• by
• October 23, 2022

Drake claims title in chaotic race

John-Paul Drake has officially been crowned the 2022 Australian Prototype Series champion after a seventh-place finish in the first and final race at The Bend AutoFest.  

The second race of the day was cancelled due to extreme weather conditions – ultimately handing Drake the title as the season now officially concludes.  

“It is the first (Series) I have ever won. I had a good car this year and I was driving really well,” Drake said.  

“It feels really good, it feels like a sense of accomplishment. I think everyone wanted to go out, but the track was just a nightmare as we saw but everyone was in the same boat.

“We took a long-term approach, don’t go out hard all the time and just play the safe, practical way to try and win a Series.”  

Although the second race didn’t go ahead, the first provided lots of action from start to finish.

Ricky Capo used the slipstream courtesy of polesitter in Drake to take the lead heading towards the first corner but was unable to capitalise on the fast start as a spin at turn one ultimately ruled him out of contention.  

In what was challenging wet conditions for all the drivers, Godfrey was able to take the lead after a couple of mistakes from Drake - before an incident involving Capo and frontrunner Mark Laucke brought out the chequered flag behind the safety car.

Despite missing out on the title, the race saw contender Godfrey take victory in what was a chaotic affair throughout.  

Godfrey was thrilled to take victory in what had been a challenging weekend thus far.  

“It’s been a very up and down weekend, but this was one to remember,” Godfrey said.  

“It went from being okay to extremely wet really quick, but I just tried to keep and smooth and calm and I felt pretty good out there.” 

Australian Prototype Series visit to The Bend Motorsport Park wraps up the Series, but many of the teams will next feature at Bathurst International on 11-13 November, a non-points-scoring round.