APR: Wakefield preview

Donut King Australian Performance Car Championship heads to Wakefield Park

A quality field featuring some of Australia's favourite high performance cars will take to Wakefield Park, near Goulburn, this weekend for round two of the 2005 Donut King Australian Performance Car Championship.

Wakefield Park, around two hours south-west of Sydney, is rated as one of Australia's best spectator circuits and if the opening round of the championship at the Clipsal 500 in March was any indication, there will be plenty of great racing to keep an eye on.

The diversity of vehicles that the Donut King Australian Performance Car Championship prides itself on came to the fore at the Clipsal 500, with three different manufacturers finishing on the podium. Subaru took the top spot, ahead of HSV and Mitsubishi, while Mazda and FPV are also represented inside the top 8.

Atop the championship standings courtesy of a third place finish and two race wins in Adelaide, is Sydney teenager Chris Alajajian (Jack Hillermans Smash Subaru WRX STi). The Eighteen year-old enters the weekend in the enviable position of leading two national championships; Alajajian also shares top spot in the Australian Formula 3 Championship.

Alajajian is to continue his run of strong form and has experienced success at Wakefield in recent times. In 2004, he wrapped up the Australian Production Car Championship at the circuit, and scored a Formula 3 race win there earlier in the year.

"It's going to be competitive, very competitive; there are a lot of strong four-wheel drive cars," said Alajajian. "However, if we do have the right setup, make the right adjustments to the car during the weekend and get a clean run on the track, we can come away with a good result.

"Wakefield is a really good track, a little bit bumpy, but the layout of the track is great. It's a fun little track and it puts on good racing. It will be good fun to watch for the crowd during the weekend."

The Subaru of Alajajian will be one of eight four-wheel drive cars in action this weekend. Of those driving Mitsubishi Lancer's, Mark King (Delphi Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII) and Garry Holt (Century 21 Real Estate Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VIII) were the form drivers in Adelaide. King scored pole position and a race win, and currently sits in fifth place on the series standings, two spots behind Holt.

"Well, I have to say Wakefield Park is fantastic, because I designed it and built it," admits the Sydney-based Holt. "But it doesn't matter what class is racing at Wakefield Park, it always lends itself to good racing. From a spectator point of view, it's the best in the country -- you can see the whole track."

While Holt has been on the pace at Wakefield Park in recent years, luck has not been on forthcoming.

"The last two years at Wakefield, we have been on pole," he said. "In 2003 we set the lap record and then broke it last year, but we haven't had much luck in the races, and I've only ever been on the podium once there.

"Hopefully we can change that this weekend."

Despite the tight and twisty nature of the 2.2km circuit, the four-wheel drive cars won't have it all their own way. In Adelaide, HSV GTS drivers Peter Floyd (BP Ultimate) and Barry Sternbeck (Wake-Up! Backpackers) put in strong showings, and currently sit in second and fourth places respectively in the standings.

Joining the General's army at Wakefield this weekend is the Donut King Holden Monaro. Hot on the heels of his recent drives in Targa Tasmania and the legendary Nurburgring 24hr, Anthony Alford will drive the car on its debut in the championship.

For the blue oval, John Falk (Fibreglass International FPV BA GT) gets back behind the wheel for Team GT this weekend for his first round of the championship in 2005.

"I had a test day last week, and the weekend before that I drove a Super Truck at Winton and had a third and a first, so I'm very much looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the BA GT again," said Falk. "Wakefield isn't the best circuit for the V8s, but if we can finish in the top ten with no damage it will have been a good weekend."

Having his first round back after a high speed accident at the Clipsal 500, Queensland driver Beric Lynton is among the BMW drivers in his rebuilt and re-liveried Donut King BMW M3, while Mike Fitzgerald (AussieHire.com.au Nissan 350Z) will fly the Nissan flag.

After practice and qualifying on Friday and Saturday, the field will do battle in three races on Sunday -- two of twelve lap duration, and a seventeen lap race concluding the weekend.

For more information on the Donut King Australian Performance Car Championship, visit www.performanceracing.net.au

-apr-