A SWEEP of both races on Sunday has delivered First Focus Radical Cup Australia leader Peter Paddon a clear round win in Western Australia.
The First Focus GWR Australia completed a perfect weekend, claiming pole for all three races, three race wins and the fastest lap bonus in each race as well.
It means he becomes a clear leader in the Radical Championship heading into the third round of the series in South Australia in early June.
Paddon swept to the round win by virtue of two tense sprint races on Sunday morning at Carco.com.au Raceway, holding out an attacking Arise Racing group looking to win on home soil.
The returning Elliott Schutte grabbed second for the round, despite a wild final sprint that initially saw him drop to the back of the field, while Cooper Cutts rebounded from a Race 1 penalty to contend in both Sunday races and finish third overall.
Paddon led the field to the green in Race two, spending much of the race fending off Cooper Cutts throughout the 18-lap duration.
He and teammate Schutte finished line astern, with Bryce Moore fourth and Jon Collins fifth.
Ash Samadi finished sixth with Mark Cirillo seventh and Brad Russell eighth, Melinda Price and Peter Clare rounding out the top-10.
The race was interrupted by a brief Safety Car for an incident at Turn 6 involving Ian Oon and Andrew Connor, the latter’s car ended up stranded on the inside of the famous Kolb corner.
Race 3 proved even more spectacular with a wild opening lap seeing Schutte tumble to the back of the field after trying a move to grab the lead at Turn four.
He and Paddon had run side by side through turn one, Schutte on the outside of his rival, and continued that fight as the field climbed up the hill. A moment at Turn four saw Schutte make light contact with Paddon that caused him to spin to the outside of the circuit and to the back.
His recovery drive was impressive as he scythed his way through the field; climbing back to eighth before dropping back outside the top-10 as he tried to pass several cars around the outside of Turn 1 on a restart.
He then survived late drama to climb back to eighth at the line, the points secured enough to secure him the overall round podium.
Paddon was relatively untroubled out in front and gently eased away from the second-placed Cutts, while a furious battle continued behind for third between Chris Reindler and Josh Hunt.
Reindler slipped past Hunt at Turn 7 late in the race to grab second, only for the latter to make contact with the #28 car at turn one – causing Reindler to spin and Hunt to cop a 30-second penalty for the incident.
Cade Bell was next, Barton Mawer fifth on the road and Jon Collins sixth, with Ash Samadi, Schutte, Adam Nacaratta and Andrew Eldridge – who spent much of his race involved in a huge fight for a battle that covered a host of positions through eighth to twelfth – in 10th at the line.
Having entered the round in the West tied on points with Cooper Cutts, Paddon’s supreme weekend sees him edge out a more than 50-point margin heading into the third round of the series in three weeks time.