Alex Crosbie has come home with the overall win at the third round of the 2022/23 Yokohama South Island Formula 1600 Championship at Teretonga Park Raceway in his home town of Invercargill over the weekend, taking the lead of the championship in the process.
The win and championship lead wasn’t all that competitors were playing for though as the Hampton Downs NZ Racing Academy put $500 up for grabs for the fastest qualifier.
Come qualifying, Crosbie managed to set the fourth fastest time while rival Blake Knowles topped the timing table and won the cash prize.
During the first race, Knowles had the front row advantage, which he made the best use of, beating Crosbie to the finish line.
However, Knowles incurred a 10-second penalty due to a safety car infringement, which saw Crosbie inherit the win in the first race, while Knowles’s 10-second penalty also cost him 10 places, and a whole bunch of championship points.
Crosbie placed second in the following two races, giving him enough points to lead the championship standings.
“I’m pleased to be back in the lead,” said Crosbie speaking with Talk Motorsport.
“It was a rough start to the weekend, qualifying in fourth as I was hoping to be more up the front.”
Also on the grid was Crosbie’s mum Rachael who achieved her goal of not getting lapped by the field. However, it wasn’t easy going for her after suffering a mechanical fault in race one, but she said races two and three were good in a statement on social media.
Daniel Brown was among one of the fastest drivers of the weekend, setting the second-fastest time in qualifying and rounding out the podium in all three races. He now sits third overall in the points.
Rookie Will Neale, behind the wheel of a Van Diemen Stealth, won “Driver of the Day” which saw him receive a $230 prize from NAPA Auto Parts after finishing third in the opening race.
Neale was among drivers like Dylan Petch, Simon Hunter, Tim Miles, Thomas Flynn, and Dominic Robertson in a competitive battle within the mid-field.
As we approach the festive season, the South Island F1600 Championship will take a break until the final three rounds commence in March 2023.
South Island F1600 Championship points (Top 15):
| Position | Name | Points |
| 1 | Alex Crosbie | 578 |
| 2 | Blake Knowles | 569 |
| 3 | Daniel Brown | 518 |
| 4 | Dylan Petch | 416 |
| 5 | Caleb Byers | 382 |
| 6 | Will Neale | 361 |
| 7 | Dominic Robertson | 331 |
| 8 | Thomas Flynn | 276 |
| 9 | Matthew Hamilton | 209 |
| 10 | Dan Kelly | 205 |
| 11 | Jacob Cunniffe | 187 |
| 12 | Zac Christensen | 170 |
| 13 | Rachael Beck | 136 |
| 14 | Ryan Low | 132 |
| 15 | Jake Bryant | 117 |
Main image: Team Crosbie and Me Facebook
