Utes: WBR Symmons Plains summary

WBR & Wimmer the Leading Lion in Tasmania

Although Ford dominated the podium, Wilson Brothers Racing's Kurt Wimmer came through the third round of the V8 Ute Series at Symmons Plains Raceway as the top Holden competitor, picking up a race victory along the way.

It was a triumphant return to competition for Wimmer, who had been out of the hot seat since the opening round in Adelaide, suffering the ill effects of pneumonia, which sidelined him for round two.

The weekend started out cautiously, with Wimmer 19th fastest in practice, getting back into the racing groove around an unfamiliar circuit.

Heavy traffic and an interrupted qualifying session conspired against Wimmer, with the unsponsored number 32 qualifying in 13th position, exactly one second off the pole position time.

"I knew where that one second was, but for the life of me I couldn't get a clear lap through the slower traffic and yellow flags," said Wimmer.

"Unfortunately that is the game we play, and around a tight circuit like Symmons Plains, qualifying is very important."

With carnage always on the cards with 30 utes on the 2.4km circuit, Wimmer settled into 10th position at the start of the first race, and stayed in that position until the end.

With the top 16 finishes from the first race inverted in starting order for the second race, Wimmer carved through from seventh on the grid to take the lead on lap 10 of 13, and held on for the race win.

"Kurt drove a fantastic race once again, proving that his race wins at the end of last year were no fluke; he made some sensational moves to get through to the lead in that race," said team principal Cam Wilson.

"It was a great confidence boost for the team, and it proves that the Holdens can still match it out there."

After starting from grid position four in the finale, Wimmer slipped to fifth in the opening skirmishes, a position he held until the finish.

"I'm happy with fourth for the weekend, it was great to be back out there mixing it in the V8 Utes," said Wimmer.

"I really have to thank Benn and Cam Wilson for their efforts in putting together the car for the weekend, and hopefully we can build on this momentum at Hidden Valley."

The Yokohama V8 Utes Series moves from the cold of Tasmania to tropical Darwin on June 20-21, a circuit where Wilson Brothers Racing was a pace setter in 2008.

-credit: wilsonbrothersracing.com