by the lapped cars, Barton began to put the pressure on Pascoe, but was still unable to make the move.
By lap twenty Green had lapped fifth place, but the Pascoe machine appeared to come alive, closing the gap to under half a second, while Barton still continued to follow along.
With fifteen remaining the top three were out again in clear air, but with ten to go they were back on the tail of the back markers, bunching them up once again.
Just as the front trio approached the slower cars Lukas Lampert slowed and headed infield while Macalpine went around Trotter for fifth.
This allowed Pascoe to close in again and stick the nose alongside Pascoe, with Barton also right there, in what was shaping up to be an epic finish.
Unfortunately Macalpine then found himself spinning in turn four, setting up a restart with four laps remaining, six cars in the race and four cars still on the lead lap.
After a short ambulance delay while under the stoppage the six cars would resume, and Green took off very slowly, letting Pascoe get around the outside of him into turn one.
Green powered away once again though to maintain the lead and began to pull away, while Barton also stuck the nose under Pascoe but still couldn’t get by.
Back up front though it was all Tristan Green, racing away to claim the win by just under a second, crossing the line ahead of defending champion Matt Pascoe while Phil Barton was a gallant third.
Rob Knox was fourth and the final car on the lead lap while Dean Trotter and Josh Macalpine rounded out the finishers.
A huge congratulations to all the winners, and a huge thankyou to the team at Margaret River Speedway for putting on a great show to bring the 2025/26 SSA WA Title season to a close.
A Main, 40 laps: 1. W6 Tristan Green, 2. WA1 Matty Pascoe, 3. W68 Rob Knox, 4. W91 Kyle Larson, 5. W36 Phil Barton, 6. W85 Keith Higgs, 7. W78 Dean Trotter, 8. W17 Lukas Lampert, 9. W00 Josh Macalpine, 10. W7 Warren Minshull, 11. W2 Shayne Reid, 12. W8 Zac Minshull, 13. W77 Darren Coles, 14. W80 Bryce Fisher, 15. W76 Terry Green.
RESULT
1. W6 Tristan Green, 2. WA1 Matty Pascoe, 3. W36 Phil Barton, 4. W68 Rob Knox, 5. W78 Dean Trotter (38), 6. W00 Josh Macalpine (38). DNF: W17 Lukas Lampert (32), W2 Shayne Reid (2), W91 Kyle Larson (0), W85 Keith Higgs (0), W7 Warren Minshull (0), W8 Zac Minshull (0), W77 Darren Coles (0), W80 Bryce Fisher (0). DNS: W76 Terry Green. Total Time: No Time. Winning Margin: 0.926. Fastest Lap: 17.218 W6 Tristan Green.
Shots by Coops Images