November 14, 2018 | General

TCM TITLE FIGHT SET FOR NEWCASTLE

TCM TITLE FIGHT SET FOR NEWCASTLE

ALL three Paynter Dixon Touring Car Masters classes will go down to the wire at the Coates Hire Newcastle 500 this weekend in New South Wales.

Steven Johnson and John Bowe will battle for the Outright and ProMasters class title for the second straight year Johnson hoping to go back-to-back aboard his 1969 Ford Mustang. Both the ProAm and ProSports classes also remain up for grabs in what is shaping up to be a winner-take-all finale for each this weekend.

Johnson leads Bowe by just 59 points heading into the final round however his chances are enhanced when taking into account the TCM Sporting Regulations regarding points distribution.

Each driver must drop their three worst championship race scores and one Trophy Race score at the end of the season.

That means Johnson actually leads Bowe by 84 points once the corrected scores are applied.

Johnson’s worst results include his race three non-finishes in Adelaide and Townsville and the 52 points he earned for third place in the final race at Winton.

Meanwhile Bowe has only one non-finish this year when he ended up bunkered at Sandown during the rain-affected opening race.

The Torana driver must then also go back to Winton for his next two worst races; seventh and fourth in the last two races held at the country Victorian circuit in May.

Both drivers also drop 20 points from their Trophy Race scores given each has started and finish each jumbled grid affair to date this year.

The pair are now the only two drivers in contention with Adam Bressington in third 223 points behind.

A close fight is underway between Jason Gomersall and Mark King for fourth and fifth place in the championship respectively with the Torana driver leading his Camaro driver by just 17 points on corrected scores.

The most competitive fight could be for ProAm class honours with Cameron Tilley leading Ryan Hansford by just 46 points heading into the final round.

Tony Karanfilovski sits just one point further back in third making it a three-way fight for the title.

The three drivers’ scores do not change when their three worst championship races and worst Trophy Race are deducted from their score.

Both Tilley and Hansford have four non-finishes to their name this year; Tilley’s horror run of late having him out of four of the last five races. The Sydney driver is currently working overtime to repair his Valliant Pacer after suffering major damage when a tail shaft parted ways at Bathurst.

Meanwhile a string of consistent results in the second half of the season has lifted Karanfilovski into contention setting up the three-way fight.

After a tight battle early in the season Jim Pollicina enjoys a comfortable lead over Leo Tobin in the ProSports class battle – though results are definitely not settled yet.

The 136-point margin between the two could be overcome in Newcastle – though Pollicina’s recent form has been impressive.

The Sydney driver is looking to seal his third major title of the season having already won the V8 Touring Cars series ‘Kumho Cup’ class and the Australian Production Car Championship this year.

The grid for the final round of the 2018 championship includes Newcastle racer Cameron Mason who will be keen for a strong performance in front of local fans aboard his 1966 Ford Mustang.

Mason the son of 2007 TCM Champion Steve enjoys support from a significant number of local businesses – including several located in and around the circuit precinct.

Newcastle will also see the return of Ben Dunn and his Chevrolet Monza coupe while Layton Barker from Tasmania will make his TCM debut driving a 1972 Holden Monaro GTS.

The Paynter Dixon Touring Car Masters series will contest four races across the Newcastle weekend to conclude a thrilling 2018 season.

The Dometic Trophy Race will be followed by races 22 23 and 24 of the championship season.

Qualifying and all four races will be shown live on FOX Sports 506 this weekend.

SCHEDULE

Friday November 23
Practice: 10:10 – 10:30am
Qualifying: 13:45 – 14:05pm – live on FOX Sports

Saturday November 24
Trophy Race – 10:30 (12 Laps) – Live on FOX Sports
Race 22 – 13:55pm (12 Laps) – Live on FOX Sports

Sunday November 25
Race 23 – 9:45am (12 Laps) – Live on FOX Sports
Race 24 – 13:40pm (12 Laps) – Live on FOX Sports

ENTRY LIST:

No	Sponsor Name	Ch Name	Surname	State	Year	Make	Model	Cap	Colour
3	Peter Drayton Wines / Iron Bark Hill Brewhouse	CameronÂÂ	Mason	NSW	1966	Ford	Mustang Fastback	5000cc	Red/White
5	Auto Action	Bruce	Williams	VIC	1974	HoldenÂÂ	Torana SL/R 5000	5000cc	Blue
6	Multispares Racing	Ryan	Hansford	QLD	1974	HoldenÂÂ	Torana SL/R 5000	5000cc	Yellow/Blue
7	MOCOMM Motorsport Communications	Jim	Pollicina	NSW	1974	HoldenÂÂ	Torana A9X	5000cc	White
9	Jesus Racing	Andrew	Fisher	NSW	1971	Ford	Falcon XY GT HO	5800cc	Red
15	Phoenix Contact	Layton	Barker	TAS	1972	HoldenÂÂ	Monaro GTS Coupe	5800cc	Blue
17	WM Waste / Herrod Performance	Steve	Johnson	QLD	1969	Ford	Mustang Fastback	5800cc	Yellow/Green
18	Wilson Security / PAYCE	John	Bowe	VIC	1974	HoldenÂÂ	Torana SL/R 5000	5000cc	Red/White
28	Speedgas / ANGLOMOIL Lubricants	Brad	Tilley	NSW	1971	Ford	Falcon XY GT HO	5800cc	Green/Black
29	Burrells Soils & Sand / Brad Tilley Auto Garage	JamieÂÂ	Tilley	NSW	1964	Ford	Mustang Coupe	5000cc	Black/Green
35	Bigmate Racing	Jason	Gomersall	QLD	1978	HoldenÂÂ	Torana A9X Hatchback	5000cc	Red/White/Black
46	THD Motorsport	Leo	Tobin	VIC	1969	Ford	Boss Mustang	5000cc	Orange
60	Carry On Victoria / ANGLOMOIL Lubricants	Cameron	Tilley	NSW	1969	Valiant	Pacer	4390cc	Blue
72	GFR Industries	Geoff	Fane	QLD	1972	Chevrolet	Camaro SS	5800cc	Orange
75	Ranger Lifting-Rigging-Safety	AaronÂÂ	McGill	NSW	1971	Ford	Falcon XW GT	5800cc	White/Blue
85	Whiteline Racing / King Springs	Mark	King	QLD	1970	Chevrolet	Camaro RS	5800cc	Yellow
88	TIFS – Warehousing & Distribution	Tony	Karanfilovski	NSW	1969	Ford	Mustang Trans Am	5800cc	Orange
95	Whiteline Racing / VDC	Adam	Bressington	NSW	1969	Chevrolet	Camaro SS	5800cc	Yellow
97	Century Batteries	Allen	Boughen	QLD	1963	Mercury	Comet	4736cc	Black/Blue
99	Tank Solutions / GoBlue AdBlue	Ben	Dunn	NSW	1975	Chevrolet	Monza 2 + 2	6000cc	White

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
(Corrected score in parentheses)

PROMASTER / OUTRIGHT

1. Steven Johnson 1300 (1218)
2. John Bowe 1241 (1134)
3. Adam Bressington 1015 (995)
4. Jason Gomersall 950 (855)
5. Mark King 868 (838)

PRO AM

1. Cameron Tilley 788
2. Ryan Hansford 742
3. Tony Karanfilovski 741

PRO SPORTS

1. Jim Pollicina 713 (703)
2. Leo Tobin 577 (567)
3. Ian Woodward 358