• by APS MEDIA
• May 01, 2021

Makris wins opening round of 2021 season

Jason Makris has started the 2021 Australian Prototype Series on a high, winning the first round of the year at Sydney Motorsport Park. 

It was a highly consistent weekend from the 2018 series winner, who added another runner-up finish to his second place yesterday.

With heavy fog on Sunday morning causing the series’ second race for the weekend to be cancelled, all attention then turned to an extended afternoon race.

Starting alongside race one winner Blake Purdie, Makris and the youngster were quickly passed by JP Drake who was on a mission to make amends for a forgettable day yesterday. 

It turned out to be a chaotic opening lap as Paul Trengove spun Peter Paddon and Phil Hughes’ horror weekend continued – the Hughes Supercars Services driver coming to a stop and bringing out the safety car. 

Unlike yesterday, it was almost a perfect outing from Drake who led the field in his brand new F1 Mistral for every lap after the restart, claiming his first victory in a long time.

🏁 Prototype Series Race 2
1️⃣ @jpdrakes
2️⃣ Makris +0.19
3️⃣ Laucke +3.86
4️⃣ Purdie +7.06
5️⃣ Trengove +16.33

🧑‍💻 https://www.motorsportaustraliachampionships.com.au/category/news/#Shannons21 #SMSP #SydneyMotorsportPark #MotorsportAustralia #PrototypeSeries #APS21 pic.twitter.com/iHKtnU3nQG

— Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships (@MSportAUSChamps) May 2, 2021

It was no easy win for the popular South Australian though with Makris providing a huge challenge for a large portion of laps- the duo going neck and neck for much of the race and the lead never going much more than one second.

The duo were by far the quickest of the afternoon, with Drake’s win seeing him elevated to second place for the outright round. 

Rounding out the race’s podium and one of the standout performers was 2017 champion Mark Laucke. Starting from P5, Laucke made quick moves forward and before dropping back down to fifth after the restart.

However his experience behind the wheel saw him claw his way back into contention and past Purdie and Paul Trengove to comfortably taking out the final place on the race podium.

While Purdie was unable to replicate his efforts from yesterday, a fourth place saw him seal third outright on the standings, making it  a solid debut weekend in the series.

🏁 Australian Prototype Series Race 1
1️⃣ Blake Purdie
2️⃣ Makris +18.18
3️⃣ Trengove +21.45
4️⃣ Drake +22.43
5️⃣ Laucke +24.86

🧑‍💻 https://www.motorsportaustraliachampionships.com.au/category/news/#Shannons21 #SMSP #SydneyMotorsportPark #MotorsportAustralia #PrototypeSeries #APS21 pic.twitter.com/oww5edNybO

— Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships (@MSportAUSChamps) May 1, 2021

The battle for fifth came down to three seconds as Trengove ended up squeezed into the top five for the second consecutive race, making it a productive weekend for points, while Carmelo Bonaventura’s sixth place saw him take out the Radical Class.

Finishing just above the round’s Hankook Cup winner Glen Stallbaum, Bonaventura was the other standout driver today, making up eight places after a difficult race yesterday. 

Peter Paddon recovered nicely after the spin to finish eighth place, which was enough to secure him the Radical class trophy for the weekend.

Rounding out the top 10 was Stephen Champion and series newcomer Andres Latorre.

It’s a very little break for the series now with the second round of the 2021 season later this month at the Winton Supersprint on 29-30 May.