Motorsport fans in Canberra might still be buzzing from the excitement of local boy Cameron Hill winning the national Formula Ford title at Wakefield Park last weekend, but now a contingent of eight drivers from the nation’s capital are preparing to take on the Valvoline Winton 300, which will be held at Winton Motor Raceway in northern Victoria, 7-8 November.
Since its inception in 2011, the Winton 300 has become established as the pinnacle of club-level endurance car racing in Australia, attracting numerous entries.
Leading the Canberra convergence will be Nathan Jess and Matthew Thomson, who teamed up to snatch a dramatic win on the 100th and final lap of last year’s Winton 300.
Jess has fond memories of the event, and is looking forward to defending his title this year.
“Last year’s race was insane, when I made the move for the lead I didn’t even realise it was the last lap!” Jess said.
“When I took the chequered flag and drove back to the pits I could hardly move, because I was cramping up quite badly. It was a hot, tough race and I don’t think I would have been able to drive another lap.”
Jess and Thomson will defend their title in the Future Racer they drove to victory in 2014 – a small, fibreglass-bodied car powered by a motorcycle engine.
“The car came off the dyno earlier this week, and I think we’ve found some improvements since last year which will make it a bit nicer to drive over such a long race,” Jess said.
Following on from Hill’s Formula Ford success, Jess and Thomson also have the chance to bring another national motor-racing title to Canberra; they currently lead the Australian Endurance Championship, of which the final round is the Winton 300.
The Jess/Thompson Canberra Hydraulics machine is one of two Canberra-based Future Racers contesting the event; the other is the Supreme Dry Cleaners entry of 2012 Winton 300 winner Chad Cotton, and his co-driver Jase Collins.
Another notable Canberra driver competing in the Winton 300 is Daniel Flanagan, best known as the owner of the Fifth Gear Motoring driving school. Flanagan will be partnered in a Nissan 180SX by one of his driving instructors, Damian Lomax.
Also making the trip from Canberra to Winton will be Glenn Potter (BMW 325i), Jason Hart (Mitsubishi Evo IX), and former Australian Formula Vee Champion Daniel Reynolds, who teams up with Matt Stubbs in a BMW M3.
