Barton endures tough weekend at Willowbank
Round 6 of the Carrera Cup championship held at Willowbank, Ipswich Queensland on the weekend did not look after Barton and the #27 Cup Car as he suffered from various incidents in all 3 races.
Qualifying was always going to be tight. Barton was 6 tenths off the fastest time and in 9th position.
In race 1 Barton held that position directly behind Sandown race winner David Wall for 12 of the 14 lap race, before experiencing a punctured right rear tyre, limping the car home to the finish line in 20th.
Race 2 saw Barton make good progress moving up to 13th by lap 6, before car #18 hit Barton in the rear causing him to spin at the last corner. Car #18 was given a drive through penalty for his behaviour however all Barton could do is return to 15th by the chequered flag.
Race 3 saw a brilliant start by Barton. A brave move around the outside at turn 3 almost paid off as he was challenging for 10th place before Lester was pushed into the rear of Barton. The impact resulted in a damaged right rear wheel which meant a pit stop for a replacement. After going a lap down Barton crossed the line in 16th. “Obviously I am very disappointed. The puncture put us to the rear of the pack and from there you are always at a high risk of more problems. All we can do is keep working hard to ensure we get back up to the front at the next round”.
The next round of the championship is not until 12-14 September at Phillip Island, however Barton won’t be idle until then. He will be competing at the Petronas 12 hour Merdeka Millennium Endurance race at Sepang, Kuala Lumpa.
“I am really looking forward to Sepang. We will be racing in a Porsche 996 RSR and with David Wall as a team mate we have our eyes fixed on a top outright result”
For more information on the premier endurance sports car race in Asia go to: http://malaysiangp.com.my/node/1/6
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