17/08/2026
Small Car Cup at Pheasant Wood: Rain, Cold and Proper Club Racing Grit
This is a long read but if you love club level racing.........
Race day review — Pheasant Wood Circuit, Marulan, Sunday 16 August 2026
The Small Car Cup returned to Pheasant Wood Circuit on a day that tested drivers, crews and spectators from the first session to the last. The 16 August round was listed for Pheasant Wood Circuit in the 2026 Small Car Cup NSW Touring Car Championship calendar, and the venue’s tight, technical layout was made even more demanding by persistent rain and cold winter conditions.
With the surface wet all day, outright pace was only part of the story. The cold track meant grip was hard to find, braking zones were easy to overcook, and every corner exit rewarded patience over aggression. Pheasant Wood is already a circuit where momentum, commitment and clean car placement matter; in the rain, those qualities became the difference between a tidy lap and a long slide toward the edge of the circuit.
Qualifying and race runs carried the feel of classic club-level motorsport: changing grip, busy hands at the wheel, fogged visors and windscreens, and plenty of sensible driving from competitors who knew that finishing cleanly would be just as valuable as finding an extra tenth. Cars that looked settled through the slower sections were able to build confidence lap by lap, while anyone who asked too much of the tyres too early paid for it quickly.
The weather also placed real pressure on the crews. Between sessions, the paddock became a steady routine of drying gear, checking tyre pressures, managing visibility, and keeping drivers warm enough to stay focused. Days like this rarely produce easy running, but they often produce the most memorable racing because every position has to be earned in awkward, uncomfortable conditions.
By the end of the day, the round had become less about perfect lap times and more about composure. The drivers who adapted fastest to the wet line, avoided unnecessary risks and kept their cars underneath them came away with the strongest stories. The rain may have dulled the warmth in the air, but it sharpened the racing, creating a proper winter contest at one of New South Wales’ most characterful short circuits.
Qualifying:
The five-lap qualifier immediately showed who could switch on in the wet. Roger Ranftl initially looked to have done enough in car 44, setting the early benchmark with a 1:11.140, but Kyan Grove-Jones came through on his final lap in car 6 to pip him with a 1:11.003. Carlos Corvalan was next in car 414 with a 1:11.880, while Alex Veryinis marked his first race in the series with fourth-fastest. An experienced racer, Veryinis was subbing for his son William, who was unwell, and his 1:13.489 was a strong debut in difficult conditions. Behind them, Paul Ormerod, Daniel Fleming, Harrison Lockyer, Paul Lockyer and Samuel Lockyer all had to balance finding pace with keeping the car underneath them in the cold, greasy conditions.
Qualifying order: Kyan Grove-Jones took pole with a 1:11.003, just ahead of Roger Ranftl on 1:11.140 and Carlos Corvalan on 1:11.880. Alex Veryinis was fourth on 1:13.489 in his first race in the series, followed by Paul Ormerod, Daniel Fleming, Harrison Lockyer, Paul Lockyer and Samuel Lockyer.
Race 1
Race 1 began with immediate drama in the wet. Roger Ranftl made the better launch from the front group and got the jump on Kyan Grove-Jones off the line, briefly turning his qualifying pace into track position. His charge came undone at Turn 9, where a locked brake on the soaked surface sent him up the escape road and dropped him to sixth by the end of the opening lap.
Carlos Corvalan capitalised perfectly. After passing Kyan Grove-Jones halfway through lap one, Corvalan inherited the lead when Ranftl went off and then controlled the race from the front in car 414. Grove-Jones stayed second throughout, while Alex Veryinis ran solidly in the podium places before Ranftl’s recovery drive brought him back through the field and into third by lap five.
Ranftl was clearly one of the quickest cars in the rain. After slipping to sixth, he immediately began making up positions, climbing to fourth by lap two and then third by the finish. Paul Ormerod’s day started with handling issues that would continue across the meeting, making the already slippery conditions even harder to manage.
Race 2
Race 2 used the reverse of the qualifying order for the start, placing Samuel Lockyer on pole ahead of Paul Lockyer, Harrison Lockyer, Daniel Fleming, Paul Ormerod, Alex Veryinis, Carlos Corvalan, Roger Ranftl and Kyan Grove-Jones. In the rain, that created a very different contest, with the faster qualifying cars needing to work forward carefully through the spray and limited grip.
Paul Lockyer made the most of the start and led the early laps, with Samuel Lockyer initially holding second before Alex Veryinis moved up into the top three. Ranftl again showed strong wet-weather pace, climbing from sixth to third by lap three, then second by lap four, before taking the lead on lap five and holding it to the flag.
