A highly competitive and intense sprint racing format at Sydney Motorsport Park has again delivered three winners from four races, with Cooper Cutts and Bart Mawer both enjoying race wins on Sunday.
All eyes were on series front runners Peter Paddon and Cooper Cutts coming into the penultimate round of the 2024 First Focus Radical Cup Australia season at Race Sydney this weekend. With a championship on the line, the front runners gave it their all across the weekend’s four 25-minute sprint races.
There were just six round points between the GWR Australia / First Focus driver and Cutts coming into Sunday’s race four, which would see Paddon finish ahead of the West Aussie to claim not only the round win but maintain the series points status quo. Cutts and Sydneysider Justin Tigani both joined Paddon on the round podium, finishing second and third, respectively.
Mark Brame was next, with two-time race winner this weekend Barton Mawer in fifth, ahead of Bryce Moore/Chris Reindler, Nick Kelly, Jon Collins, Ash Samadi, and Josh Hunt/Peter Clare rounding out the top 10 for the round.
Now, with just one round to go, attention turns to the Bathurst International, which will host the championship decider across 8-10 November.
In race three, Paddon and Cutts were running clear of the pack behind after a classic Radicals East vs West battle off the line. Cutts attempted a pass for the lead around Paddon coming into Turn one, while the rest of the field ran two and three wide for a spectacular start to the race.
Paddon would take control of the race as they came around to complete the first lap. The two championship rivals - with just 55 points between them coming into race three - continued to run neck and neck, setting a three-second gap back to Justin Tigani in third. The #6 Tigani Motorsport racer was having a stand-out weekend, continuing his solid form, taking his second third-place finish for the weekend in race three.
That was until the #18 of Bradley Russell - whose ice cream-inspired livery was named the fan favourite earlier this year - found itself turned around on the track after a bump from the #68 Ausnets entry of Knowles/Mawer. With the #18 unable to refire, the Safety Car was deployed, closing the gaps and lowering the intensity, if only for a moment.
Paddon resumed control of the race on the restart, with an attacking Cutts just behind, flashing the lights on the #16 Terry Cutts Racing Radical SR3 XXR to signal his intentions to fight to the very end. Cutts’ persistence would, in fact, pay off, taking it all the way down to the wire with a pass for the lead at Turn 7 on the last lap of the race.
Mark Brame (#42 Focus Motorsport) and Arise Racing’s Chris Reindler, who was also enjoying a very consistent weekend in the #28 he shares with co-driver Bryce Moore, finished race three in fifth.
The biggest story of the day, if not the weekend, was Josh Hunt's incredible drive in race four. After an oil pressure sender failure resulted in a DNF for the #47 in Saturday’s race two, Hunt charged through almost the entire field to make up 18 positions to finish in fourth, setting the fastest lap of the race, a 1:29.9964, in the process.
Justin Tignai enjoyed another strong result in race four, crossing the line in fifth, with fellow NSW-based racers Mark Brame in sixth and Jon Collins in seventh. Collins’ race four result was another great comeback for the day, after finishing in 15th in the previous outing after catching the kerb and spinning down the order.
Bryce Moore, Nick Kelly, and Ash Samadi rounded out the top ten.
Race four’s three wide start for Paddon, Mawer and Cutts heading into turn one saw Cutts lose a number of positions from his second-row start. Mawer slotted in behind Paddon and set to work trying to find a way around the #31. Struggling with tyres all day, Paddon held the #68 off for as long as he could, but Mawer - using a lapped car to his advantage - was able to grab the race lead with only four laps to go.
Moments later, a tap by the #4 saw the #18 of Brad Russell spin, triggering the second Saftey Car of the day. With only moments left in the 25-minute sprint, the field finished the race under Safety Car conditions.
