6th February 2014

Quick qualifying sets up strong Australia Day for Zanardi Corse - From Zanardi Corse Australia

Blake Purdie

Zanardi Corse Australia have recorded four pole positions from four classes entered at the recent Australia Day Classic event at Bolivar, aswell as a number of impressive race results, kick-starting a heavy 2014 campaign for the growing Adelaide based outfit.

In Cadets, Blake Purdie was unstoppable amongst the youngest drivers at the event. The reigning Festival State Cup Champion secured pole position before going on to take victory in each of the heat races handing the Nippys sponsored driver the event win and securing top spot on the podium. It was to be a successful event for Zanardi Corse in Cadets, with Joel Johnson taking second behind Purdie in just his second competitive race event.

A healthy representation in the Tag Light category saw Jonathon Mangos secure pole position and a clean sweep of all heat races. An alteration in setup for the final created a battle between Mangos and Daniel Wallis, with the polesitter having to settle for second behind Wallis with fellow Zanardi Corse driver Anthony Gagliardi finishing fourth; however the success did not extend to Kristian Harris who suffered a DNF.

Anthony Gagliardi

Anthony Gagliardi experienced a blistering qualifying session by taking pole position, with his pace being transferred through to the heat races, where despite his speed, a result could not be achieved for Gagliardi who would unfortunately record a DNF. Leigh Cocker and Shane Wiseman engaged in a fierce battle from the outset of the final, with the pair making contact early before working their way back to secure second and third respectively.

For debutant Shane Cornish, pole position in Tag Restricted Heavy was a superb start behind the wheel. Cornish fought out a tough string of battles throughout the heat races, ultimately looking to secure seat time and race laps. An improvement throughout the final for Cornish saw him claim fourth.

David Brewer – Team Principal, Zanardi Corse Australia 

“I am extremely happy with the whole teams performance at the Australia Day Classic, the weekend was the result of hard work and effort the boys have put in. We look forward to announcing some new drivers very soon and getting to the teams next event at Monarto next month.”