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Soutar Holds off Buchan in Thrilling Finale
Zac Soutar took a tense victory in the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series finale at The Bend to claim the round overall.
Click here for the full results.
The series points leader benefitted from a wild moment from early leader Jordan Cox, who saved a huge sideways moment soon after a mid-race restart.
Josh Buchan chased Soutar down in the closing stages and threw everything into a final-lap challenge but ultimately ran out of time to overhaul the #110 Audi, settling for second place ahead of Ryan Casha.
The second-place finish was enough to give Buchan his first round win of the season, made all the sweeter by a recovery from a bruising opening lap.
A poor start from the front row saw the #1 Hyundai hit from pillar to post on the opening lap, first muscled out of third by Brad Harris at Turn 1, then bumped aside by Casha through Turn 5.
More drama ensued at the next corner, when Tom Oliphant tapped Aaron Cameron into a spin, while Iain McDougall and Glenn Nirwan sustained race-ending damage while taking avoidance.
Nirwan’s stranded Audi prompted a lengthy Safety Car period, with racing resuming just past the halfway point of the 30-minute race.
Cox continued to lead until a couple of laps later, when he lost the #33 Peugeot at the final corner, saving the car by keeping his foot hard in the throttle.
Although he was able to continue in the race, the wild slide dropped him to sixth place behind Soutar, Buchan, Casha, Harris and Dylan O’Keeffe.
Cox eventually took the chequered flag in seventh, courtesy of a late pass by Tony D’Alberto.
Pre-round points leader Ben Bargwanna endured another tough race, finishing ninth after spending several laps trying to hold off a surging Clay Richards, with Will Harris and Cameron the last of the classified finishers.
Oliphant joined McDougall and Nirwan on the sidelines mid-race, parking the #15 Hyundai on lap 6.
The Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series resumes at Queensland Raceway on July 12-14.