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Lead image thanks to Ian Welsh
Round 3 of the 2017 Heritage Touring Cars series wrapped up over the weekend, when the Legends of Bathurst took to Lakeside Park for the Lakeside Classic.
The event was held over the 12th & 13th of August and saw 19 of Australia’s historic Group C & Group A cars take to the legendary touring car circuit for a weekend’s historic motor racing.
Queensland put on its best for the weekend, producing temperatures in the high 20s. Entrants and spectators showed great support for the event, contributing to the festive atmosphere, inspired drivers and exciting races.
Heritage Touring Cars competition kicked into top gear on Saturday morning, when the field rolled out for qualifying. Duncan MacKellar was able to mirror his strong qualifying performance in the Sydney Classic Speed Festival, steering the ex-Anthony Reid Asahi Kiko JTCC BMW M3 around Lakeside in 55.96 to secure pole position.
Tony Alford and ‘Godzilla’ were hot on his heels with a 56.30. Terry Lawlor completed the top 3 with a 57.35 in the 1990 Dick Johnson Shell Sierra.
Glenn Gerstel put in a great lap in his ex-Murray Carter XE Falcon to lead the Group C cars from 7th overall. Ed Singleton followed in the 1977 John Goss Racing Ford Falcon XC, qualifying 2nd Group C and 10th overall, the pair setting up for what would become a weekend-long duel. Bill Magoffin’s Alfa Romeo GTV completed the Group C top 3.
Ian Welsh Photo
Race 1 saw Tony Alford working hard to get past Duncan MacKellar, slipping by a few laps into the race and going on to take the win. MacKellar finished second, although he did manage to take fastest lap from the R32 Skyline. Terry Lawlor would retain his third place from qualifying, setting up some great dices between himself and MacKellar in the later races.
Mark Taylor was able to stretch his Commodore VL’s legs and pass the ’87 JPS M3 of Peter Jones to move up into fourth.
Brett Ensinger Photo
Group C competitors put on some great drives, with Glenn Gerstel moving himself up a spot into 6th overall and Ed Singleton jumping three to put himself just behind in 7th. Bill Magoffin was also able to move up a few spots, chasing down the top 10 in lucky 13th.
Saturday afternoon saw the field head out in the golden late-afternoon sunshine for Heritage Touring Cars’ third event of the day. Alford and the GIO Skyline GT-R were able to defend their race-leading position from the hard-charging MacKellar, who finished in second place less than a second behind.
This time out Alford secured the fastest lap with a 56.55, but MacKellar was just a hundredth slower. His time of 56.56 broke David Towe’s lap record for a 3-litre Group A touring car – a record which has stood for eight years!
Ian Welsh Photo
David Towe started the race from the back of the grid and charged through the field finish fourth. Peter Jones and Mark Taylor would continue their dice, swapping positions again to finish 5th and 6th.
Wayne Clift was able to sneak his Deluxe Coachlines VK Commodore past the ongoing duel between Ed Singleton and Glenn Gerstel, moving up to 7th, while Singleton was able to get the run on Gerstel to finish 8th. The pair were separated by two tenths after 15 minutes of racing.
John Abbot was hot on the heels of the ex-Bob Holden Sprinter of David Paterson in race two, with the pair finishing just a few tenths apart. They were followed by another great dice between the ex-Willmington Jaguar of Tony Pallas and Steve Axisa’s 1972 Torana GTR XU1.
The field kicked off Sunday with another 15-lap event. Tony Alford won his third race of the weekend, while Terry Lawlor was able to pass MacKellar to finish second, with MacKellar picking up third.
Ian Welsh Photo
Gerstel and Singleton’s duel continued, with the pair swapping positions again and moving up to 6th and 7th. Just three tenths behind them and well in the thick of things was Craig Foster’s ex-TTA AE86. Foster’s been consistently quick since his debut earlier this year, his efforts making for an exciting David and Goliath race as he mixed it expertly with the two big Group C V8 Falcons.
Steve Axisa had everything hooked up very nicely for race three, jumping five positions to finish 9th in a hotly-contested mid-field duel between himself, David Harris, David Paterson and Tony Pallas. Harris enjoyed a similarly successful run, moving up from 15th to complete the top ten.
Tony Alford continued his sweep of the weekend in race 4, while Duncan MacKellar was able to move back up into second, bumping Terry Lawlor into third.
Wayne Clift finished fourth in his best result of the weekend, having climbed the ranks steadily from an 11th place qualification. David Towe put in another impressive performance, climbing from the rear of the grid to finish 5th.
Brett Ensinger Photo
Another hard charger was Mark Taylor, who climbed from the back of the field to a strong 7th place finish. Ed Singleton was able to stretch the Falcon XC’s legs a little, putting some clear air between himself and Craig Foster, who found himself in fierce competition with David Harris, Tony Pallas and David Paterson.
The final race of the weekend saw a rhythm well-established. Alford led MacKellar and Lawlor home, going five-for-five. David Towe slipped the JPS M3 past Clift’s VK Commodore and the pair finished fourth and fifth respectively.
A little further down the order, and both Tony Pallas and David Paterson were able to get a run on David Harris, with Pallas moving up to 10th and Paterson into 11th.
Ian Welsh Photo
Thanks to the Queensland Historic Touring Car Association and the many volunteers who put in hard work behind the scenes for putting on a great racing weekend! The Lakeside Classic has been a highlight event in 2017.
Thanks also to the drivers who supported the event by bringing out magic old cars to compete with and enjoy, as well as to the spectators who support historic racing events and create a festive and deeply appreciated atmosphere in which to race.
The Heritage Touring Cars series will return over the 28th and 29th of October, when the series heads to Sydney Motorsport Park to wrap up 2017’s competition at Muscle Car Masters.
For more from the Legends of Bathurst, stay tuned to www.heritagetouringcars.com.au.
Photos kindly provided by Brett Ensigner and Ian Welsh. Please support their work by visiting Brett on Flickr here and Ian at www.shiftingfocus.com.au.
