MEDIA RELEASE- For Immediate Release, December 4

SENSATIONAL WIN FOR RUSSELL IN SEASON FINALE

Drew Russell’s season in the Shannons Australian Production Car Championship ended on a sensational note, with a last gasp race win at Eastern Creek Raceway.

On a weekend where he secured second outright in the championship, the Newcastle-based youngster edged out Steve Briffa on the run to the chequered flag to take the race three win by less than two tenths of a second.

The weekend started on a challenging note for the team. Running time on Saturday was severely limited by a brake sensor problem that the team spent the day, and much of the night, chasing.

As it was, Russell did enough in his single qualifying lap to start from the front row of the grid in the scratch race. The nimble Honda had no answer for the straight line speed of the Ford’s in the opening race, much of which was run under safety car, and Russell finished fourth.

In the first handicap race, he charged through to finish third and the best of the Class A cars. He bettered that in the final race, taking the lead and race win with just metres remaining in the race. It culminated a barnstorming drive which included the fastest lap of the race, set on his final lap.

“I only just pipped him on the line,” said Russell of the final race. “I gave it my all for the last lap but didn’t think I was going to get him. We stuck to our gameplan - drive smoothly, pick my way through and not get held up by anyone - and we were able to get the race win.”

It was part of a weekend where Russell won Class A for the round, and finished second in the outright results.

“It has been a fairly good weekend,” he said. “We had some problems on Saturday but the guys spent nine hours working on it and they got it fixed up - they are champions.

“Then today we had a fourth in the first race, a third then a win in the final. I think we’ve done the best we could have done.”

The weekend at Eastern Creek marks the end of a successful 2005 for Russell. He entered the weekend with the Class A honours already wrapped up, and this weekend claimed second outright in the championship.

“Really, it is all down to the team of guys I have around me,” said the 17 year-old. “We have had a few problems during the year, but those guys have always kept working away and kept the car going for me, so it is all thanks to them, really.

“In one sense we are happy that we had wrapped up the class win, but in the other sense, there is a little bit of regret that we didn’t get the overall championship.

”We would’ve loved to have knocked that over and maybe if not for a couple of problems we would have, but you can’t have everything and we have still had a great year.”

Russell’s next motorsport outing will be on January 12-14 2006, when he takes part in a World Formula BMW Test in Bahrain. Drew has been selected to be one of 24 drivers to take part in the test at the Bahrain International Circuit.

At the end of the test, three drivers will be awarded a US$50,000 scholarship to spend on running a Formula BMW Championship of their choice.

Global Racing Industries thanks the support of Go Karts Go, Best Western Mount Panorama Resort, MC Racing Group, Oran Park Raceway, Ray White Real Estate Bathurst, Koala Glass, Kloster Honda and Bells Radiators.

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A selection of copyright-free, high-resolution photos of Drew Russell in action and driver profile can be found on the www.tokencameo.com/resources/global/