Cagetec Racing had its 2nd run of the 2019 season at the Marsue Transport Bencubbin 400, which is Round 3 of the 2019 CAMS Western Australian Off Road Racing Championship. With 408kms of racing at one of the highest speed tracks in Western Australia, the little naturally aspirated Yamaha was going to have its work cut out for it against the turbo SXS and other bigger race vehicles. A field of 49 competitors would take the green flag including 1 massive 10 SXS competitors.
Saturday morning saw a prologue run to decide the starting positions for Section 1. Driver Jason Galea threw caution to the wind pushing super hard as it was evident that dust was going to be a big problem later in the day. Despite a couple of hairy moments including getting up on 2 wheels around the last corner, the #6606 laid down a very competitive time. After prologue the Yamaha would sit 23rd outright 1st in class and 5th out of all SXS’s, less than 15 seconds off the pace.
As section 1 rolled around the crew planned to take a more conservative approach to ensure a finish. In reality it would turn out to be a strong run moving up to 12th outright and 3rd out of all the SXS competitors. To be sitting only 19 seconds off the quickest turbo SXS in an N/A SXS was a massive achievement, but unfortunately would come at a price. The overnight check found the car in almost perfect condition, the only exception being that the brakes were heavily worn. With no more spare brake pads available and 2 long sections to go the rest of the race would have to be run at a conservative pace in order to have enough brakes left to finish the race.
A chilly but clear Sunday morning presented almost ideal racing conditions. With a new focus of self preservation the #6606 team set out at a more relaxed tempo and was soon passed by a couple of the Turbo SXS competitors. 17th quickest for the section was the end result, however the buggy was still running faultlessly. The brake management was paying off and the crew ventured out for the final section with just over 1mm of brake pad left on each corner. Again circulating at a slightly more cautious tempo than usual, the Yamaha would complete its 2 laps 18th quickest for the section. This would net an overall result of 14th outright, 1st in class and 6th out of all of the SXS’s.
Thanks must go to the whole team for preparing a great racecar as well as the event organisers (WAORRA), the property owners, officials, volunteers and other competitors. The 10th Bencubbin 400 was another one not to forget. With the season now at the midway point and no more racing until August, there will be plenty of time for upgrades and improvements to the Yamaha. Cagetec Racing already have a few in mind, but are very happy with the vehicles development so far and its competitiveness given that it is a budget non turbo SXS build
