A dramatic 2019 Winton SuperSprint saw Ross Stone Racing’s, Tom Alexander and his #22 Caltex Delo® Racing Isuzu D-MAX SuperUte finish on the podium twice—extending his 2019 ECB SuperUtes Championship lead to +70 points ahead of 2018-Champion, Ryal Harris.

Round three of the 2019 ECB SuperUte Series was awash with on-track fender-benders and off-track gravel-trap excursions, with a wet 2.03Km Winton Circuit playing havoc amongst the grid of turbo-diesel dual cabs.

New class-regulation packages—comprising of 10” wide wheels wrapped in Yokohama R-spec tyres and a 45mm lower ride height—were introduced to the series at this round. Looking to maintain his momentum from Perth—with two wins and a +8 points Championship lead—Tom Alexander wasted no time exploring the limits of the new R-spec Yokohama tyres in the varied track conditions—data that would likely prove valuable at future race rounds. Time well spent, as the Ross Stone Racing Team struggled with the balance and the new setup well into Qualifying—with a few track-limit exploration laps at turn 3 plaguing his timesheet—eventually settling for P5 with a 1:40.7719.

Race 1 proved challenging for Tom; a clean start was quickly overshadowed with heavy contact in turn 12 from Toby Price #87 who returned onto the track sideways, spearing into the left-hand side of the D-MAX SuperUte and spinning Tom to a stop mere inches away from the concrete barrier. With ground lost, Tom quickly re-joined the race, muscling his way back through the field towards the chequered flag in P5.

Race 2 saw Tom start mid-field, as per the reverse grid format of the category. Tom quickly made gains on the field and into first place—all the while juggling with the balance of the D-MAX on a wet circuit—before running wide in turn 12 onto the wet line, which allowed Ryal Harris #1 through. From there, Ryal parried the position, defending from the relentless attack of Tom in the D-MAX SuperUte—where he crossed the line in P2.

Sunday dawned to a dry Winton Raceway for race 3—a welcomed sight after on-and-off downpours across the weekend. Starting in P3—as per the accumulation of previous-points format of the category—Tom made quick inroads on the opening lap, jousting with Ryal which saw Tom come out on top, into P2. During the opening lap battle, Toby Price capitalised on the opportunity—skating into P1. Fast forward a few corners and an unfortunate roll over for Craig Wood’s HiLux which forced a concertina affect with Ryal Harris making race-ending contact with Gerard Magg’s HiLux. This in turn brought out the safety car—where Toby Price defended the lead position to take the final race win ahead of Tom Alexander.

#22 Caltex Delo® Racing Isuzu D-MAX SuperUte driver, Tom Alexander said, “considering the amount of carnage witnessed throughout the weekend, we did incredibly well to come out with light battle scars and a decent handful of points.”

“It’s a shame Ryal got taken out and not the way I wanted to extend my series lead, I want to be racing hard and clean,” remarked Tom Alexander, after race 3.

Awarded second overall across the 2019 Winton SuperSprint, Tom Alexander in the Caltex Delo® Racing Isuzu D-MAX SuperUte has successfully extended his lead to +70 points, ahead of 2018 Series Champion, Ryal Harris.

The Isuzu D-MAX SuperUte will return to the track at the 2019 Watpac Townsville 400 on 5 – 7 July 2019.

Truck Assist Winton SuperSprint Results

Practice 1 – 4th
Practice 2 – 3rd
Qualifying – 5th
Race 1 – 4th
Race 2 – 2nd
Race 3 – 2nd

Championship Points after Round 3 Truck Assist Winton SuperSprint