CAMS Offices (Sports House) Cnr. Caxton & Castlemaine Streets, Milton Q 4064. Meeting Start - 7.45pm approx. Pre Meeting Drinkies and Feed up at the Paddo Tavern as usual.
THE GWS Personnel Motorsport Team farewelled Oran Park Raceway in fine style, with Peter O’Donnell and Allan Shephard right in the thick of the Australian Manufacturers Championship battle.
In a competitive field, O’Donnell was never outside of the top 14 all weekend long in his BMW 130i, while Shephard posted some very competitive lap times in the team’s tried and trusted Toyota Celica.
A parts shortage saw Shephard’s regular BMW unable to be completed in time for the weekend, while a late engine change in Celica kept the hard working On Track Motorsport crew busy throughout.
In the opening encounter, O’Donnell was able to hold out the HSVs of Steve Briffa and Gerry Keogh as well as the Subaru WRX of Jim Hunter, before repeating his 13th place finish in race two, hot on the heels of Keogh.
O’Donnell finished 14th in the handicap race after being involved in an exciting end of race duel with Shephard.
“Actually, it was a great weekend, we finished third in class and I knocked my personal best lap times to bits throughout the races,” said O’Donnell.
“There was no way on earth we were going to catch Jake (Camilleri) and Jeremy (Gray) in Class B, but the car ran faultlessly all weekend long.
“I’m really looking forward to Sandown, I had my first national level meeting there in the Celica last year, so it will be good to return to a track I know well.
“Following on from the last round at Morgan Park, we are still racing strongly with the Commodores and Falcons, which is great compared to where we were at the start of the year.”
O’Donnell hopes that the meeting won’t be his final fling around Oran Park, with the strong possibility of running at a state or club meeting before the facility finally closes at the end of the year.
Meanwhile Shephard’s return to the track was action packed, with the blue Celica running strongly in the fight for Class C honours.
“It was just sensational to be here racing this weekend, I spoke to Tony Perich (circuit owner) and congratulated him on keeping Oran Park in operation for this long,” said Shephard.
“It’s the first time I have run the Celica in three years, and it was great fun racing door to door with the other Celicas as well as battling it out with the faster cars in the handicap race.
“On Track Motorsport ought to be congratulated for their tireless efforts this weekend, especially with the engine change early in the weekend, also it was great to see Peter in the other GWS car have such a strong run.”
Final preparations will be completed on Shephard’s BMW in time for the next round of the championship at Sandown on November 28-29, with the team set to expand to three cars with a yet to be announced driver to take over the controls of the Celica.
All of the action from the Australian Manufacturers Championship can be seen on SBS Speedweek on Sunday September 6 from 1pm, check your local guide for details.
GWS Personnel and True Blue Motorsport would like to thank The Shire Conveyancer, Spinifex Australia, Rogue Lager and Briffa Smash Repairs for their continued support in the Australian Manufacturers Championship.
