A day after the closest championship finish in league history in the Oval Series, the Tasman Racing League's Road Series concluded at Bathurst in far less dramatic fashion. Newly minted oval champion David Webb had secured the GT3 title with a round to spare, as had fellow TRL rookie Terry Visser in the TCR class. While the finale was a quiet one for both champion-elects, there were positions and pride on the line for the other 29 drivers in the field, and the race ran exceptionally clean given the technical nature of multiclass racing at Mount Panorama.

This race was a breakthrough performance for Max Forgione, who has been a fixture at the front of the field with eight top-five finishes on the season, yet was still seeking his first TRL win as he rolled off from third. That wait is over, as Forgione charged past polesitter Webb on lap 3 and again with three to go down the Conrod Straight, pulling away convincingly from the champion-elect to claim a landmark first victory. The effort pushed Forgione past Drew Collins to break up a Valhalla 1-2 in the championship standings, and opens the possibility of the #97 seriously contending for more race wins- and the title- in Season 4.

Speaking to Trackspot TV's John Wright after the checkered flag, Forgione commented on the significance of winning at Bathurst, the crown jewel race of the road series and a "home game" for nearly every TRL driver. "I couldn't pick another place I'd rather get my first win, so this is quite a special one to get it done here for me."

In the TCR class, the finale featured more of what we've come to expect all season: Tery Visser's purple Civic (barely) surviving the chaos and taking the checkered flag comfortably ahead of the other TCRs. Visser had little to fight for in this race, having already wrapped up the championship, but he faced an unexpected challenge from GT3 star Nicholas Crawford, making a one-off appearance in the Audi RS3 to chase Visser home for P2. After such a strong start, Crawford told Wright postrace that he may run TCRs full-time in Season 4.

"I'll just take my ball and go home now," Visser joked postrace before affirming his commitment to defending his title next season. "It's good to see Nicholas come over to the other side of the fence. It's been really good racing with him, and he's something else in the TCR. He really has it, and I think he needs to stay with it for next season."

Once again, Mount Panorama provided the perfect stage to conclude another successful season, with Forgione providing the drama in a race devoid of its usual championship stakes. The Tasman Racing League will now enter a three to four week break in broadcasted action, although unofficial off-season racing will still take place. Look forward to the upcoming announcements of next season's cars and schedule here on the Trackspot website, and get involved in the action in the Tasman Racing League Discord server at https://discord.gg/XyuUkCVyQ .