Asian Motor Sports

Sydney drivers David Wall and Mat Sofi were among the success stories at Eastern Creek Raceway in Round Seven of the Shannons Nationals.

Wall won the Australian GT Championship round to extend his championship lead, while Sofi scored his first Formula 3 race victory as seven national categories hit a sun-soaked Sydney circuit.

Two race wins set up Wall’s third-consecutive round win in the VodkaO Australian GT Championship, driving a Porsche GT3 Cup S.

After winning the opening race by 14 seconds, Wall faced a stern challenge from Lamborghini Gallardo driver Dean Grant in Race Two.

Following several lead changes, Grant scored his first win, before Wall bounced back to claim Race Three and the round ahead of Grant and Jim Richards (Porsche 997 Cup Car).

“I’m really pleased with how the weekend went,” Wall said.

“The car was fantastic, our guys did a great job, and full credit to Dean for the battle and his victory in Race Two.

“We won the round and extended our championship lead, it’s the ideal outcome.”

Gate-crashing Joey Foster and Tim Macrow’s title fight, Sofi broke through for his maiden Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship race win.

In his 52nd start, Sofi took a comfortable victory in Race One, ahead of Foster and Macrow.

The championship battle took another twist in Race Two, with Foster stalling on the grid and eventually finishing fourth.

Macrow won ahead of Ben Crighton and Sofi, to reduce Foster’s advantage to 11 points.

“It’s a great feeling to win my first F3 race,” Sofi said.

“The pressure is off now, I’ve been waiting for it for so long, and we did it in style, nailing the start and building a lead.

“I’ve got a lot of family and friends here so it’s great to do it in-front of them, and to win for [team owner] Sam Astuti, who has worked so hard for the last 18 months.”

Rally ace Steve Glenney made a sensational debut in the Boylan Traffic Solutions Australian Manufacturers Championship, taking the round win.

Driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, Glenney topped practice, qualifying and won two of the three races.

Local driver Garry Holt (BMW 335i) won the other race to take second for the weekend and extend his championship lead, while returning champion Mark King (Evo X) was third.

“We’ve had a fantastic debut,” Glenney said.

“It was our first national-level race meeting, we didn’t know what to expect coming into the field against past champions.

“The racing was a lot of fun and it’s great to get the win.”

With a third-straight round win, Matt Kingsley added to his lead of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge.

Having stalled at the start, Kingsley charged back to finish second in a safety car-interrupted Race One, before Race Two was cancelled due to a first-lap accident.

Kingsley finished second again in Race Three, with Shaun Juniper winning both races outright and taking 997 Trophy Class honours.

Brett Holdsworth claimed two out of three TTM Traffic and Parking Commodore Cup races to win the round and move into the series lead.

Tony Bates and Nick Parker completed the weekend podium, ahead of teenagers Josh Hughes and Scott Andrews.

Continuing the success for Sydney drivers, Sam Zavaglia claimed his second Australian Superkart Championship.

Zavaglia was too good, winning all four races in the season finale, with Darren Hossack and Gary Pegoraro second and third for the championship despite troubled weekends.

A bumper field of HQs assembled for the 2009 Tyrepower HQ Nationals.

Victorian driver John Wood was the victor, winning all four races to take the crown ahead of Gary Bonwick and John Wise.

This weekend’s racing will be broadcast on SBS’ Speedweek next Sunday, 26 July, from 1pm.

Round Seven of the Shannons Nationals will be the series’ first visit to Queensland’s Morgan Park Raceway on 8-9 August.