THE Hawkesbury’s David Sieders took the V8 Utes Championships lead in the first qualifying session and has not looked back in 2016.
Sieders is in his seventh year racing V8 Utes, and has led the championship at various times, but has never led for so long.
A championship is his goal, but he knows a lot can go wrong between now and the end of the last championship race at Sydney in November.
“The worst I have finished all year is seventh and that is unheard of in the V8 Utes, but in saying that until the last round my competitors had all done the same thing,” he said.
“It is always good leading the championship, you always feel like the hunted, so the one thing you have to do is lead from the front and not get too conservative, especially when you have a little lead, you don't have the option of being safe.”
Sieders nearly has enough points to claim a one race lead, but with three rounds left, starting at Bathurst in October, and three races in each round, one slip behind the wheel could spell disaster for him, a feeling he knows only too well.
“You can never call it, but this year we have a better shot than in the past, but I have been in pretty much the same position before but then it ended with tears in the wall,” he said.
“I almost have a race in hand but I can lose that in an instant.
“I have kept my nose clean and when things have gone wrong I haven't given up and got back to front.”
Sieders said things had not always gone his way this season, but positive thoughts had gone a long way to helping him recover when things were bad.
“Even when it has come to disaster this year, I have been able to fight back and get into the top four. I have dropped back into 16th position but managed to get into the top four,” he said.
“It isn't much more stressful [leading the championship], it is just enjoyable and something I like doing.
“I really make sure I enjoy it when I am out and make sure not to focus on negatives too much when they show up, and just remember I am driving a race car.”
There is a big gap between the last race at Townsville in July, and the next at Bathurst, but Sieders has kept himself busy racing in the Toyota 86 Racing Series.
