2026 BRIDGESTONE IMPROVED PRODUCTION NATIONALS

Story: Garry O’Brien – Photos: supplied.

THE 2026 Bridgestone Improved Production Nationals were taken out by Adam Poole and Kurt Macready in the over and under two-litre classes respectively.

Held at MotorMall Wanneroo Raceway on 17 and 18 October. It was the 34th running of the event which moves from state to state and circuit to circuit annually.

Poole crossed the finish line second in his Holden Monaro to become a three-time Nationals title holder. The South Australian finished behind local West Australian Jack Clohessy in his Subaru WRX and was awarded the outright and over two-litre victory when Clohessy was penalised after the race.

WA’s Matt Cherry, who won the title in 2024 and was also at the wheel of a Holden Monaro, started the 30-minute final from pole position. He was beaten off the line by Clohessy before quickly regaining the lead, which he pushed out to more than two seconds.

However, a Safety Car shortly after half distance, when Glenn Kenneday’s BMW 325i was stranded out of Turn 3, closed the field up. After the resumption, contact at Turn 5 caused Cherry to spin and Clohessy to take the lead, an incident for which Clohessy was later penalised.

Poole, who was running third, closed on Clohessy and attempted to find a way past several times. On Lap 20, Brett Sherriff’s Mazda RX-7 was spun off and became stuck in the Turn 1 sand trap following contact with Steve Johnstone’s VP Commodore.

The 34th IP Nationals final finished under Safety Car conditions. Clohessy was relegated to fifth behind Poole, Cherry, Nik Mitic in his BMW E36, who was also penalised post-event, Joe Carrucan in a WRX and Mark Garnett in his Nissan S13.

Tasmanian Leigh Forrest, who has contested more IP Nationals than anyone, was sixth in his Toyota Celica ahead of Mitic and Geoff Duckworth in another Commodore.

In the lead-up, Clohessy won the opening heat from Mitic and Carrucan. Cherry took the second heat, just ahead of Poole and Steve Trupin in a Holden Commodore.

Poole was first across the line in Heat 3 ahead of Clohessy but was relegated to second after contact between the pair at the final corner. Heats 4 and 5 were both won by Cherry, after which Poole won Heat 6.

Before winning his fourth under two-litre title and finishing ninth outright, Macready was the class winner in all his heats.

The other heats went to Robert Landsmeer in a Toyota 86, Sean Ferrall in a Honda Civic and Tim Riley in a Toyota Corolla. Second in the final went to Neil Pollard in a Civic, with Lachlan Cove in a Toyota 86 third.

Next year’s Bridgestone Improved Production Nationals is set to be contested in South Australia.

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