Defending RA Cup Champion Chris Perini has launched himself to the top of the 2021 series standings with a pair of commanding race victories in round two at Sydney Motorsport Park over the weekend.
In qualifying, Perini was locked in a tight battle with team-mate Peter Paddon, the two drivers separated by just 0.2s at the end of the session.
In race one, Perini jumped immediately into the lead and stretched the margin over Paddon and the rest of the field. Even despite a lengthy handicap time for his compulsory pit stop, Perini still emerged with a comprehensive advantage over the remainder of the field and drove to a decisive victory.
Paddon returned to the circuit in third position once the pit stop cycle was complete, but a mechanical gremlin saw him slipping to sixth at the finish, two places behind Steve Champion who recovered to fourth after an early spin.
Perini again dominated race two, while Champion ran second for much of the race before falling back to third in the late stages; Paddon unfortunately did not start due to technical glitches.
Overall, Perini took the round win with Champion’s consistency earning him third place for the weekend.
“It’s been a terrific weekend and great to be back on top in the championship,” Perini said.
“I do feel sorry for Pete though; he and I really enjoy our rivalry so it was a shame he had some problems.
“The GWR crew gave me a great car all weekend, as well as making sure it was fast, they also stayed on top of the mechanical preparation.”
Perini, Paddon and Champion also competed in the Australian Prototype Series races, along with Sue Hughes. Only two of the scheduled three races were held, with Sunday morning’s race cancelled due to fog.
Paddon, Perini and Champion were sixth, seventh and eighth in race one with Hughes in 13th; Hughes improved to 11th in race two with Paddon eighth and Champion ninth; Perini chalked up a DNF.
“I’ve had a terrific weekend,” Hughes said.
“I improved my position in each race and had some good battles.” The next round of the Australian Prototype Series is at Winton, 29-30 May while the next RA Cup round is also at Sydney Motorsport Park, 3-5 September.
