Sherrin Racing has broken through for one of the most prestigious race wins on the Mobil 1 Australian Production Cars calendar at the weekend – the lauded Fight in the Night at Queensland Raceway.

After finishing on the podium numerous times for the annual night race, this was the first outright and Class X Fight in the Night victory for the team, with Iain Sherrin claiming the honours in the #72 Sherrin Rentals BMW M4 following an exceptional last-lap passing manoeuvre to take the lead.

Making that race win even more impressive was the fact that the #72 started the race from the rear of the grid alongside Sherrin Racing stable-mate Grant Sherrin in the #27 Sherrin Rentals BMW M4, after both entries were unable to finish Friday’s opening race one due to fuel pump issues while at the pointy end of the field, after having dominated qualifying to be one-two (Grant and Iain respectively) outright and for Class X.

After finishing 2nd for APC and 1st in Class X in Sunday’s final race three, Iain secured 2nd outright for the round and 3rd for Class X, ensuring he continues to lead the championship chase as the series passes its half way mark.

For Grant in both the Fight and the Night and in race three, it was a case of what could have been with his #27 forced to the pits for a second stop while leading the APC and Class X standings with 23 minutes to go on Saturday evening due to a decision by officials which was ultimately declared incorrect in a post-race hearing; and a blown tyre following contact in race three, forcing him to the pits for an unscheduled stop. Despite the obstacles, he and the team recovered well in both races to finish 6th outright/4th in Class X and 5th outright/3rd for Class X.

“We have been on the Fight in the Night podium many times, but Saturday night was the first time we were able to clinch the outright and class win in the big night race and to say we were ecstatic would be an understatement!” Iain Sherrin said.

“To have our first Fight in the Night win was awesome. We had a really good battle in the #72 with Lindsay Kearns after the safety car and it was a fairly big last lunge on the final lap into turn three from the outside to make it happen.

“It was a really entertaining last two or three laps with Lindsay Kearns and some really awesome racing. At one point we were side by side through turn one. It was a pretty big move in turn three, but it was my last chance and I had to take it!

“On Sunday it was great to bring home another Class X win and also 2nd outright for APC in the last race of the weekend. Unfortunately, Grant and I had a bit of a tangle when I had let a GT4 McLaren past and was held up a bit. Grant had made good ground on me going into turn three and we are normally pretty good at knowing what each other is doing, but we are human and when you race closely as often as we do, it is impossible to get it right every time. It is just one of those things.

“We were able to recover, and I caught up to Coleby Cowham in the Mustang, but by the time I did my tyres were over pressurised. Even so, we were able to take home 2nd for APC outright and 1st in Class X for race three, which was enough to get us on the round podium outright and for class while importantly ensuring we stay in the title lead ahead of Coleby and Lindsay.

“All weekend it was a great effort by the entire team with amazing pit stops, great cars, and faultless strategy, and plenty of great racing – especially with Coleby and Lindsay in their Mustang. It was a lot of fun!”

While Grant was disappointed with how his race weekend panned out, he was exceptionally pleased to be able to celebrate Iain’s success along with the rest of the team.

“Friday’s race was difficult for both sides of our garage with fuel pump issues, but we were well and truly back on for Saturday’s Fight in the Night and if it wasn’t for an incorrect determination by officials that our CPS had been completed outside of the window, it is highly possible I could have taken the outright and Class X Fight in the Night win in the #27 and some really valuable championship points,” Grant Sherrin explains.

“While that was of course bitterly disappointing for me, I was so pleased that Iain was able to come through and take the win for the Sherrin Racing team in what was a huge achievement for our entire outfit and one of which as a team we are all immensely proud.

“Come Sunday we were hoping for redemption in the #27, but unfortunately, I made a mistake heading into turn 3 in the first third of the race and accidentally tagged the back of Iain’s car.

“While we both recovered to continue, Iain lost valuable time to eventual race winner Coleby Cowham, and I was forced to the pits for an unscheduled stop a few laps after my CPS was completed due to the front left tyre letting go as a result of the contact.

“Iain did a great job to push on and take the Class X win and 2nd for APC outright, but again for the #27 it was a case of what could have been. I am of course disappointed about the contact and sorry to Iain and the rest of the team.

“You can’t win them all, and if anyone else is going to win it, of course I want it to be Iain and Sherrin Racing, so at the end of the day, we are still smiling and looking forward to getting back out on-track at Sandown Raceway in a few weeks’ time.

“All weekend long the car was quite fast, and we were able to get up the front quite quickly. I want to take a moment also to say a special thanks to the crew – they went above and beyond this weekend and particularly in those unscheduled stops Saturday and Sunday they did a simply amazing job. I can’t thank them enough.”

Sherrin Racing will next be on-track for round three of the 2023 Mobil 1 Australian Production Cars season at Sandown Raceway, with four x 30-minute races to be held across September 8-10.

Sherrin Racing is supported on-track by Wirtgen Group, Sherrin Rentals, Hi-Tec Oils, Industrial Protective Coatings Qld, Custom Plastic Fabrication, Action Mechanical Specialists, Symmetry Engineering, Hydraulink Brisbane North, Welding Solutions, Great Whites Lighting, Sherrin Equipment, Construction Equipment Australia and Brisbane Isuzu.

For more information, visit www.sherrinracing.com.au