Victorian brothers David and Marc Tessari have taken out the 2015 Ken Leigh HQ Holden 4 Hour endurance race at Winton yesterday, emerging victorious thanks to a formidable combination of speed and reliability.
After qualifying fourth, the Tessaris worked their way to second by the end of Saturday’s two hour leg.
When the race resumed on Sunday, the Tessaris moved into the lead after just a handful of laps and were never headed for the rest of the event.
South Australian drivers Neil Corey and Peter Holmes finished second, while Shepparton brothers Stephen and Richard Whyte came home third, remaining on the lead lap throughout the entire journey.
In his return to circuit racing, Phil Brock finished a solid seventh alongside co-driver Glen McDonald.
The hot and demanding conditions at Winton over both days seriously tested the longevity of both cars and drivers, and a number of fancied combinations came to grief with mechanical problems; ultimately, just 18 of the 30 entrants were classified as finishers.
Polesitters Bruce and Joel Heinrich controlled the early stages of the race on Saturday, but fell down the order with a couple of lengthy pit stops and were ultimately excluded for adding fuel to their car under race conditions, in contravention of the event regulations.
Another front-running contender to fall by the wayside was the Keven Stoopman/Brett Osborn entry, which led at the end of Saturday’s leg, but retired on Sunday with a broken gearbox.
The HQ 4 Hour was supported by the Super Mini and Super TT categories.
A large field of Minis turned out to compete for the Doug Byrne Memorial Trophy, and Echuca driver Daniel Zandt dominated all four races. Henry Draper, John Walker and Adam Duce enjoyed a spirited battle for second, third and fourth position; Draper and Walker ended the weekend tied on points, while Duce spun out of proceedings in the final race.
Corey Gooch claimed his fifth Victorian Super TT title with the overall round victory in his V8 Holden Torana, with Hayley Swanson finishing second overall in her Subaru WRX, ahead of Steve Murray (Holden VN Commodore).
Stephen Harrison won the first two races in his BMW 3 Series, but retired from the final with mechanical problems.
Ken Leigh HQ 4 Hour Results
HQ Holdens
1st. David Tessari/Marc Tessari – HQ Holden
2nd. Neil Corey/Peter Holmes – HQ Holden
3rd. Stephen Whyte/Richard Whyte – HQ Holden
Super Mini
1st. Daniel Zandt – Mini Cooper S
2nd. John Walker – Morris Mini Cooper
3rd. Henry Draper – Mini Cooper S
Super TT
1st. Corey Gooch – Holden LJ Torana
2nd. Hayley Swanson – Subaru WRX
3rd. Steve Murray – Holden VN Commodore
