Hugo Allan wins, Rowan Shepherd extends points lead

Rookie Hugo Allan took his second win of the Toyota 86 championship season at Hampton Downs. 

Allan started the race from pole position, leading the pack into turn 1, ahead of Ronan Murphy who started on the other side of the front row. 

Murphy kept the pressure on the leader through the early part of the race, though his focus would switch to keeping championship leader Rowan Shepherd behind in third. 

“It was a good start but we were a bit worried about pace on cold tyres,” he said.

“There was a moment or two when Ronan was close but I just managed to hold position. Thankfully later in the race our car really came alive and I’m stoked to get another win.”

Despite closing the gap to Murphy, Shepherd didn’t make a move to take second place, rather ending the race in third, adding to his championship points tally. 

Simon Evans found himself in an early race battle with Dion Pitt, fighting for fourth place, running side by side for much of a lap before Pitt took the position. 

Evans attention then turned to Justin Allen, who was looking to make a move, though Pitt was fourth, Evans fifth and Allen sixth as they crossed the line.  

The midfield again had intense battles though the race with John Penny finishing seventh, tightening his grip on this season’s Masters Trophy.

Giltrap who had been near the front of the pack on the opening lap, before running wide, and into the grass recovered to take eighth, ahead of Brock Gilchrist in ninth and Christina Orr-West rounding out the top ten. 

The tenth place result means Orr-West will start the weekend’s second race from pole position.

The top ten finishers will be reversed to set the grid for the race, which will see championship-leading Shepherd starting from eighth. 

Race two will get underway at 10.23 am Sunday.

2022 Toyota 86 Championship – Round 6 Hampton Downs Motorsport Park – Race 1

_{Picture: Bruce Jenkins}