A RECENT trip to the Northern Territory paid big dividends for Muswellbrook speedster Spano Gutierrez.
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The seasoned campaigner returned to his former home track, 7MATE Northline Speedway, to capture the AMCA Nationals Darwin title.
Gutierrez began the feature from pole and was the favourite following the heats.
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the racer.
His rival Peter Harding looked impressive early in the race but could not find enough pace to challenge for the lead, settling for second spot.
Jason Hillier, meanwhile, managed to keep his car going after losing some bodywork.
Following an incident, he made his way back through the field to pick up third.
Despite his overall success at the weekend, Gutierrez admitted there was still room for improvement.
“The first night wasn’t too good,” he said.
“I won two heats – and placed second in the third, which qualified me for pole position.
“But, I finished second, due to a bad judgement call.
“My car was set to go high on the outside lane, which cost me dearly.
“On the second evening, good grid draws allowed me to claim all three heats.
“Again, this gave me pole position.
“However, I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
“I led from flag-to-flag – and finished the highest pointscorer for the event.
“That was a great result.”
And, things aren’t about to slow down for Gutierrez either.
Next up is the Darwin Cup Series (DCS) over four nights in July, followed by the Northern Territory Titles on August 10.
“The DCS will be a new experience for me,” he said.
“There are two nights of racing at Darwin and another couple at the Katherine [Speedway].
“So, I’m not sure what to expect.
“In the meantime, I’m trying to attract a few more sponsors.
“It’s certainly not a cheap sport by any means, especially with all of the travelling.
“But, I’ve received plenty of support since I moved to Muswellbrook seven years ago.”
Gutierrez would like to thank the following 2017-18 season sponsors – Endless Engraving @ the Blue Shed – as well as his fiancée Lisa Williams, Col Goodhew, Vicki Taylor and Todd Keaton from Endless Engraving @ the Blue Shed.