Matt Slavin has taken his best ever race and round result in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge for Ashley Seward Motorsport at the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight.
Andrew Goldie also featured on the podium, while Tim Wolfe and Ross McGregor enjoyed a weekend long battle inside the top 10. The four Pro-Am drivers were faced with a busy Friday schedule, made trickier for Slavin and Wolfe who were competing at Sydney Motorsport Park for the first time. Two Practice sessions preceded Qualifying on the first day of action.
Slavin was quickly up to pace, earning himself fourth in class on the grid for race one ahead of Goldie in sixth, Wolfe in 10th and McGregor in 11th. The opening race took place in drastically different conditions over 24 hours after qualifying, as the field raced under the lights on Saturday night.
It was also the first time Slavin and Wolfe had raced under lights, which didn’t phase the duo who both moved forward in the 13 lap race. Goldie charged forward to challenge Slavin for second in Pro-Am with Slavin eventually winning out for his best ever race result and leading home a double podium. Wolfe and McGregor battled it out for ninth in class, with the former winning out by just seven tenths of a second.
Race two saw Slavin hold on for third in class ahead of Goldie in fourth, with Wolfe home in ninth as McGregor unfortunately had an issue which prevented him from completing a lap. There was early drama in the 25-lap race three which dropped Slavin down the order and Goldie out of the race. A strong fightback for Slavin saw him rise back up to finish in fifth while McGregor and Wolfe reignited their battle to finish seventh and eighth.
The results earned Slavin second in class for the round, a new personal best, with Goldie sixth, Wolfe ninth and McGregor 11th. In the Championship Standings, Slavin moves to second with Goldie just behind in third.
“I’m very happy with the outcome, we had an up and down weekend but I’m stoked with the podium and we got some valuable points,” said Slavin.
“The night race was especially amazing, the way the lights illuminate everything sort of makes you think it was a bit wet or slippery but it was great fun and a new challenge that I’m happy to have completed.
“I’m feeling confident that we can go and attack at Queensland Raceway, I’ve adapted to new tracks pretty well so far this season. Hopefully we can carry a bit of momentum and comfort in the car up there,” concluded Slavin.