Local Victorian lads Sean Carter and Peter McNiven head to Phillip Island next month locked in a close fought battle for third place on the 2010 Hertz MINI Challenge – delivered by Pizza Capers Championship ladder.

Leongatha-based McNiven leads the pair by a mere 8 points which, with a maximum of 36 points on offer for both qualifying and each of the three races, is just a scratch of the championship surface.

The duo have been trading blows all year which has laid the grounds for some exciting MINI Challenge action for both competitors and fans alike. Despite the fact fellow competitors Chris Alajajian and Paul Stokell have dominated so far this season, the Victorian pair are still very much in for a chance at taking overall spoils in 2010 with 12 scoring sessions remaining this season.

Nineteen-year-old Carter has a wealth of experience on his local circuit and for the first time this year, will be racing the MINI R56 on a track where he has previously raced before. The young Victorian will have added support of family, friends and sponsors who will be supporting the local on his home event.

At 24 years old McNiven is having a super season despite only sitting behind the wheel of the MINI 56 for the first time at Clipsal 500 this year. He too has a bag of experience around the Phillip Island track and is geared up for a home-town battle with Carter. MINI Challenge driver Peter McNiven said:“We’ve got loads of experience at Phillip Island and last time I was there in the VIC State HQ Series we finished on Pole so I have fond memories of the track. Of all the places we have raced this year this is the first one I have competed on in the past so I think this will help a lot. We tested here the weekend after Townsville which was my first time round the track in a MINI and we were able to set the car up a lot better as it really needed tweaking from the way it was setup for the Townsville Street Circuit. Even though I prefer the street style circuits I think Phillip Island is the best opportunity I have to win a round this year but there will be some added pressure being my home event! Sean [Carter] is probably the most approachable competitor in the series and we get along really well off the track. I couldn’t ask for a better rival as we both have a lot of respect for each other and give each other plenty of room on the track which is what it’s all about. There is still a long way to go in this championship and we are by no means settling for third, Phillip Island will be a big event and hopefully one where I can reel in some points on the two guys ahead of us.”

MINI Challenge driver Sean Carter said:“I’ve done hundreds of laps round this track from my 944 Championship days and we did several laps testing the MINI a few weeks ago so I’m definitely a lot more confident with this amount of track knowledge. It’s actually the first event in 2010 that I won’t be heading to a circuit completely blind, as I had never raced at the first four MINI Challenge venues this season. Pete [McNiven] and I have been battling all year and it’s great to have someone like him to gauge my speed against. He is a really nice guy and we are mates off the track but come race day we are the fiercest of rivals which makes for more enjoyable and more intense racing. It’s really tight for that third spot in the championship but we are also still well in with a shot at the overall title as anything can happen in these exciting one-make series. I was off my game a bit in Townsville but I’m really pumped for Phillip Island, I really just need to find one or two tenths to be on front-running pace and this will be the first step at Phillip Island, before the final two rounds which I have good experience of after competing in the MINI at both Gold Coast and Sydney last year.”