Joseph Lenthall wraps up the IPRA Series with three wins

Friday practice was the first time back in the car since the last round for Joseph Lenthall, and a good opportunity to ease back into the swing of things. However, after only two short sessions, the team found that the exhaust had cracked down the oval pipe and needed a fair bit of welding done.

With the exhaust fixed, Joseph put down a few flying laps in qualifying getting a Pole position for the first race. A good start but in order to end up on the Championship Podium, Joseph could not afford to make any mistakes. A win in every race would put him on the podium, as to which place on the podium would largely depend on the performance of Ben Algie and Dan Ridley.

Race 1

Joseph got a good start and powered ahead when disaster struck.

"Suddenly I get a water temperature alarm on the dash. It keeps climbing, and by lap 3 I am cruising, part throttle, short shifts, rolling into corners."

Luckily, as Danny and Ben were both eyeing off the championship, they didn’t engage in a battle and just rolled around behind Joseph. His careful driving and a bit of good luck contributed to a win in Race 1.

But the real drama was about to start...

"After the race, we removed the radiator, trying to clear any potential blockages. The track staff had already left, so we quickly went to Bunnings to buy a hose and returned to flush the radiator and engine. No joy. The car is still getting hot. 6:00 pm, and we decided to head back to Sydney to strip Lachlan McBrien M3 for a water pump and thermostat."

"Josh and Lach jump in, and we hit the road. 9:45 pm, we arrived at the shed, completed the swap and fired the car up with no problems - perfect! Happy days, crack a beer and load the car on the trailer at midnight. Just as we were leaving, Lach noticed that the trailer bearing had failed and the wheel was about to fall off."

"The spares are in Goulburn... So, time for a trailer swap, with Lach volunteering his. Turns out, it’s buried behind a locked car that we can't find keys for. At 1:00 am, the racecar is loaded onto Lach’s trailer, after rewiring the trailer to suit the tow car. Let’s hit the road! Late night servo stop for a chocky milk and we arrive at Goulburn just before 4:00am for a couple of hours sleep."

Race 2

Joseph was meant to start from P1, but after the eventful night, the crew miss the second call to the dummy grid.

"I arrive at the dummy grid with the last car leaving… no gloves on, window net down, doors open, cameras off. All bad. I sneak onto the track, putting my gloves on and fitting the window net during the out lap, lining up last on the grid. It’s safe to say that I felt fairly silly…"

Consequently, instead of starting first, Joseph starts last. With a point to prove and a championship still on the line, he picks his way past the seventeen cars, ultimately passing Ben Algie for the lead with 5 laps to go for another incredible race win.

Race 3

After a brief drivers' meeting advising everyone of an imminent wild thunderstorm, the cars line up on the grid, with Joseph in P1.

Ben Algie nails the start, getting in front and keeping Joseph at bay for the first few laps. Joseph follows closely and when he sees an opportunity takes the lead. Ben puts up a fight but after a while decides that it's a race he doesn’t need to have, as finishing second awards him a very well-deserved championship win. Joseph pulls away and eventually wins the race, making it a clean sweep and nine wins for the year.

The Championship

The final Championship points tally put Joseph in the 2nd place, behind Ben Algie in the Over 2L Class, while Danny Castro Jr took the Under 2L Class Trophy. Congratulations to both winners.