The F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series has progressed from promising, to perfect scenario, for Dunedin's Steve Ross, as he now holds an unassailable lead after the weekend's penultimate round.
His three races at Ruapuna Raceway saw him fight back from the field's rear after a spin in the opener before breaking young English driver Michael Lyons' nine-race winning streak with lights-to-flag victories in both Sunday outings.
"I finally got the monkey off my back," he said, of the three race meetings worth of duels with Lyons.
Ross, in only his third full season in the F5000 series, withstood immense pressure from Lyons to remain in front.
"I knew Michael was there, obviously, then he started to fall back for some reason. Without knowing what that was, I just kept my head down. Full credit to the Motorsport Solutions team this weekend, the car has been awesome, absolutely awesome."
Lyons (21) was looking at the positives, as he had qualified quickest and set the fastest race lap of the weekend before twice being slowed by broken valve springs, in the race he won on Saturday afternoon and again in the 12-lap feature on Sunday.
Although he found it hard to cover the frustration he felt about his Lola T400 not having the same straight line speed as Ross' McRae GM1, which had a new engine installed earlier this season.
"We got a reasonable start in the feature today [Sunday] but I still couldn't fight the horsepower Steve had when we got through turn one," Lyons said.
Ross could well have made it three out of three, had he not spun on oil on lap two while leading Lyons in the first race.
The Dunedin racer did not give up and at the fifth lap he was in ninth place, by the sixth lap, eighth, by the seventh lap seventh and by the chequered flag, third.
After second overall placings the past two F5000 seasons, imminent victory was pleasing but the foregone results would not impinge on him enjoying the final round in Australia at Phillip Island from March 9 to 11, Ross said.
"Hey, it's nice to know you are leading but we are still going to go to the last meeting in Aussie and have some fun."
