JAMES LODGE fended off Ryan Casha to claim the opening race in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series finale’ at Sandown, while Jake Santalucia retains his points lead heading into the final day of the season.
Lodge, who had earlier scored a stunning pole position in the final stages of qualifying, scored his second win of the season after spending his entire race fending off an attack from Ryan Casha.
The latter ran within a car length of the leader all race but couldn’t find a way through Lodge’s resolute defence, ultimately finishing second.
Lodge’s win was the second of his year but the first time that he had crossed the line in first – his earlier win in Sydney coming after the driver who crossed the line first was pinged a post-race penalty.
Jake Santalucia finished third, working his way forward from sixth position on the grid to drop just four championship points to his nearest rival.
The Sonic driver made a solid start to climb to fourth at the start – taking advantage of a slow start from Tom Bewley – and spent the early stages of his race chasing Lockie Bloxsom’s McElrea entry.
He then pounced at turn six mid-race to wrestle third position away to ensure he retains more than a full race’s worth of points margin heading into tomorrow’s two races.
Provisionally, Santalucia retains a 71-point lead with 120 up for grabs tomorrow.
Bloxsom finished fourth, while Hunter Robb was a stout fifth in his Jones Motorsport-run entry.
The Kiwi was one who took advantage of Bewley’s slow start in his Team Porsche NZ / EBM entry, though had to take evasive action to squeeze through past the slow-moving car.
Bewley recovered to sixth position, rapidly working his way through the field having dropped to the back half of the top 10 before his recovery drive.
Tyler Greenbury charged from 15th position on the grid to finish seventh, with Pro-Am winner Jacque Jarjo next, in front of Diesel Thomas and Class B winner Daniel Quimby.
The DNA Autosport driver had started second in class however gained ground at the start, and then further places when class polesitter Andrew Georgiadis locked his front brakes at turn one, making contact with Kamal Mrad’s entry and ending up with damage in the turn one gravel.
That brought out a brief Safety Car prior to the race to the line.
Jarjo’s Pro-Am win elevated him to second in the class championship with two races remaining tomorrow. He led home Lachlan Harburg, who was second, and Stephen Moylan.
Two races remain in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series tomorrow at Sandown.
Santalucia can realistically claim the championship in race two – the enduro cup race – while now only second-placed Ryan Casha and Lockie Bloxom can challenge for the crown.
Both of Saturday’s races will be shown live on Sky NZ.
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