Radical Cup Australia: Schutte Claims Round Two at Wanneroo

Radical Cup Australia: Schutte Claims Round Two at Wanneroo

BRYCE MOORE added his name to the ever-expanding list of winners in the 2022 Radical Cup Australia Series. Meanwhile, Elliott Schutte’s podium finish in race two was enough to ensure the Arise Racing driver won the round overall - doing his Radical Cup Australia title hopes no harm in the process.

Image of author By Radical
By Radical

Race One

  • SCHUTTE SHOOTS TO RACE 1 WIN IN WILD WEST

ELLIOTT SCHUTTE prevailed in a tense finish to claim the opening race in Round 2 of the 2022 Lumberjack WA Radical Cup Australia Series at Wanneroo Raceway.

The Arise Racing driver led a pulsating 45-minute affair from pole position, but had to survive four lead changes and some hard racing before regaining the lead late in the race.

Schutte led the field into turn one and headed a freight-train of contenders for the opening laps, Sam Dicker, Jordan Oon and Bryce Moore in close company.

A wild exchange of racing on lap 10 saw the lead change hands, Dicker wrestling the lead away from Schutte on the run up the hill to turn four and slowly pulling away to a gradual lead.

Moore was the first of the leaders to make his compulsory stop on lap 17, Schutte responding by stopping a lap later with the pair resuming in the same order but further down the field.

Dicker ran three laps longer, making his stop on lap 21 and emerging just behind Schutte in a battle of the cars with a completed pit stop.

Released into clean air, new leader Jordan Oon put his head down in front and set a series of fast laps until he pitted four laps later – his Arise entry stopping on lap 24.

A close rejoin saw new driver Adam Lisle resuming in second position, only 3.5 seconds behind Schutte once the race order had been cleansed following the stops, Moore in third and Jay Wong – now driving Sam Dicker’s entry – in fourth.

The race settled down for several laps – however that wasn’t the end of the story.

Battling for seventh position, Bradley Russell ran wide at Turn six and edged his car into the notorious Perth sand trap – firmly stuck and causing a Safety Car to be called for the first time in the race.

That closed the leading group up for a tense restart with five laps remaining, though it wouldn’t trouble the leader who put his head down and powered his way clear of the field once the green flag flew once again.

Lisle chased hard – setting the fastest lap of the race on the 42nd and final tour – but couldn’t challenge the leader, Schutte crossing the line to win his first Radical Cup Australia race in style.

Adam Lisle and Jordan Oon finished second, grabbing a massive haul of championship points in the process, while Bryce Moore followed them home in third position. Fourth was teenage sensation Caleb Sumich, who’s first ever car race was an impressive display.

Cold tyre inexperience saw the Arise Racing scholarship winner ran wide at turn one on the opening lap, dropping from fourth on the grid to the bottom half of the top ten by the end of the opening lap. However, he quickly passed several cars to work his way back into contention, holding on to fourth in the closing stages.

The Wong/Dicker combination finished a stout fifth, having led the race early. They were trailed home by Madeline Stewart in sixth, the Queensland-based New Zealander closing in on a top five finish in the closing stages of the race but ultimately falling just 0.5 seconds short at the finish.

Peter Paddon and Peter Carr finished seventh, Travis Sharpe and Joe Bergic eighth, Andrew Eldridge ninth and Championship leader Chris Perini completed the top-10. Perini had run in the top six for much of the race however an ongoing electrical issue hampered his progress.

The GWR Australia took the opportunity presented by the Safety Car – and the fact it did not pick up the leader - to pit to resolve the issue, the team managing to get the car re-fired without losing position. However the issue reappeared soon after the race re started, causing Perini to slip to 10th position at the finish.

Race Two

  • Elliott Schutte’s podium finish in race two was enough to ensure the Arise Racing driver won the round overall - doing his Radical Cup Australia title hopes no harm in the process.
  • Schutte edged Moore by just two points to claim the round, while an impressive Madeline Stewart finished third overall thanks to a pair of consistent race finishes this weekend.

Held in perfect, sunny conditions at Wanneroo Raceway, Race two was a flat-out affair from start-to finish with no Safety Car interruptions.

The pair of West Aussies led the charge early in the race, Schutte leading Moore until the pair pitted together from the race lead on the 17th lap.

Moore was able to jump his rival in the stops thanks to a slightly quicker mandatory stop time, emerging with a net lead that he would never lose - despite a series of tense moments while dealing with lapped traffic that saw his comfortable 5.5 second lead narrow to just 1.1 seconds by the start of the final lap.

Schutte was also dropped by the impressive Sebastian Fiorenza during the pit stop cycle, the #33 car leaping to second and putting the pressure on Moore for the remainder of the race.

Moore’s win was extra special as the former Australian F3 racer made his racing return after 10 years on the sidelines. His business, Lumberjacks WA, also sponsored the series at Wanneroo Raceway this weekend.

With the top three locked in, Madeline Stewart gained ground during the pit sequence to finish fourth, while Chris Perini, Caleb Sumich and Peter Paddon engaged in an entertaining battle for the minor positions in the top five.

Sumich had started second, in just his second ever Radical Cup Australia race, however, was tapped into a lurid moment by Adam Lisle on the exit of turn one.

While Lisle was forced to the lane, Sumich had to execute another recovery drive through the field and spent much of the second half dicing with veteran Radical competitors Perini and Paddon.

Paddon held point for much of the fight before a big move at turn one saw Perini scythe his way up to fifth – Sumich following through to relegate Paddon (and co-driver Peter Carr) back to seventh.

Bradley Russell rebounded from his Race one off by finishing eighth, with Jay Wong/Sam Dicker finishing ninth and Andrew Eldridge tenth.

Having led the early laps of yesterday’s race, Dicker again impressed on Sunday by setting the race’s fastest lap, having earlier unlapped himself from leader Bryce Moore following the pit stop sequence.

With five races and two rounds of the 2022 Radical Cup Australia Series complete, Chris Perini retains the series lead with a reduced margin of just five points.

 

The next round of the championship will be on the Sydneysider’s home turf; Sydney Motorsport Park to host Round 3 on May 27-29.