The RaceAway Track Time Mazda RX8 headed south to Winton Motor Raceway for Round 4 of the RX8 Cup, and it turned into the best weekend of Jake Hextall's season so far – a career-best 4th place, a top-10 qualifying effort, and a hard-fought 5th in the final race against some of the toughest cars in the field.
It was also Jake's first time ever at Winton. To get up to speed on an unfamiliar track, he had two coaches in his corner for the weekend: Rod Tippett, and Matt Thewlis – a Winton local.
First impressions of Winton
Jake's take on the circuit itself:
"It's a great track. It rewards managing your tyres and consistency due to its high technical characteristics. If you make a mistake, it carries through the whole track, because the flow is really important."
A fitting theme for the weekend – a track that punishes the smallest error and rewards a driver who can string laps together.
Qualifying – P10
Jake qualified 10th on a best lap of 1:38.605, just 1.7 seconds off pole and inside the top 10 of a 16-car field on a track he'd never turned a lap on before the weekend. A strong start.
Race 2 – P8
Race 2, the MSCA Cup Feature Race, saw Jake right in amongst it from the drop. Coach Rod Tippett had this to say:
"Epic RX8 Cup Series race 2 with Jake Hextall in the RaceAway Track Time RX8 battling hard in the top 10. Started 9th, battled up to 7th and finished a strong 8th for his best result so far. Great to have Matt Thewlis coaching Jake forward this weekend. Awesome result and now to reset the car for tomorrow."
8th outright, a fastest lap of 1:38.283, and a car handed straight back to the crew for some alignments ahead of Sunday.
Race 3 – P4, a series-best result, toe to toe with Noakes Motorsport
Sunday morning delivered the standout result of the weekend. Jake started 8th, and things came together fast. In his own words:
"The car was a jet with the fresh engine. We started 8th and then the seas parted and we were 4th – but I was able to stay with them and felt like I held my own."
"Them" being the podium group, with Jackson Noakes running 3rd just ahead. Coach Rod Tippett had this to say:
"Race 3 of the RX8 Cup Series done. Jake got a cracker start out of 8th to be 4th after the first 3 corners. He then battled hard as the top 4 gapped the field. Jake challenged a couple of times for 3rd, getting side by side in the RaceAway Track Time RX8, but just couldn't make it work. Calming words of wisdom over the radio from Matt Thewlis saw Jake come home in a series-best result of 4th, just ahead of a flying Tom Shaw who set the fastest lap of the race on the last lap! Awesome effort Jake, the hard work is paying off."
A blistering start, genuine wheel-to-wheel battling with Noakes Motorsport for a podium spot, and a fastest lap of 1:37.969 – Jake's quickest of the weekend. A career-best finish, earned the hard way.
Race 4 – P5, defending under pressure
The final race of the round had Jake starting from 3rd – and it was another race full of action:
"We started 3rd position. I got a great start and was on the back of Jack, and then Rob decided to come up the back, so after the first complex, turn 1 and 2, I ended up in 4th. Made a small mistake at turn 7, (the start of the cleavage), which opened the door to Bray – however I was able to recover, hold my own, gain some distance from him and hang onto P5."
Jackson Noakes got through to take 4th by the flag, with Jake right behind in 5th – but the real battle was the recovery drive after that turn 7 moment, keeping Grant Bray at bay all the way to the line. What a way to close out a huge weekend.
The takeaway
A first-ever visit to Winton, a top-10 qualifying lap, a career-best P4, and a hard-nosed top-5 to finish it off. Overall, a super proud weekend of driving from Jake – every one of those positions was earned, and it showed just how far his racecraft has come, mixing it up in the thick of the field with some excellent drivers.
Huge thanks to coaches Rod Tippett and Matt Thewlis for their guidance across the weekend, and to all of RaceAway's sponsors and partners for the ongoing support: Huge shoutout to our partners & sponsors On Pah Grading | @hextallmotorsport | Canobolas Motorsport Services | Maisie Place Motorsport | Chematek Australia | HomeGas | Shanes Signs | MWM Racing | One Raceway | Pheasant Wood Circuit
Thanks also to the RX8 Cup Series and MSCA for putting on another great round at Winton.
On to the next one.
