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The Ipswich Undercard

30 Jul 2015
Richards, Bowe, Seton and Johnson Junior headline a legend-filled Ipswich line-up this weekend.
3 mins by James Pavey
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If, like me, you spent your school holidays as a kid watching old Bathurst races on VHS then you should probably cancel your weekend plans because the support categories at Queensland Raceway will demand some serious couch time.

Yesteryear's guns will be on track in the Touring Car Masters and tomorrow's stars will feature during the Dunlop Series and Formula 4.

Dunlop V8 Supercars

Only two drivers have won races in the Dunlop Series in 2015, which seriously sells short how fantastic the racing has been.

While Cameron Waters has had the odd challenge from Paul Dumbrell, the mid-pack madness has been going off like a '90s British Touring Car race. A return to a three-race format with only two sets of tyres will breed even more action this round.

However, that format should also mean smooth sailing for Waters if he qualifies well. Last year he took out half the field at this track, this weekend he'll show us how far he's come as a driver in just 12 months.

ENZED Touring Car Masters

Seriously, how cool is TCM? Heroes of the sport in muscle cars that make you weak at the knees. Once you wipe the drool off of your lip and glance at the series points score you'll also notice an intense championship battle.

Four rounds down and Andrew Miedecke has a slender championship lead over Jim Richards but the reality is John Bowe (sixth) and Steven Johnson (ninth) are the form drivers, they've won the last nine races between them and amazingly, are still in championship contention.

On a sad note, the TCM field will be racing with a heavy heart after the loss of fellow racer Bill Pye yesterday (Wednesday). Pye raced at the last round in his beautiful ZL1 Camaro, which he built to look just like Bob Jane's. He will be sorely missed, sincere condolences to his family, friends and competitors.

Finally, racers from the Australian TransAm Series will also join the TCM grid this weekend, adding some extra flare.

CAMS Jayco Formula 4

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After a successful debut round all 13 drivers are back for round 2. The majority of the field aren't old enough to shave yet but that didn't stop them from putting in some of the bravest street racing ever seen in Townsville.

Thomas Randle was a little bit too brave and was penalised for taking out the leader (Jimmy Vernon) in race 2. He'll bounce back this weekend and challenge the inaugural round winner (Jordan Lloyd) for the win this weekend.

On the subject of bravery, let's see if any of them can hold it flat through turn 1.

Local Spotlight

Completing the undercard will be the Sports GTs. This local category will feature plenty of variety and have their second race of the weekend televised LIVE on Fox Sports 506.

Chad's Fast Four

- Age: At 15, Luis Leeds is the youngest driver competing this weekend, while at 72, Rusty French is the oldest. That's 57 years difference!

- Dunlop Series: Aaren Russell broke through for his first podium at this track last year and could score one again this weekend if his rubbish luck turns around.

- Touring Car Masters: At every round this year we've seen the points leader suffer at least one DNF and lose his championship lead. Not a great omen for Andrew Miedecke.

- 1999: 8 drivers competing in support categories this weekend raced in the inaugural Queensland 500 (Glenn Seton, Steven Johnson, Andrew Miedecke, Greg Crick, John Bowe, Jim Richards, Paul Morris & Paul Dumbrell)

Dunlop Series, Touring Car Masters and Formula 4 will be shown LIVE on Fox Sports 506.

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