Flames
Chris Pither
The Super Black Racing driver scored a maiden pole position on Saturday's race after blitzling the field with a superb time. While he got knocked around a wee bit on the opening laps of the race, the Kiwi showed consistently fast times all weekend and recorded a well-deserved top 10 finish. The achievement became all the more meaningful when news broke yesterday of the passing of team owner and founder Tony Lentino after a battle with cancer. Lentino was well respected in the paddock and he will be sorely missed.
Craig Lowndes
The veteran V8s star has fashioned an incredible record at Ipswich over the years and he demonstrated once more an ability to get the best out of his car at the venue. He was a chance at a race win on Saturday but an incredible drive from Kiwi Shane Van Gisbergen put an end to that. Lowndes' performance on Sunday however was a vintage one, easing away from the field to claim victory and boost his championship hopes. Anyone thinking the title was a two-horse race between Red Bull Racing teammates Van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup might want to think again after Lowndes' showing in Ipswich.
Lewis Hamilton
The Brit Formula 1 star and defending world champion won the Hungarian Grand Prix on Monday to take the lead in the world championship for the first time in 2016. He trailed Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg by 43 points at one stage but his class and outright speed has seen him claw back that gap and take a lead of his own. Whether Rosberg can regroup and mount a serious charge of his own remains to be seen but Hamilton has delivered a stunning and comprehensive blow in recent weeks and another title now looks likely.
Lames