Mechanical Issues Hinder Rapa’s Winton Debut
Once again Richie Rapa showed why he is a front running contender in the 2008 Aussie Racing Car Series after showing plenty of pace during the fifth round of the series at Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria recently.
After running inside the top five for most of the weekend, Rapa suffered mechanical dramas in the fourth and final race, and that saw him miss out on an overall podium finish, and it also resulted in him dropping down the point standings of the overall series.
Practice kicked off the weekend for Rapa and he was able to post some great results including in first and third. Although practice does not count towards any points for the round it gave Rapa plenty of confidence heading into the weekend.
When qualifying came around, Rapa was in a midst of the pointy end of the field and managed to qualify in fifth position.
The opening race of the weekend saw Rapa run high up in the field as he was dicing between the two front runners, but near the end of race one Rapa wheel decided to dislodge itself from his car, meaning driving on three wheels was his only option. Somehow, Rapa managed to drive himself to the finish line and came home in a gallant fifth.
Race two was a much better result for Rapa, as once again he was up the front battling with the leaders, and he didn’t let his rivals leave his sight. Rapa powered on home to finish in an impressive third.
Again race three brought the same results for Rapa as he came home in third position and that gave him a great starting position in the fourth and final race for the weekend. Things dramatically changed for Rapa during the final race when he suffered a broken axle and was forced to retire from the race.
Overall Rapa finished in a disappointing 23rd spot, and it was certainly well below what he had hoped heading into the weekend, a place on the podium.
“It was definitely a disappointing finish to the weekend, as we were looking good to finish on the podium,” said Rapa.
“I really enjoyed my first visit to the Winton circuit, and I now regard it as one of my favourites, and my results over the weekend were very encouraging, as the aim is to return to the podium sooner rather than later.”
Rapa currently sits ninth in the Aussie Racing Car Series standings with a total of 170 points and with the series so tight he is only 29 points off leader Paul Kemal.
The fifth round of the Aussie Racing Car Series will head up to the Indy Race Track on the Gold Coast in Queensland on October 23 - 26.
In the 2008 Rapa is supported by Fabre Australia www.fabre.com.au, Castrol Oils, and Rapa Transport.
28-10-08 Rapa’s Podium Results on the Gold Coast Moves Him Back into Series Contention
13-8-08 Mechanical Issues Hinder Rapa’s Winton Debut
27-5-08 Rapa Takes Oran Park Raceway Success
9-4-08 Rapa Fights Hard for Wakefield Park Results
18-3-08 Rapa Rockets to Round Victory in Aussie Racing Series
11-3-08 Rapa’s Weekend of Promise and Disappointment
4-3-08 Rapa Sets his Sights on 2008 Aussie Racing Series Title
24-10-07 Strong Gold Coast Fight Back from Rapa
18-9-07 Rapa’s Sandown Weekend Finishes in Strong Fashion
23-8-07 Contrasting Weekend of Results for Rapa
