Image Credit: Colson Photography
Jackson Rice has scored a monumental podium at Shell V Power Motorsport Park for Round 4 of the Trans Am Series on the weekend in what was treacherous conditions.
The rain poured down early on Friday, however Rice managed to fight hard to qualify the #7 Pedders Suspension and Brakes Mustang in ninth position ahead of the first race for Saturday.
From there, Rice had only eyes forward and picked up an impressive four positions in race 1, to finish in third place and take home a trophy.
“We had a pretty good weekend overall, all things considered,” said Rice.
“The weather made it really hard to plan for tyre strategy, with lots of mixed conditions and going from hot to cold. The crew at Dream Racing Australia did a mega job to stay on top of it though, which was awsome.
“Friday was mixed conditions. Practice and qualifying were super wet, but we fought hard and kept at the pointy end of the grid and qualified P9 ahead of Saturday’s first race, which we were pretty happy with.
“Come Saturday’s race 1, we were able to compete up the front with the big boys, rubbing shoulders with some of the best and came away with third place and some silverware! So, that was pretty cool!”
Unfortunately, Saturday’s race 2 didn’t end well after Rice made an error which sent the Mustang into the grass. Rice elaborates:
“Race 2 ended pretty quickly at Turn 1, a small mistake under brakes on the dirty line meant I went in deep. I decided to take to the grass to avoid damage with anyone else, kicking myself to say the least, but it’s all a part of the learning curve!” said Rice.
“Luckily the damage was just cosmetic, and so the crew were able to get the car repaired and ready for the final day.”
Sunday saw Rice drive another impressive race, charging from P19 to ninth in race 3 – a great top ten finish.
The final race of the weekend was looking promising after starting from P8 and sitting comfortably inside the top ten. However, contact from another competitor kick started the bad luck and Rice found himself limping the car to ultimately collect points.
“We were feeling really confident heading into the final race. The car felt awesome, and we were the fastest in sector 3. However, three laps in, I was forced off the track by another car, which dropped us back to 15th. I managed to get back another 7 positions and the car was still feeling fast and then as I was going down the main straight, I lost third and second gear, which was devasting. I ended up having to limp the car to the finish line to ensure we still bagged as many points as possible,” recalled Rice.
“That’s the joys of racing though! We have plenty of positives to take away from the weekend and we’ve proved that we can contend for a podium finish.
“Our eyes are forward to Queensland Raceway in just over a month. Looking forward to another cracking round!
“A big thanks to all of our sponsors and supporters, I wouldn’t be here without you all – so thank you. And of course, a big thanks to the crew at Dream Racing Australia for another mega round.”
The Trico Trans Am Series next head to Queensland Raceway, 12-14 July.
Results
Friday 31st May
Practice 1 – 14th
Practice 2 – 12th
Qualifying – 9th
Saturday 1st June
Race 1 – 3rd
Race 2 – DNF
Sunday 2nd June
Race 3 – 10th
Race 4 – 18th