Strong Gold Coast Fight Back from Rapa:
For the second round in succession Richie Rapa has been plagued by mechanical issues when the Aussie Racing Car Series hit the streets of the Gold Coast in Queensland for the running of the seventh and final round.
In what started out as a horror weekend finished in pleasing fashion after Rapa recorded a seventh place finish in the third and final race. Although pleased with the finish to the weekend, Rapa was struck down by engine failure after only four laps in practice and was unable to participate in the qualifying session, and this saw him start the opening race from the rear of the 40 car grid.
Using a spare engine, Rapa was able to move forward in the opening race to finish 18th, passing some 22 cars in the process, and actually moved into inside the top ten of race two only to make a mistake at the opening turn and finish down in 15th. The third and final race saw Rapa start from grid position 18, after finishing 18th and 15th respectively in his two previous races, and stayed out of trouble to finish in a strong seventh place.
“Our weekend didn’t start in the best of fashion, but we came good in the end, and we probably would have been alot higher [in the field] had we not suffered those dramas in the practice session, as we definitely showed that we had the pace to be amongst the top five contenders,” Rapa commented.
“Running on the Gold Coast circuit is a very daunting task to start with, and that is why losing the majority of practice and the whole qualifying session cost us a better result, as it certainly isn’t the type of circuit that you can pick up after just a handful of sessions.”
At the completion of the seven rounds of the Aussie Racing Car Series Rapa finished 14th overall in the point standings, not a bad effort from the youngster considering he missed most of the opening round, and was unable to contest the Bathurst round, due to not having an international racing licence at the time.
In 2007 Rapa is proudly supported by Wholesale Property Brokers, Fabre Australia, and Rapa Transport.
-ENDS RELEASE-
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
