Drane Takes OJC Race 1 Win as Thompson Firms for Title

A well-judged run to the finish line has seen Tom Drane take out Race 1 for the final bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup round at Sydney Motorsport Park this afternoon.

Drane drafted his way past Marianos Nikolis on the run to the finish line to emerge victorious by just 0.017s. Third place went to Archie McDonald.

“I just tried to ride hard from the start, and I got a good slipstream on the last lap, which gave me the win,” Drane said.

“It was a tough race with Tom right to the line, but we found a good setup, which has really boosted my confidence – I can’t wait for tomorrow,” said Nikolis, who qualified on pole earlier in the day.

“I made a bit of a miscalculation on the last lap, but at least I’m still on the podium,” McDonald said.

“It was a big battle, and I kept having a look behind to see where the competition was at. Everyone rode well and put on a great race.” Carter Thompson finished fourth, solidifying his points lead after his main rival, Angus Grenfell failed to finish; Grenfell was the victim of a Turn 9 crash that also claimed New Zealander Cormac Buchanan. As a result, Thompson has opened up a 31-point advantage in the standings ahead of tomorrow’s two races, which will be held at 10:05am and 3:05pm.