While there was plenty of talent in last Saturday night’s 36th running of the NSW Super Sedan Title field at Bega’s Sapphire Speedway, it was Mick Nicola who proved that experience is tough to beat, with the veteran racer adding a third NSW Title victory to his resume.
Despite topping the points by virtue of being the only driver to double up with a pair of wins in their heat races, Mick certainly didn’t have it all his own way in the 35-lap feature race, with his main challenger being none other than his brother Peter Nicola.
Making the most of his pole position start, Mick held strong in first place for the opening couple of laps, but it was then that a hard-charging Peter made his move, powering forward from fourth place to pip his brother for the lead on lap three.
Peter controlled the pace out in front for the 15 laps until disaster struck, with the Nicola brothers coming together as they approached lapped traffic, resulting in damage to Peter’s car that was to considerable to continue the race, ultimately elevating Mick to first place.
From there, it was fairly smooth sailing for Mick, who went on to claim the third NSW Super Sedan Title of his career, which he last won back to back in 2003 and 2004.
A career-best drive from local Eden-based racer Andrew White rewarded him with his maiden state title podium. Bouncing back from being relegated to the rear earlier in the race due to contact with Daryl Moon, White clinched the runner-up spot ahead of Mick Nicola Jnr (Mick’s son), whose result was made even more special by the fact that he was able to share the podium with his dad.
Wayne Dick, Kurt Kranitis and Mark Sommers rounded out the feature-race finishers, while Glenn Stoddard was the feature race’s first casualty, later being joined on the infield by Peter Nicola.
It was a less than ideal night for local father and son duo Daryl and Tyson Moon, both of whom were in podium contention but experienced contact with White at different stages during the feature race.
While Daryl’s contact resulted in a flat tyre, which he was unable to change due to regulation, Tyson’s contact prompted him to exit the car for safety reasons, which meant he was then unable to re-join the race. Despite its conclusion, it was an impressive feature race for Tyson, who was battling with White for second place in what is his debut season.
Earlier in the night, Mick Nicola was the best in the heat races, picking up two wins, while remaining wins were shared between Dick, Tyson Moon, Daryl Moon and Peter Nicola.
NSW Super Sedans would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of the 2018-19 season NSW Title: Platypus Pet Shop, MGM Panelbeaters, Momsen Motors, Autopro Bega, and GH Mechanical.
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