Photo: AGI Sport
AU4, previously known as Australian Formula 4, began its new era at The Bend Motorsport Park with three races.
The series is now open to two generations of machinery, and it was a delayed start to the season as the planned first event at Sydney Motorsport Park got postponed from March 22-23 to August 29-31.
In practice, Harrison Duske set a 1m51.0255s to lead Noah Killion by 0.0389 seconds, with Imogen Radburn 1.162s behind in third. Koby Wilson was the quickest Gen1 driver behind the seven Gen2 entrants, 6.1829s off the pace.
Two qualifying sessions followed, and Duske led the way in Q1. He pipped Killion by 0.1018s and Radburn by 0.2231s, with Isaac McNeill 0.4719s back and Cohen Kokotovich qualifying fifth. Jensen Marold claimed Gen1 pole for race one.
Laptimes were slower in Q2, and a 1m51.881s earned Killion top spot by 0.669s over Radburn. McNeill and Brock Burton were two seconds off the pace in third and fourth, and Marold was sixth overall as Duske qualified 12th.
Duske led lights-to-flag in race one, but did not have it easy. Radburn and McNeill passed Killion at turn one, and Killion regained the places later in the lap before spinning off and having to charge back from 11th to fourth.
McNeill went down the inside of Radburn at turn one on lap two, and they traded places there again on lap five. Radburn attacked the leader on laps seven and eight, then when he encountered Gen1 drivers to lap he built a four-second lead. Once the top three returned to clear air, they remained close on pace.
Marold ended lap one fifth but won his class in seventh, and Koby Wilson was next up after an entertaining battle with JesseJames Samuels. They kept on swapping places until Samuels spun mid-race.
Race one’s fastest laps set race two’s grid, putting Killion on pole. He defended the inside line at the start, as McNeill headed to the outside to go from fourth to second at turn one.
On lap two he sold the dummy there to take the lead on the inside, and Duske went side-by-side with Killion through sector one of lap three. He got a move done on the outside of turn one on lap four, but putting two wheels off at turn 13 allowed Killion to fly back past.
McNeill had a four-second gap to the four-car battle for second, but it was down to 0.7s as lap 10 began and he was soon defending. Killion got alongside at turn one on lap 11, then reclaimed the lead at the turn six hairpin and pulled away to win.
Radburn took third place on lap five, and held off Duske and Burton thereon. Kokotovich did not start, and Marold was Gen1 winner.
Car issues denied Killion the chance to win race three from pole. McNeill got into second at the start, and took the lead from Killion at turn one on lap four. He was fifth by turn six, and finished 1m49.7866s behind victor McNeill down in 11th.
Duske passed Radburn at turn six on lap two and pressured McNeill mid-race, before falling into Radburn’s clutches and losing out to her as they began the last lap. Kokotovich finished right behind and Marold was Gen1 winner.
Results round-up
Race 1 (13 laps)
1 Harrison Duske Tim Macrow Racing 27m38.2035s
2 Imogen Radburn AGI Sport +5.4208s
3 Isaac McNeill Volante Rosso +7.4109s
4 Noah Killion AGI Sport +19.5399s
5 Brock Burton Tim Macrow Racing +36.4364s
6 Cohen Kokotovich AGI Sport +36.8301s
7 Jensen Marold AGI Sport +1m02.9471s
8 Koby Wilson AGI Sport +1m23.7761s
9 Andrew Fitzpatrick Fitzpatrick Racing +1m36.3515s
10 JesseJames Samuels AGI Sport +1m43.2815s
Pole: Duske, 1m50.7734s
Fastest lap: Killion, 1m50.7196s
Race 2 (13 laps)
1 Killion 27m44.4137s
2 McNeill +2.2468s
3 Radburn +7.0154s
4 Duske +7.9872s
5 Burton +8.4343s
6 Georgia Morgan Tim Macrow Racing +57.129s
7 Marold +1m04.1876s
8 Wilson +1m07.3488s
9 Fitzpatrick +1m22.5857s
10 De’argo Stewart AGI Sport +1m43.8253s
FL: Killion, 1m51.077s
Race 3 (13 laps)
1 McNeill 27m48.3476s
2 Radburn +6.5296s
3 Duske +7.9063s
4 Kokotovich +8.2479s
5 Burton +21.8335s
6 Marold +1m01.6175s
7 Wilson +1m11.2665s
8 Morgan +1m28.9517s
9 Fitzpatrick +1m41.4581s
10 Stewart +1m42.7195s
P: Killion, 1m51.881s
FL: Duske, 1m51.5228s
Championship standings
Gen2 1 McNeill 58 2 Duske 53 3 Radburn 51 4 Killion 44 5 Burton 30 6 Kokotovich 20 7 Morgan 16
Gen1 1 Marold 77 2 Wilson 54 3 Fitzpatrick 45 4 Stewart 34 5 Samuels 30 6 Lawrence Katsidis 18 7 Chloe Lane 18 8 Nicholas Filipetto 6