Brent Bags a Tripple
Victorian State Circuit Racing Series Round 5
21-22 September 2024
Report by Chris Ralph. Pics by Phil Wisewould
Talbot takes dry pole
Trevor Talbot cracked a 1.48.7 to lead his four fellow Camaro captains – Trengrove, Dom Leo, Adrian Moyle and Geoff Munday – ahead of the Charger of Glenn Miles whose weekend mission was to “gate crash the Camaro Cup”. Three 289 Group Nb Mustangs followed – Pete Meuleman, Bill Trengrove and Darren Jones, ahead of Stephen Pillekers’ Torana. Adrian Moyle’s black Camaro suffered more left front hub issues, thought to be fixed after Winton in August, and had to leave his Chev cobbers to it.
Wet Race 1, Saturday pm
The polesitter, tentative on very old ‘wet’ tyres, led the field across little rivers and puddles to line up for the first of three 20-min events. Brent Trengrove got the jump to lead Talbot, Leo and Munday into T1 ahead of Miles with dad Bill Trengrove making the best of a good start to get ahead of Meuleman, Pillekers and Jones.
In a race of two halves Trengrove cleared out from the chasing Camaros and Charger, with Dom Leo taking Talbot at Siberia as Miles monstered Munday, to set their personal battle style for the weekend. In the second pack the nifty and nimble Torana of Pillekers herded the Mustangs of Meuleman, Jones and Trengrove before Jones took Black Pete at T4.
Munday’s bravery lunging into corners was epic but allowed Miles’ Charger to close in, finishing just .27 secs behind as the four crossed in a pack. A similar close finish among the Nb Mustangs saw Jones hold out Meuleman by less than a second.
Dry-ish Race 2 Sunday am
Brent Trengrove bested a squirming Dom Leo off the start but it was his dad who split the grid straight down the middle, last to third by T1! Bill’s ex-Clem Smith Nb Mustang had the bit between its teeth and was only taken by a slow-starting Leo at the end of the first lap.
Meanwhile the hard-driving Geoff Munday was challenging for lead at T1 but Brent held the outside line. Munday then had Leo on his hammer at T4 who despite half a tank-slapper on the exit clamped white on to red and grabbed second back next lap at T3. Down the sharp hill into MG Munday got squirmy under a lunge and slowly fell back into the clutches of Glenn Miles’ Charger.
In the Nb Mustang and Torana battle, Bill’s early push kept him ahead of Stephen Pillekers’ XU-1, while Jones had caught Meuleman. On lap eight Jones was too hot into Honda/Miller/T4, locking up int a spin. The remaining pair had a last-minute dice with Meuleman pinching it as the checker was waved.
The first of the day’s two sensational battles between Munday’s Camaro and Miles’ Charger had come into play, the latter attacking at T4 and making it stick on lap seven of the nine. But Munday wasn’t done yet, tail waving, leaving rubber in his pursuit of the flat-handling Mopar and making another audacious lunge into MG on the last – and just failing to catch the Charger over the line.
Mostly dry Race 2 Sunday pm
Brent Trengrove once again led away but Trevor Talbot had returned rear of grid to rip his way through the Nb cars on the first lap and set off after the Charger. In his wake Pete Meuleman’s black Mustang chased the Venerable William Trengrove Esq’s red one hard.
By Lap 3 Talbot had taken Miles and out-dragged Munday’s Camaro down the straight to take him into T1, while recording fastest laps. Dom Leo defended hard against the rampaging yellow machine but a persistent right front lock up at T4 left him vulnerable, he conceded but kept chasing.
An encore clash between Munday and Miles saw the two almost kissing fenders on to the main straight. Miles drafted Munday for consecutive laps hoping his prey’s exuberant style might leave a crack. Side by side into T4 and through Siberia on the last lap they went. Munday pulled ahead, Miles again challenged, got underneath at T12 but Camaro cubes ruled the day in the dash to the flag.
Brent Trengrove took his third ahead of Talbot, Leo, Munday and Miles – but the Nb battle between Trengrove Snr and Meuleman hadn’t finished. ‘The Old Bill’ did a fantastic job holding out the ‘Black Knight’ for six laps, regaining it on eight, losing it again on a superquick last when they lapped in the mid 1.52s and finished .4 sec apart. All three Mustangs had each taken a class victory in the meeting’s three races.
Apart from the retired Moyle (who had ruled the roost here in June) every driver would have had their money’s worth of satisfaction and fun from this top ‘Statie’ weekend.
Next, big fields await at Historic Sandown in early November – not to be missed!