Gay fastest at Phillip Island

BALLARAT Light Car Club racer Richard Gay won class 2M racing a Toyota 86 sports sedan at the recent Marque Sports Car Association of Victoria Sprint.

The race meet was set on his favourite circuit, the Phillip Island Grand Prix track.

“This is very fast. It takes big commitment. The 86 reaches speeds of 204kph at the end of the straight, and 198kph through the kink, before ‘Honda Corner’ gets my full attention,” he said.

“Due to weather and bedding-in tyres, I only had one session which wasn’t affected by weather, but still managed the time of one minute, 51 seconds for first out of 18 competitors.

“While slower than previous times, it was great to be at the track and have the car run faultlessly.”

BLCC had more representatives on the day, with 16-year-old Jordan McDonald racing a Hyundai Excel and Stewart Hocking driving an Audi A3.

It was the first time both men had raced at Phillip Island, but their times improved across the day, with their bests just a touch over two minutes.

Gay also recently won the BLCC annual Geordie Fawcett Memorial Autocross at on Club’s Ballarat Airport 1.4-kilometre dirt track, driving a Galant VR4 four-wheel-drive turbo rally car.

“This is timed with lots of twists and turns reaching speeds up to 110kph on the slippery surface,” he said.

“Five runs were had. I was fastest on four of the runs with the best time counting for the day.

“On run five, I recorded 81.42 seconds; one second quicker than second place, Ben McKee in his Subaru. What a great weekend of motorsport.”

Gay enjoyed the return to racing after a hiatus due to back surgery and pandemic restrictions. His cars are built with the support of Auto Projects, Doherty & Clark, Craig Signs and Shiftworks.