MOTOR SPORT
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BATHURST driver Michael Anderson had smart race tactics to thank for a pair of Group N Historic Touring Cars podiums at the Bathurst Motor Festival on the weekend, one of them a win in which he unusually did not claim the chequered flag.
His Kenwood Homes entry crossed the line in fourth in the opening race on Saturday before he grabbed a win and a second place finish in the two remaining races after rival drivers were penalised for illegal overtaking.
He had crossed the line in second and third respectively in those 25-minute races.
While Dean Neville had claimed the chequered flag on Saturday afternoon in race two, he was disqualified for an illegal overtake. It meant Anderson was handed the win and started Sunday’s third race on pole position.
An early incident back in the field on the approach to The Cutting of that final race left the field under yellow flag conditions for over 10 minutes.
Ted Perkins’ Lotus Cortina and John Shuttle’s Jaguar came to grief and the oil left on the track by the collision made for some very dangerous conditions.
Anderson was still leading when Darryl Hansen tried for a passing move on that very part of the track. Not wanting to come to grief on the slippery surface, the Bathurst driver backed off and let his rival through.
Anderson then came under threat from Vince Macri in his Chev Camaro in the shortened contest.
Macri got by Anderson towards the race’s conclusion, but the Bathurst driver was once again rewarded for careful driving. Macri’s resulted was invalidated after overtaking under yellow flag conditions.
It meant Anderson was awarded second place after crossing the line in third. He said he didn’t regret playing it safe when under pressure.
“We both went in there pretty hot and I thought ‘No, it’s too late in the day to push that hard through the oil’,” he said.
“I wanted to get the car out of it in one piece, so I pulled out of it and he [Hansen] touched the wall. Where the two cars had come together there was just oil all over the track.”
Anderson thanked his team for both a consistent and strong weekend.
“We knew we had a strong car the whole time. We only finished in second yesterday because a car overtook us on the safety flag,” he said.
“We’ve got the best engine builder in the field with Matt Negus. He’s got the car working perfect, the temperature was good and everything went great.
“We’ve always had a great run up at Bathurst. Every year we come here and win a race.