Zeltwanger clean sweeps at Hampton Downs

Lee Zeltwanger rounded off a fine first day racing in the Toyota 86 Trophy Series with his second win of the day.

It meant he cleanly swept the first round of the new winter series, with pole position, two race wins, and the day’s fastest lap.

“It’s been a great day, and I’m very pleased to have done so well,” he said on the podium.

“I enjoyed the race, and the car was very good, so I have to say thanks to the team for a great job today. We’ll move on to the second round and hopefully have the same speed.

“I also want to thank Dion Pitt, who offered to help me in this series. He’s made a big difference in helping me get up to speed, and that’s also been a big factor in today.”

Starting alongside him on the front row and far more circumspect after his jump start in the first race, Harry Townshend was an untroubled second off the start and had a lonely race, comfortably faster than Ajay Giddy behind him but with no answer to Zeltwanger’s impressive speed at the front.

Townshend cruised home in second, which was nonetheless his best finish in a Toyota 86 race.

Giddy came out on top in a fantastic four-way battle for the final spot on the podium, which also involved Corban Sprague, Toby Elmiger, and young Matt Day in the Dayle ITM car.

For much of the ten-lap race, the four were nose to tail until a late clash saw CareVets Scholarship winner Sprague and Elmiger make contact on the last lap and spin away nine seconds before they got underway again.

That meant Giddy came home third, and Day an eye-catching fourth.

The last lap contact was enough to leave Sprague in fifth and Elmiger seventh behind Noel Simpson, who had a solid drive to the front of another race-long battle with Nathan Grammer and Kyan Davie.

Conley Webley chased hard at the back of the pack, but took the flag in tenth, less than a second behind Davie.

Header Image: Bruce Jenkins.