Queensland Endurance Championship Newsletter #3

ENTRIES OPENED FOR INDIVIDUAL RACES

AN EXCITING ENDURANCE FIELD

Entries for the Queensland Endurance Championship which encompasses both of the 300km races at Lakeside Park and Queensland Raceway have closed!

With endurance championship numbers constricted due to the limits at Lakeside, there are still plenty of spots available for the Queensland Raceway round and a very small number of places on the grid at the Lakeside round.

The endurance championship entries have filled most of the way up and showcase a wide breadth of talent from across several states. These two 300km races attract some of the best drivers and teams around and in 2017 it has been no different.

Entries have now opened for the Lakeside and Willowbank 300’s, be quick there’s not many spots left at Lakeside!

Numbers, Numbers & Numbers 5 – Is the Number of Supercar drivers

that have competed in the 300. Liam McAdam and Justin Ruggier went onto Supercars after their 300 debuts while Ryan McLeod, Steve Owen and Daniel Jeilsen all had previously raced Supercars before their 300 appearances.

02:12:55 -

2 Hours and 12 Minutes was the fastest ever 300 race won

by Targa Racings Nick Leontsins and Adam Dodd at Lakeside in 2016

02:36:52 - 2 Hours 36 minutes is

the longest 300 recorded in 2016 at Willowbank won by Matt Mobsby and Glenn Trigger.

96 – Is the number of Laps to do 300km at Queensland Raceway

124 – Is the number of Laps to do 300km at Lakeside Raceway

MCLENNAN AND MCLEAN TEAM UP Scott McLennan has recruited Cameron McLean to partner him on his Queensland Endurance Championship challenged. McLennan has run in a number of 300km races at Willowbank and Lakeside.

Last year McLennan tackled Lakeside, in the inaugural 300 race at the historic track putting his Mitsubishi Mirage into a respectable 6th place and finishing 5th in the hotly contested Division 2 class.

McLennan has also competed in the Queensland Raceway Sports and Sedans series, taking out the championship in the Mirage in 2015. This is the first year McLennan is taking on the dual challenge of both 300km races in the Queensland Endurance Championship.

His co-driver, former V8 Supercars regular, McLean is an excellent choice to have beside him for this testing Championship. McLean’s last race in 2009, in the Bathurst 12hr he came home in 5th, so McLean is certainly still up for the challenge.

McLennan and McLean are definitely a pair to watch out for when the Endurance Championship kicks off in May.

HOW THE 300 Endurances Races Work The 300 Endurance events are a unique event. They are based on the premise that anyone can go endurance racing and allow people to operate on small budgets and a small crew to get the real Endurance race feel while still being competitive. The refuelling is done in a safe and controlled environment that means competitors don’t need expensive dry brake system but can build their own refuel device simply and for around $150. Refuelling is done with a mandatory 5 minutes Pit Stop were fuelled does not need to be rushed and takes out a significant portion of the risk refuelling. The 5-minute stop has also been incorporated into the strategy of the event making in an important part of the race for the whole team.

The Event has successfully run a unique Division system based on time. This allows cars to race similar speed cars and battle them with a skilled driver, Pit stop strategy and consistency. The Division system takes out unnecessary costs and has had many people compete on old tyres or with fewer performance parts as they are racing the same speed cars.

In All the 300 Endurances races can be completed by two mates who want to drive together in a team or for the dedicated family teams that want the whole family and friends to be involved in the race. The 300’s usually end up a family affair as it allows more than just the drive to be involved with strategy & pit stops.

Once thing is for sure you have to try it and get your team together for the 2017 season.

DRIVER PROFILE : SCOTT GREEN Scott Green is a regular at Queensland Raceways in the Keema Excel Cup series. Last year Green tackled the full championship between the Lakeside and WIllowbank circuits for the first time, having previously dabbled in racing in the previous year. Green finished in an incredible 10th place at the end of the year, considering how the size and depth of the Keema Excel Cup field.

Green’s highlight in the Excel Cup series has to be his second place in their one hour race at Queensland Raceway. Green’s no stranger to the endurance championship, also entering both the 300’s last year as well as his commitment to the Excel Cup. Green’s Excel he shared with L.Kearns was able to finish 4th outright in the championship and a tied 2nd in the divisions handicap standings. Green’s outings in the championship were mightily strong and proved that in 2017 he’s a contender to keep your eyes on.

RACING CAREER SUMMARY

Races entered 25 Wins 0 Podiums 4 Podium percentage 16%

ENTRANT LIST

HISTORY OF THE EVENT The History of the Willowbank 300 is short yet oozes with character in only three short years. The inaugural race in 2014 was won by Steve Owen and Gerald McCloud in an Astra. The pair were a division one car and set a high speed and consistency that saw them win by a healthy margin. A pack of MX5 made the top 10 with third place coming from Division 3 which signalled to drivers that it’s not all about speed and tactics play a large role in being on the podium in the race. 2015 it was another Division one car that took the honours.

Nathan Jess and Matthew Thomson, an experienced pair from endurance racing, won in their Futurbusa again from Division one. The times were adjusted in 2016 to bring division two

into the race more and what an outcome it achieved. Division two BMW E30 of Matt Mobsby and Glenn Trigger won in what was labelled an epic 300 which saw at least 6 teams as the likely winner at some stage of the race. The pair managed to hold off and record the first Division Two win in the events History.

The Lakeside 300 kicked off its first event in August of 2016. A healthy grid of cars joined the race in which Division two BMW Z3 of Nick Leontsinis and Adam Dodd took victory ahead of the Honda Civic of Sydney brothers Jimmy and Benny Tran. Nathan Jess recorded another Endurance podium and showed the favourite does not always take the victory.

LIVESTREAMING

Livestreaming is a big part of being involved in the Willowbank 300. Now in its third year, it will be once again streamed to the world while plans are afoot for the Lakeside 300 to be streamed as well of the success of last year’s event.

Approximately 5,000 people watched the Willowbank 300 with people from all over the country and overseas joining in the stream that saw a topsy-turvy race that was eventually won by the BMW E30 of Glenn Trigger and Matt Mobsby.

Livestream will be enhanced this year with live timing on-screen and Pit stop interviews as well as some expert commentary race analysis. This 2017 Livestream of the Australian Endurance Championship is set to be the best yet.