This year’s 300 - run in freezing and windy conditions - was the first of two rounds of the 2011 Australian Endurance Championship.

The second will be the return of the Winton 300 in late November. Anslow was excited at winning from his third start, after being on pole twice and finishing third and fourth at his previous two attempts.

“The Wakefield 300 was a really memorable experience for me and the highlight of my three years in the sport,” he said.

“I do feel a real sense of achievement in finally winning after three attempts with the fastest car each year with Ric codriving. This race really is about intense preparation and experience,” he said.

“The track was slippery and at times treacherous. Near the end it actually felt like black ice on worn slicks and as there was a blizzard an hour or so away I suppose that’s not surprising.”

Second was the Mania Mazda MX5 driven by 2010 winners David Raddatz and Shane Otten and third the AMAC Motorsport Lotus Exige driven by Andrew McPherson and Matt Bolton. While disappointed he didn’t win back-to-back 300s, Raddatz was still very happy with his accomplishment.

“After winning the Wakefield 300 the task to take back-to-back victories was going to be a big one,” he said.

“We are totally stoked with our car’s performance and our second place victory. We actually thought getting to the podium again this year was going to be a major task as we were up against some high horsepowered vehicles.”

Raddatz indicated he will compete in the Winton 300 later in the year and definitely wants his title back. Rumour is that it will be in a V8 powered MX5! Qualifying saw yet another name finish on top, with Craig Burgess taking provisional pole in the Nissan Skyline R32 GTR with a very impressive 63 second lap.

Burgess was driving with his father, Adam, a fellow Southern Sporting Car Club member who also races Aussie Racing Cars. The duo made its endurance race debut in their very colourful and potent Bright Print Group GTR which is a regular contender in ‘Super Lap’.

Second fastest with a 64-and-ahalf second lap was 2010 polesitters Steve Anslow and Ric Shaw in the RX7, while Andrew McPherson in the AMAC Motorsport Exige was third and Raddatz fourth in the Mania Mazda MX5.

Before the top 10 shootout even started there was a casualty when the Walkinshaw was withdrawn with a broken camshaft. Its place was taken by the father-and-son team of Jake (the son) and Radical pilot Steve Shelley.

They were running a Mazda MX5 under the MX5 Mania banner, making all three cars from the team in the shootout. Showing the diversity of the Wakefield 300 field, there were eight different types of the car that qualified for the top 10, and seven that started.

The shootout was run in very dark and freezing conditions. Craig Burgess finished with the fastest time in the GTR to take a shock pole position with 67 seconds Second was taken by McPherson 67-and-a-half seconds, while MX5 Mania locked out the second row, with Hay third and Raddatz fourth.

The rolling start race saw a good jump from pole by Burgess, the power of the GTR drawing a quick gap, but it was Shaw in the RX7 who made the lightning start from ninth carving his way through the field to take the lead on lap 2.

There was then an incredible scrap developing between Hay and Raddatz for fourth, which saw places swapping for several laps before Raddatz started to pull out a safer gap.

A lot of interest went out of the race on lap six when the Burgess GTR slowed and ground to a halt at the bottom of the straight with a broken gearbox. From that point on the RX7 was never headed, leading each of the 137 laps, lapping the then second-placed Lotus on lap 28.

He also had a RF tyre blow going into T2 at high speed after some severe lock ups, causing him to go straight off through the gravel, and then again at T5 as he was limping back to the pits. David Raddatz and Shane Otten eventually finished second, only a lap down on the winners, making it their third straight podium finish.

The duo was second in 2009 and first last year. The little MX5 was once again driven absolutely flat out for 300kms. In third place, a further lap down after making a second fuel stop, was Andrew McPherson and Matt Bolton driving the Lotus Exige.

The fact they were only one lap further back is a great effort considering they had a second refuel stop. In fourth was another amazing little MX5, this one driven by Steve Shelley with his son Jake having his first ever circuit race.

Jess and Thompson did a great job in the only Future Racer to finish, coming home in fifth. On lap 11 they were forced to pit to rectify a fluid leak after they received the mechanical black flag.

As they worked their way back up through the field they had countless dices with other competitors. Finishing in fifth position on the same lap as the Future Racer was the amazing little Mazda 3 that ran like clockwork all day, with three drivers, Clark Stott, John Willmington and Anthony Soole.