Behind Ranftl, Veryinis continued an impressive first series outing by finishing second, while Kyan Grove-Jones recovered from ninth on the grid to take third by the finish. Paul Lockyer slipped from the lead to fourth late in the race but still brought home a strong result, ahead of Carlos Corvalan, Harrison Lockyer, Daniel Fleming, Samuel Lockyer and Paul Ormerod.
For Paul Ormerod, the handling problems from Race 1 carried over. He started where he should have in fifth, but a spin in the rain at Turn 5 dropped him out of contention and underlined how difficult the car was to manage in the conditions.
Race 3
Race 3 reverted to a five-lap race based on the finishing order from the previous reverse-grid race, and Roger Ranftl wasted no time converting that momentum into a lights-to-flag win. With Kyan Grove-Jones behind him, Ranftl controlled the race from the front in the wet, while Alex Veryinis continued his consistent debut meeting by holding third for the full distance.
Paul Lockyer ran a steady fourth throughout, ahead of Harrison Lockyer and Daniel Fleming, while Paul Ormerod again had to manage the handling concerns that had affected him from the opening race. Cassie Corvalan took over the shared 414 Mini for this race, with Carlos stepping aside for her stint, and she spent the race in the lower order before finishing behind Samuel Lockyer after Samuel moved ahead on lap three.
Race 4
Race 4 was another reverse-grid race, again reversing the qualifying order, and it produced one of the busiest runs of the day. Samuel Lockyer led at the end of lap one, before Paul Lockyer briefly moved to the front on lap two. Samuel fought back on lap three, but the recovering fast cars were already arriving quickly through the pack.
Roger Ranftl again showed how strong he was in the wet, climbing from sixth on the grid to third by lap three and then taking the lead on lap four. Once ahead, he stayed there to the finish. Kyan Grove-Jones also made strong progress from the back, working through to second by lap six, while Carlos Corvalan brought the 414 home third after moving into the podium places late in the race.
Alex Veryinis finished fourth after another clean and measured run, ahead of Harrison Lockyer and Samuel Lockyer. Daniel Fleming and Paul Lockyer slipped back in the later stages, while Paul Ormerod again finished ninth as the handling issues continued to make the wet conditions especially unforgiving.
Race 5
Race 5 returned to a five-lap format set from the finishing order of the previous reverse-grid race, and this time Kyan Grove-Jones made the most of track position. Grove-Jones led every lap, keeping Roger Ranftl behind him from start to finish and taking a controlled win in the wet.
Carlos Corvalan ran third throughout in the 414, with Alex Veryinis again fourth after another steady performance. Samuel Lockyer held fifth for most of the race before Daniel Fleming moved past late to take the position on the final lap. Harrison Lockyer followed, with Paul Lockyer dropping behind Daniel during the race, while Paul Ormerod again completed the order as his difficult day continued.
Race 6
The final race was another reverse-grid contest, with the field once more inverted from qualifying order. Samuel Lockyer led the early laps, holding the front until lap five, while Paul Lockyer and Harrison Lockyer kept themselves in the leading group. Behind them, the faster cars were again working forward in the rain, with Roger Ranftl, Kyan Grove-Jones and Cassie Corvalan all making progress.
Ranftl completed another impressive recovery, moving into the lead on lap six and staying there to the flag. Grove-Jones followed him through to second, while Cassie Corvalan finished third in the shared 414 Mini, giving the Corvalan family car another strong result across the day. Alex Veryinis came home fourth, ahead of Daniel Fleming, Harrison Lockyer, Samuel Lockyer, Paul Lockyer and Paul Ormerod.
Closing thanks and next round
Across six races, the day rewarded patience, car control and persistence. Roger Ranftl and Kyan Grove-Jones were regularly the pace-setters in the wet, Carlos and Cassie Corvalan both delivered strong runs in the shared 414 Mini, and Alex Veryinis made a very polished first appearance in the series while standing in for William. The Lockyer drivers, Daniel Fleming and Paul Ormerod all played their part in a tough, cold and demanding race day, with Ormerod in particular having to fight handling issues from start to finish.
A sincere thank you goes to all drivers, teams and supporters who turned up and made the meeting possible in difficult winter conditions.
Thank you also to Scott Hill, manager of Pheasant Wood Raceway, and to the Pheasant Wood staff for their assistance and professionalism throughout the day. The same thanks go to Jim Crispin from Eldee Timing for his professional support with the timing results and scoring across the day.
The next Small Car Cup rounds, Rounds 10, 11 and 12, will be held on Sunday 27 September at Pheasant Wood Circuit. The program will include four sprint races and a 36-minute timed endurance race, setting up another big day of racing at Marulan.
