IT HAS been 10 long years since any form of national-level Radical competition has raced on the six-turn layout known as ‘the Paperclip’ at Queensland Raceway.
In fact, when cars roll out on Friday, August 5th for practice it will have been nine years and 362 days since a one-make field of Radicals last took to QR.
A strong field will return next week for the fourth round of the 2022 Radical Cup Australia Series – with only one competitor on the grid this year having previous Radical Cup experience at the circuit located just outside of Ipswich.
One-make national Radical competition last visited Queensland in 2012 – ironically on almost the identical August weekend to the one utilised this year.
That weekend a field of 13-cars raced a pair of 10-lap sprint races and one 38-lap / 50-minute enduro at what was then a Shannons Nationals event.
The only current Radical Cup Australia driver on the grid that weekend was Sue Hughes, who qualified 11th and posted finishes of 12th, 11th and 10th, respectively.
Pole was scored by Sydneysider Peter Johnson with a record 1m10.1812s flyer – the benchmark for the current field to chase next weekend.
He outqualified Neale Muston by just 0.0198 seconds with former Australian Drivers’ Champion Paul Stokell just 0.1 seconds further back, in third.
The racing would prove highly competitive throughout the weekend, with Muston edging out Stokell to claim the first 10-lap spring on Saturday, setting a lap record of 1m10.6903s in the process; a benchmark that stands to this day.
Johnston was third with Simon Haggarty and Oliver Smith next.
Muston won the second sprint race, too, Andrew Macpherson climbing to second and Simon Haggarty to third. Phil Holzberger, who was sharing his car with race one runner-up Stokell, finished 9th.
The 38-lap / 50-minute enduro on Sunday was an entertaining and unpredictable affair.
Muston led early and led the first 27 laps prior to his compulsory pit stop.
That handed the lead to Johnston, who had stopped on lap 9, who found himself being pursued by the #1 car of Edward Singleton. That remained the status quo until the 36th lap, when dramas between the pair saw Johnston drop more than 25 seconds and Singleton find himself out of the race with just two laps to go.
That handed the lead to an undoubtedly surprised Peter White, who had stopped early in the race and made the most of gaining ground throughout while others stopped.
White led the final two laps, fending off a fast-finishing Simon Haggarty to win by just two-tenths of a second – Richard Bloomfield completing the podium.
Almost ten years to the day later, The Radical Cup Australia field returns for a return bout on August 5-7.