B6HR WRAP UP 2024
TWO PODIUM FINISHES
PHEW excuse me while we recover from the biggest weekend in the RaceAway calender. It was our goal this year to enter not one but TWO cars into the epic endurance race over Easter and we are pleased to report we did just that.
In the RaceAway branded car we had drivers Scott Tidyman, Ben Shaw and Seth Gilmore and in the One Raceway car, Wil Longmore, Cal Gardiner and Tony Gardiner.
Both cars performed beautifully during practice and head coach Phil Alexander was pleased with their times commenting the builds were faster than the previous year due to a lighter rollcage. Qualifying 1st in class the One Raceway car pulled a 46.92 with the RaceAway car hitting 2.49.
First up was Scott Tidyman who was double handling with the APRA support category. Jumping into the hot seat for the first drive appeared to work well, having just achieved the fastest lap of the APRA race meet he pulled it on again and achieved the fastest lap of the race for car no.35. A very tidy 2:48.3. Head coach Alexander noted Tidyman’s “strong and considered driving” maintained pace and was easy on the car.
Entering the field for the lunchtime shift was Ben Shaw. Traffic was the name of the game with many yellow flags and safety cars ensuring the groups had not settled into their usual patter across the field. The highlight of Shaw’s drive was a 4 lap battle with the eventual class E winners… “we passed each other several times while managing the large field of class X cars coming through, and at one stage we ran side by side all the way from forest elbow to the chase!”.
To bring the car home we had the youngest driver in the race Seth Gilmore. Only having recently turned 16, Gilmore set himself apart as one to watch during practice, proving that even on his L plates he could certainly keep up with the team. Entering in the fourth hour of the race he got caught up in traffic that landed him in the wall up at forest elbow. Fortunately the damage was minimal (lower suspension control arm and steering components) and with an accurate eyeballed wheel alignment the crew got the RaceAway car back onto the tarmac within 20 minutes.
Gilmore brought the car across the finish line in second place.
On the other side of the garage, the One Raceway car experienced a gearbox selection problem during Cal Gardiners stint in the first two hours. He was able to park it out of the way safely up the top of the mountain and lost a few laps in wait for the safety car. The team led by Dean Alessi replaced the gearbox within 40 minutes and got the car back out there. Without any more faults, the drivers managed to finish the enduro in third place landing the father son team on the podium.
This epic achievement was speaheaded by Bathurst legend and RaceAway head coach Phil Alexander who worked tirelessly on the builds, putting the team together and coaching the drivers. His lifetime of experience at Bathurst meant the team performed seamlessly with no penalties AND enjoyed their weekend.
Massive thanks to our partners, sponsors and team for making this happen. Bring on B6HR 2025
The team: Phil Alexander, Justin Mcmahon, Ben Alexander-Swatton, Karen Alexander, Bryson Murphy, Liam O’Keefe, Logan Clark, Dean Alessi, Nigel Buttriss, Scott Freestone, Ryan Buttriss, Andrew Buttriss, Andrew Kidd, Kinsey Alexander-Swatton. Drivers: Scott Tidyman, Ben Shaw, Seth Gilmore, Cal Gardiner, Tony Gardiner, Wil Longmore.
@Cafe VIVA One Raceway Pheasant Wood Circuit - Marulan NSW MWM Racing AGT-Shock Performance Suspensions Australia
