JAMIE HOLDS ON FOR GIANT WIN
Jamie Cocks held out the juggernaut that is Jack Hunsley to claim his 3rd victory of the season and regain championship control from his teammate.
Off the line, it was Laszlo Csako who eventually took control of the race. Leading in front of his own fans, he quickly made it his job to streak away and try to build a margin. Matt Bailey moved from 4th to 3rd, but pretty soon after his RD began to show signs of why it has only gained 15 points this season, with the Australian becoming passing practice for the majority of the field behind him.
It was early on that Bohner, already down numerous positions after a rather horror start, all of a sudden retired from a puncture, thus opening the floodgates for a very important race. The fact that we later witnessed Ben Utzer and Omer Said retiring in the same stretch of road further meant that an incredibly important race in terms of the championship had just occurred.
As the race wore on, it became clear that Cocks and Hunsley were the men to watch, the two combatants had dispatched the field and were closing in on Csako with pace. A brief moment the three cars were nose to tail, but Cocks quickly broke free of the Hungarian and Hunsley didn't immediately follow through. The British champion caught up again, but before he was able to even fully attempt a pass, his team called him in for his final stop. It was the closest he was to get to the lead.
After the stop Cocks simply powered away. Stopping a few laps later due to a longer middle stint, the Australian gained time through the stops, then promptly doubled that margin through the stint to run out a comfortable 8 second victory that once again brings the two N-Tech drivers to near parity in points.
Csako was able to hold onto a well deserved 3rd, a just reward for him and his team at their home track. Rob Sharp made the most of a hard race and got 4th, leading the second DTK of Rinneaho. Polesitter Martins was able to just see the line ahead of Sigoulakis, the Greek driver seeing points for one the third time this season and the first time since his maiden victory in South Africa.
The two Apexes came next, Harvey leading Rautavaara in a handy points grab for the Monacan team. Andy Graham was the final point scorer.
Pablo Diehl retired along with his teammate as BRT suffered a horror day again, both Speedys made up ground but were just too far back with limited resources in order to move forwards, while Krisztian Lintner made a move on the final lap to grab 15th off Dovizioso, much to the delight of the crowd.
Next round is from Spa-Francorchamps, while there is also the second in-season test at Silverstone in between.
Marketplace closes 10am Tuesday AEST for the test, before re-opening until 10am Thursday AEST for the race. Test bonuses can be used after the test up until the Thursday deadline.
Championship Round Up: Cocks now leads again by a mere 6 points, but the differential of cash might be enough to swing the balance back his way again. N-Tech lost out due to Bohner retiring, but in the end Falcon made a mere 2 points on the Canadians, with 94 still the difference heading into the final third of the season. DTK swept into 3rd with the result, making little ground on Falcon however. Sharp and Hunsley moved into 3rd and 5th respectively in the drivers.
RDFIA Press Conference
@Jamie Cocks A massive victory for you today, championship back in your control. How would you feel if this race became the turning point of the championship?
@Jack Hunsley In the end, the fight we wanted to see hardly eventuated, but another positive day for your team?
@Leslie10 How does it feel being on the podium at your home round, and to continue, how were you feeling as you were leading the race?
Press Paddock
@Rui F. Martins You had pole, but in the end it wasn't enough. Cause for optimism or worry?
@Smartbean Is it worrying that this could be the moment the championship starts to slip, due to a simple puncture?
@Manolis Sigoulakis How do points feel again?
@Lesley Buurlage Both cars finished, but no points might be a worry?
@Márk Lintner Home race done, was it a success or a failure, or something in between?
@William Néron Congratulations on winning 5 races in a row, a new record!