MINI CHALLENGE 2009 – Round 8, Race 1

The final round of the 2009 MINI Challenge saw the series arrive at a new street circuit in Sydney’s Olympic precinct. On paper, the track layout look quite bland, but in reality there’s plenty there to keep the drivers on their toes.

This was something series leader Paul Stokell certainly discovered in the first race. Needing just 24 points this weekend to wrap up the 2009 title Stokell made it hard for himself registering a DNF in Race 1.

Former Australian Touring Car Champion Glenn Seton returned to the MINI Challenge at Homebush and showed the field a clean pair of heels in Race 1. Chris Alajajian finished second, while Scott Bargwanna rounded out the top three.

Racing in the Uber-Star Car this weekend was current Le Mans champion David Brabham. Showing his adaptability, Brabham brought his MINI home in fourth place in the first race.

Race 2 was won by Chris Alajajian, with Scott Bargwanna and Nathan Caratti not far behind. Rounding out a great weekend, Glenn Seton won again in Race 3, with the consistent duo of Bargwanna and Alajajian finding their way to the podium again.

While Stokell didn’t have a great weekend, he did bag the points he needed. Scoring 54 points in all, that was enough to ecure the 2009 MINI Challenge title. Congratulations to Paul and the DecoRug team. Meanwhile, Glenn Seton and Chris Alajajian finished the round tied on 162 points, but Seton got the overall victory on account of his two races win. A mere six points behind was Scott Bargwanna in third.

You can see the second part of Race 1 after the jump, along with a brief interview featuring David Brabham. Highlights of this round will be on Channel 7 nationally on Saturday 19 December, check your local guides for details.