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B6HR IT’S NOT WHERE YOU START BUT WHERE YOU FINISH THAT COUNTS
That line may well have been taken straight from the pages of the race strategy for the Secure Wealth Advisors Miedecke Motorsport BMW M4.
For more than five hours the Simon Hodges, Jayden Ojeda and George Miedecke piloted #1 sat close to the leaders, though never quite close enough to share the television kudos of a stint at the front.
That all changed with a little more than an hour out from the chequered flag.
For the second year in succession that late charge was spearheaded by Jayden Ojeda, who dragged the Secure Wealth BMW on to the back of the Bruce Lynton Service BMW M3 of Beric Lynton, Tim Leahey and Will Davison.
Davison had stepped into the #23 BMW in a head-to-head with Ojeda and fellow Supercars driver, Thomas Randle, for the final run to the flag. He used all the guile of a seasoned veteran to position his car perfectly whenever Ojeda looked poised to strike.
One wondered how long Davison could hold out a seemingly faster car.
A slow exit from Forrests Elbow a few laps later for #23 was the result of an intermittent gear selector glitch and placed Davison at the mercy of the white Secure Wealth BMW.
Ojeda pounced and before the Chase and held a handy gap as the pair braked heavily for the Chase. Davison regrouped and managed to pull back some of the deficit, only to see the problem rear its head for a second time.
That ultimately cost the team a second place finish as Randle brought the Yellow Pages – Race for a Cure BMW M2 Coupe home in second.
The Lynton BMW was not the only example from the Bavarian manufacturer to encounter an electronics related issue.
Cameron Crick had emerged as a race winning contender in the latter stages of the race until an adjudged yellow flag indiscretion brought about a fifteen-second pitlane penalty. A later favourable Safety Car period eradicated most of that lost time only for a computer relation glitch to see the car run in limp mode throughout the final laps.
Tyler Everingham had also run amongst the leaders in the GWR Australia – Sydney Fabrication BMW M3, only to stop on track late in the race and trigger yet another Safety Car period.
The race was destined to be won by a BMW, at least statistically so. Of the nine starters in the Ultimate Performance class, eight were from the Bavarian Manufacturer, up against a sole Holden HSV GTS.
However it was just the Secure Wealth and Yellow Pages entries which got through the six hours unscathed and it wasn’t solely due to those electrical gremlins.
The Sherrin Rentals M4 was escorted into the gravel trap barely moments into the six hour enduro and spent the remainder of the race in a battle to get back onto the lead lap. McLennan Motorsport had qualified inside the top 10 and looked a likely challenger with David Russell, Tom McLennan and Shane Smollen behind the wheel. A series of rear tyre failures scuttled their chances and eventually finished three laps behind the winners.
There were similar stories in the High Performance Naturally Aspirated category, where Ford Mustangs accounted for seven of the eleven entries.
Aaron Seton had qualified the Megalife Mustang in seventh place and the first non-BMW. Josh Muggleton was right behind in the new HSV Chevrolet Camaro, whilst Tyler Mecklem rounded out the top 10 in the Parramatta Vehicle Services Mach 1 Mustang.
Just two of the Mustangs made it to the chequered flag with the Mount Panorama walls claiming the likes of Mecklam, Cheney and Ryder Quinn.
Quinn’s accident at Reid Park looked the most severe, with the grandson of Local Legends and Red Bull Ampol Racing owner, Tony Quinn, transferred to Bathurst Hospital for an overnight stay.
The Seton and Jason Gommersall entry had fallen out of contention when a pitstop call went against them. The Quinn accident and a rather bizarre refuelling problem for the Camaro placed the Megalife entry back at the front.
After six-hours, two-minutes and forty-seconds, Jayden Ojeda greeted the chequered flag barely fifty metres clear of Randle and Davison. It was the closest top three finish in the history of the Six Hours.
Ojeda and Hodges became the first double winners and the first pair to successfully defend their crown.
The Harding Performance Volkswagen Golf R of Cem Yucel/Iain Salteri finished fourth outright and the winners of the Extreme Performance Forced Induction class.
Seton and Gommersall finished fifth outright in the Megalife Ford Mustang Mach 1 and winners in the Extreme Performance Naturally Aspirated category.
Class B was won by the all-female crew of Karlie Buccini/Courtney Prince/Suzanne Palermo, with the Team Buccini Racing BMW 135i and finished tenth outright.
The Trackday Racing HSV VXR of Pieter Faulkner and Matt Slavin won Class C.
Class D was won by the Next Step Earthworks Toyota 86 of Mitchell Wooller and Tim Barwick,.
The Lasagne/LK Diesel Services team regrouped after a crash in Practice Three to take the honours in Class E with Andrew Jackman/Mark Taubitz/Jamie Westaway at the wheel.
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