Lindblad wins Dorothy Smith Memorial Trophy from pole

Photo: Bruce Jenkins / TGR NZ

Arvid Lindblad won the Dorothy Smith Memorial Trophy-awarding third Formula Regional Oceania race at Hampton Downs from pole.

The M2 Competition driver had to hold off an attack from MTEC Motorsport’s Zack Scoular, his closest title rival, on the outside of turn one on the opening lap and they almost touched.

Half a second split the pair through the first four laps, and Lindblad finally broke a second clear on lap seven. His lead did not grow much further until lap 18, the usual distance of a FRegional Oceania race, where he had the advantage on tyre life compared to Scoular and lowered the lap record several times to end the 23-lap encounter 2.911 seconds clear.

On row two of the grid was MTEC’s Josh Pierson and M2’s Nikita Johnson, and they also had an early squabble. Johnson tried passing around the outside of turn two and then the inside of turn three on lap one, the latter move allowing him to get ahead. He then ran wide though so Pierson moved back in front of him, and Giles Motorsport’s Will Brown profited to pass Johnson too. He briefly also nosed ahead of Pierson, then had another go at the final corner but Pierson hugged the inside.

The outside of turn one on lap two was not an option for Brown either, but the inside of turn two was and he moved into third as Johnson held off team-mate Matias Zagazeta behind.

Brown began attacking Scoular on lap four, but did not have the pace to get ahead og him. On lap 11 it all went wrong as the rear end of his car stepped out entering turn one and he went into a half-spin, dropping to eighth behind M2’s Michael Shin.

The second half of the race was spent filling Shin’s mirrors, attempting overtakes twice on lap 18, at turn 13 on lap 19 after Shin defended down the straight following turn one, and twice more on lap 20. Shin locked up into turn one a lap later but for once Brown was not close enough to capitalise, and his attempts at passing on the penultimate also failed.

Johnson ended up finishing a lonely fourth thanks to Brown’s fall down the order, followed by Zagazeta and MTEC’s Patrick Heuzenroeder.

Race results (23 laps)