STEVE Tamasi and Tony Ricciardello split the Precision National Sports Sedan Series race wins on Friday at the Repco Bathurst 1000.
The popular category is part of the Great Race weekend for the first time in 31 years and will again support the Supercars Championship at the Gold Coast 500 later this month.
Jordan Caruso scored pole on Thursday with a stunning 2:02.5436s lap aboard his rapid Audi-Chev, but lost places off the start in the opener and finished fourth.
Holden Calibra driver Tamasi surged to the front in Race 1 and led home Ricciardello in a race that featured just one full green flag lap.
That was due to a heavy crash for Camaro driver Birol Cetin at the Dipper on lap 2, which followed a clash with Michael Robinson’s Monaro earlier moments earlier.
Race 1 winner Tamasi then failed to start the second heat due to mechanical issues, leaving Ricciardello to fend off Caruso.
The Audi was far quicker over the top of the Mountain than the Alfa-Chev but lost significant time on the straights.
Race 2 also finished under yellow flags after a near-rollover for Rick Newman.
Driving an ex-Briggs Motorsport Falcon, Newman spun into the gravel trap at Murray’s Corner while attempting to overtake Antony Cox’s Saab.
The Ford dug into the gravel and lifted its left-hand wheels before ultimately coming back down on all four.
“It was an interesting angle to have the car at, that’s for sure,” Newman told V8 Sleuth.
“The angle I was sitting at one point, I thought ‘this is gone’. But it sort of slowed down to a point where I thought it’s either going to sit there, or come back down.
“It was really close, but it was far enough off the wall to know I was safe.”
Newman claimed there were no working brake lights on Cox’s car, which made overtaking difficult.
“We’ve got similar horsepower, similar straightline speed, but he’s braking earlier, and there were no brake lights, so I couldn’t tell,” he added.
“I almost had him down at the Chase and then coming down into Murray’s, he hit the brakes pretty hard, I nearly wore him and had to pull out to avoid him.
“I was in the dust on that side and then lost all traction.”
Newman’s Falcon competes in Sports Sedans as a BF model, but never raced that way in V8 Supercars competition.
It was built as an AU Falcon by Briggs Motorsport and raced at Bathurst in 2002 in the hands of Tony Longhurst and Matthew White, finishing fifth in the 161-lap classic.
Race 3 on Saturday will complete the weekend for the Sports Sedans.
