After winning the qualifying race, Eric Magnussen looked like the man to beat in Super Touring 3, but it wasn’t to be. Even the results of the race weren’t to be. A brief explanation is in order.
Ross Thompson was trailing Luke Rumburg at the finish of the race, but Rumburg was bumped down one spot due to a procedural violation. That reshuffled the order a bit, putting Thompson in first and Rumburg in second
“You know something, it was an awesome, awesome weekend,” Thompson said. “I can’t say enough for Desert Flight Racing. It was a lot traffic, a lot of carnage. I had a spin at the beginning of the race, back to fifth, back up to second and then gave it back to Luke. Congratulations to Luke, he ran an awesome race.”
Rumburg scored the quickest lap of the race, so his speed was evident. He was driving a nearly new Volkswagen GTi, a factory-built TCR racecar.
“We practiced yesterday and we kept messing with the car,” Rumburg said. “These cars are just amazing, the Volkswagen GTi cars are amazing and they’re really fast, so it makes it easier to drive. Last year we came and ran an (International Motor Sports Association) race here, and being with all those pro drivers really helps you get around the track.”
After starting from pole, Eric Magnussen dropped back and finished third. His lap times were just a little bit slower than Rumburg and Thompson.
“Yeah, the TCR cars had a good battle going on and they were pushing each other hard. So I just didn’t have for them today,” he said. “They were pushing each other to the maximum. I mean, they were really going at it.”
