Western Sydney Motorsport’s Ben Walsh has taken victory in Round 2 of the Haltech V8 SuperUtes Series at Wanneroo Raceway following a post-race penalty applied to Aaron Borg.
Borg crossed the line first following a pass on Walsh for the lead at Turn 7 prior to a safety car, but contact was made completing the move. Five seconds was added to his race time post-race, dropping Borg to sixth, with Walsh securing the race win and the overall victory for the weekend.
Walsh’s victory in the Fat Freddy’s/Raceline Racewear Toyota Hilux continues Western Sydney Motorsport’s perfect start to the season as team-mate Craig Woods took victory at Tasmania’s opening round.
However, it was won under tough circumstances as Walsh was still recovering from a recent bout of COVID.
“We didn’t really have the car dialed, but we just chipped away at it and slowly felt better over the weekend,” said Walsh.
“By Sunday, it really started to come together for us.
“At Western Sydney Motorsport, we only made the decision to run independently eight weeks before the first round in Tassie, so it’s just been a massive push for us and it’s been very successful for the two entries to take out the opening rounds.
“Woodsy’s been a jet this year. That ute he’s jumped into has really suited him and the thing is really dialled in.
“It was a good weekend, but it was tough as I wasn’t on the pace early on and we really had to work on it, but we got there.
“It was a strong field, so it was a good one to win.”
Despite taking victory in Perth, focus immediately turns to the next round at Winton in a few weeks where Walsh believes set-up will be critical if he is to repeat the performance.
“I think we’ve got a bit of work to do because the weaknesses I’ve had in Tasmania and Perth may be magnified at Winton,” he explained.
“I’m struggling with the stop-go or sharp corners. My ute is not getting the power down as well as my team-mates.
“We need to sort that out, but I’ve got a great crew behind me. I’m confident coming off a win in Perth, so I’m sure we’ll get it dialed in.”
Following the boost of victory in Perth, Walsh’s title tilt is back on track.
“I had a shocker of an opening round, so we’ve got no option but to finish strong in every event,” Walsh emphasised.
“I’m not out of the series, I went into Perth needing to maximise and I did that.
“I’m still in this and I’m going for it.”
The next round of the Haltech V8 SuperUtes Series will be held at Winton Motor Raceway on May 20-22.
