Palmer strikes again in Coogee

Many people were expecting another Sutton and Matthews showdown in Coogee but it was the winner of the opening Grand Prix, Tom Palmer riding of Drapac Porsche that went from a long way out and defied the sprinters with a tremendous burst of speed.

Bernie Sulzberger tried hard for Fly V Australia but could not bridge the gap and Michael Matthews, racing in his World Championship jersey, was angry with himself for crossing the line in third place.

Joe Lewis rounded out a great day for Drapac and Chris Sutton (Team Sky) kept his overall lead by grabbing fifth place just ahead of Russian Alex Servos. Sutton is equal with Bernie Sulzberger with 38 points. Tom Palmer moved to third place overall on 30 points with Michael Matthew next on 26 points, one clear of the very consistent Graeme Brown.

The race was reduced to a much smaller field towards the back end of the race when Graeme Brown fell and many of the cyclists stopped claiming they had been blocked. Chief Commissaire Glenn Vigar moved swiftly and eliminated those that took the lap out for a rest. Brown was the only rider that had stopped that escaped a penalty and maintained his aggressive racing for the rest of the event.

The men will now ride the Cronulla Grand Prix, the final event of the NSW Grand Prix Series on Sunday.