2010’s opening race of the Hertz MINI Challenge – delivered by Pizza Capers has thrilled crowds with an amazing display of driving which saw the lead change hands three times before Chris Alajajian finally crossed as the victor by a mere 0.29 seconds at Clipsal 500 today.

The race looked all but Paul Stokell’s until disaster struck on turn 14 of the penultimate lap as the veteran driver’s near one second lead was crushed when he became loose and spun under braking. Fortunately he was able to regain composure and re-enter the track but it was all too late, having to settle for third overall and leave the spoils to 2009 rival Alajajian.

"That was honestly one of the hardest races I have ever competed in. You couldn’t put a needle between the top-3 and it was unfortunate for Paul [Stokell] but a similar situation happened to me in Phillip Island last year. Dale put huge pressure on me that last lap and I was lucky to hold him out. He did exceptionally well to adapt to the style of racing and get his head around the MINI in such a short space of time – all three of us did a great job especially with success ballast on all our cars from Qualifying." Commented a wide-grinned Alajajian.

It was an amazing performance by first-timer Dale Wood who led for a portion of the race only to be robbed of victory on the final lap by Alajajian. He didn’t go down without a fight though and took "The Chris" all the way with some bumper-to-bumper action for the entirety of lap 8.

"I haven’t enjoyed a race that good in ages! It was a really good battle all the way. The car felt good and my Eagle Fuels Racing team did a fantastic job of preparing the car, and me, for an almost perfect race. I’m pleased with the race 1 result because I’m still definitely getting my head around things in this MINI so there’s a lot more left in me yet. Paul [Stokell] and Chris [Alajajian] have loads of experience and know nearly every inch of the car already and have so much race experience, so to be up with those guys is very promising for future races." Said Wood.

The effort of the top-3 was a true testament of their abilities as all three ran with success ballast weight for finishing qualifying in the top spots. The system, designed to increase competitiveness and decrease gap times, worked superbly as local crowds were treated to some exciting motorsport.

Also new to the Hertz MINI Challenge – delivered by Pizza Capers is the addition of the top-10 inverted grid for 2010 which will see Alajajian start from tenth position tomorrow morning – again designed to maximise competitive racing for all involved.

I can’t say I like the new success ballast system but it seems to be working really well for the series as you could see today with such a tight-fought race. Due to the new reverse top-10 grid I really don’t know yet how to approach tomorrow’s race starting back in tenth. There are a lot of new guys to the series so there could be some very unpredictable driving but I’ll do my best to race up the field." Commented Alajajian.

Rounding off the top-ten were young-guns Scott McLaughlin (16) and Sean Carter (19) who finished 4th and 5th respectively after an epic battle over the final few laps which saw both drivers dance around the track, swapping positions several times before Carter took the spoils. Peter McNiven of the Supercharge Batteries racing team took a cautious but measured approach bringing the car home without a scratch and in good grid position for tomorrow’s battle

Pizza Capers UberStar driver dare-devil Robbie Maddison climbed from tenth to finish the race a very credible 7th and will start race 2 third on the grid. Of the 11 starters just one, Gavin Yortt of the Squawking Magpie Wines entry, was unable to finish due to a small technical mishap on the final lap which saw the Kiwi driver lose all drive. His team are confident of repairing the car overnight to have their driver ready for race 2.

Another new regulation to the V8 Supercar Championship Series support category this year sees a full points reward system for qualifying which positions Alajajian in maximum points spot on the top of the series ladder with two 36 point hauls.

Race 1

1st Chris Alajajian

2nd Dale Wood

3rd Paul Stokell

4th Sean Carter

5th Scott McLaughlin

6th Peter McNiven

7th Robbie Maddison

8th Scott Manson

9th Dean Canto

10th Brendan Cook

DNF Gavin Yortt

DNS Chris Wootton