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How Clutch Drama Almost Derailed Soutar’s Weekend, Again
It wasn’t Zac Soutar’s brace of wins on Sunday at Race Tailem Bend that highlighted the rising star’s change of luck.
It’s what happened immediately afterwards.
Soutar pulled into victory lane to celebrate victory in Race 3 of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series round at The Bend.
And then he put his foot on the clutch and – for the second time across the weekend – found it had failed again.
A clutch problem at the start of the Saturday race dumped him to the tail of the field, from which he recovered to ninth place.
That translated to a front-row start for Sunday morning’s reverse top-10 grid race, in which Soutar drove his #110 Audi – fitted with a new clutch – to an emphatic victory.
He completed the daily double by holding off a late challenge from reigning champion and round winner Josh Buchan.
This time, the clutch waited until the racing was over before giving up the ghost.
“When I went to bed yesterday, I didn’t think today could go the way it did with the clutch problem,” a delighted Soutar said after the race.
“And to be honest, I just put my foot on the clutch just then and it died again! It’s failed again!
“I am so lucky it finished that race. A stroke of luck, finally!”
Soutar’s strong weekend netted him second overall for the round, just four points behind Buchan.
His Sunday successes also allowed him to overhaul pre-round points leader Ben Bargwanna, who endured a challenging weekend at The Bend to finish only ninth overall for the round.
Soutar now leads the standings on 414 points, 21 markers ahead of Buchan with Bargwanna a further 10 points adrift in third with just three rounds remaining.
The Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series resumes at Queensland Raceway on July 12-14.