Mackie Adlem had a good show of pace in the past weekend’s (16-17 June) Mobil 1 V8 Supercars fourth round at Aldo Scribante Racetrack, but a rule transgression saw him fighting from the back foot in the weekend’s two races.
During Friday Practice, Adlem set the pace, which he duly followed up with the GT Class pole position on Saturday morning. However, the six-time champion’s celebrations were short-lived. A qualifying session interrupted by a red flag led to confusion regarding procedures, with the Adlem Auto-backed Jaguar XKR driver parking his car in the pits and not reporting for the mandatory post-session weigh-in. This resulted in him being slapped with a penalty which saw him line up at the back of the grid for Race 1.
More importantly, this promoted points leader Julian Fameliaris to the front, from where he controlled the race to record a win. Adlem tried hard to make his way onto the podium in a good tussle with Thomas Reib but without success. The second race saw the pair recommence their battle, this time at the front of the field. But Reib fended off Adlem successfully to take the win, with Adlem as runner-up.
“It’s a pity about the penalty, as we clearly had good pace,” said Adlem. “The (Aldo) Scribante Racetrack is notorious for not allowing many opportunities to pass, especially in such evenly matched cars. Hats off to Thomas, though. I made him work hard out there today, but he fended off every attack, and I believe we treated the crowd to some of the best racing.”
Round 5 of the 2023 Mobil 1 V8 Supercars championship will see the series return to Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit on 25-26 August as part of the annual Festival of Motoring event.
Published by: Motorsport Fanatix
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