16 January 2011 | General

2010 Sandown Wrap Up

Former Develop V8 Series regular Tony Evangelou wrapped up the 2010 Shannons V8 Touring Car National Series before the fifth and final round at Sandown last weekend.

But that didnt stop the Victorian and his ex-Ford Performance Racing BA from showing the field of former V8 Supercars a clean set of heels throughout each race. If not for a post-race exclusion he would have won easily as it turned out he was second overall to fellow Victorian and BA driver Terry Wyhoon.

Evangelou was controlling the first of three races while Wyhoon in his ex-Larkham Motor Sports entry was in an engrossing duel for second (not only in the race but in the series) with the former Stone Brothers Racing BA of Chris Smerdon.

That came to a head when Smerdon overstepped coming out of turn four and spun into the armco fencing causing a safety car. It was under this reduced pace period that Evangelou was cited for not maintaining a constant speed and subsequently relegated in the results.

Earlier in the race at turn one on the first lap Aaron Tebb (ex-Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore VY) was out of shape and made contact with John Vergotis Ford Tickford Racing Falcon AU putting them out of the race. Both cars were able to continue in the later outings but Smerdons Ford was out for the day.

Wyhoon was declared the winner with Queenslander Stephen Voight elevated to second racing another of Rob Tebbs GRM Holdens. West Aussie Matt Hansen was third on the revised sheets in the once-Prancing Horse Racing Falcon AU (he also finished third overall for the round) from the ex-SBR AU of Mark Sheppard.

In his first circuit race newcomer Shaun Fennell a regular Super Sprinter raced clean and without dramas in his ex-Imrie Motor Sports Commodore VX and ahead of the Perkins Engineering Commodore of Isidoro Ambrosio that he shares with fellow West Australian Dean Kovacevich.

Evangelou made a lightning start from the rear of the grid in race two and was second by the first corner. After harrying race leader Wyhoon Evangelou went through to claim his win of the weekend and was pleased he still had life in his tyres as he was only using four for the meeting.

Wyhoon opted to use two new tyres for qualifying and race one before bolting on the four remaining news ones for race two. “But we went out with the pressures up a little too high and had nothing for the second half of the race particularly the right rear he admitted.

Proving that he is quickly coming to grips with the newly purchased Holden that Steve Owen took to victory at this round last year Fennell finished third ahead of Hansen Vergotis Tebb and Ambrosio. Sheppard was next recovering from a bump with Voight who ran out brakes at Dandenong Road Corner that also left him stranded.

In race three Evangelou posted a comfortable win. Wyhoon lost all power after the start while Fennell stalled getting off the grid. Wyhoon fought back to claim second ahead of Voight Sheppard Tebb Hansen and Vegotis while Fennells fight back ended when his VX lost drive.

Round Five Points

Wyhoon 126 Evangelou 115 Hansen 84 Sheppard 81 Voight 80 Ambrosio 58 Fennell 54 Tebb 51 Vergotis 48 Smerdon 23.

National Series Points

1 Tony Evangelou 665 2 Terry Wyhoon 419 3 Chris Smerdon 335 4 Mark Shephard 265 5 John Vergotis 226 6 Matthew Hansen 218 7 Stephen Voight 156 8 Dean Neville 132 9 Chris Delfsma 129 10 Aaron Tebb 125 =11 Isi Ambrosio 124 =11 Michael Bartsch 124 13 Scott Loadsman 106 14 Dean Kovacevich 105 15 Ben Eggleston 97 16 Sam Walter 70 17 Steve Ingwersen 19.

2010 V8 Touring Car National Series Winner Tony Evangelou (Ford Falcon BA)  
2009 V8 Touring Car National Series Winner Adam Wallis (Holden Commodore VT)  
2008 V8 Touring Car National Series Winner Chris Smerdon (Ford Falcon AU)