Wimmera’s number one entertainment venue the Blue-Ribbon Raceway held their second last weekend of racing for the season on Saturday night with a terrific turn out of Wingless Sprints doing battle for the ‘DC & TM Auto Electrics’ Wingless Classic along with the Kev Baker Challenge for the Limited Sportsman as the feature events.
Wingless Sprint car counts were large, this meant three qualifying races happened in each round with Kahn Aston from Mount Gambier the first winner of round one and a second South Australian Sam Martin winning straight after. Jeremy Pearson rounded out the first-round winners. Cameron O’Brien won the opening second round qualifier leading all the way before Horsham Motor Sports Club committee member Steven Hateley took victory in the fifth qualifier and Normie Moore from South Australia claimed the last qualifier.
A last chance qualifier for those that did not accumulate direct feature race qualification during the heat racing was then held with Chris Ansell of Hamilton, Jake Warren South-West born and bred, Robert Whiteside a local Wimmera man, Blake Walsh, Mark Hutchins, and Tyler Bish finishing in the top six and making the big feature race.
Sam Martin led lap one before Hateley took control of the front of the field on lap two of the twenty lap final with James Rodda from South Australia an early exit from the race after qualifying in third spot. Making his way through the field was Walsh from the second last grid of the twenty-car field and moving up him with was Ansell. As drivers like Marcus Fraser, Rick Bailey and Whiteside all exited the race Hateley continued to lead. At the chequered flag Hateley secured a home track driver victory by just .375 of a second with Nate Trewin of South Australia second, Jeremy Beddison the last feature winner at Blue-Ribbon Raceway and also a Wimmera local, then came Pearson and Walsh rounding out the top five.
Pre-event Limited Sportsman Kev Baker Challenge favourite Nathan Baker pulled out due to injuries from previous events he was still recovering form and handed the car over the Adam McKenzie and with racing at Darlington cancelled for his other class of racing, South Australia number two driver Dylan Aston arrived in the pits with his Limited Sportsman and started rear of the field for qualifying.
Dillon Siely from Bairnsdale claimed victory by a massive ten second margin in the first qualifier before Wimmera racer Nathan McDonald pipped him at the post in the second having passed him on lap seven of ten. Anton then tore from the back of the field to the front in the final heat race winning from McKenzie by almost six seconds.
With the ‘Wimmera Auto Service’ Kev Baker Challenge turning the qualifying results upside down and putting the top drivers at the back of the line-up for the feature race, top qualifier Dillon Siely began from last with McDonald, Anton, Andrew Wilson the last feature race winner at Horsham for the class, Troy Curran, Stephen Purchase, Thomas Baker, McKenzie, and Craig Ansell, from back to front was the line-up. On lap six Anton moved to the lead with Tom Baker in behind him and Ansell in third spot. From their Anton was never headed as he went on to a big win six seconds to the good and claimed the prestigious victory in front of Baker, McKenzie, Wilson, and Curran.
Australian Motor Contest Association Nationals were in town and competing in a series event of a dozen cars arriving to do battle. Heat race wins went o Neale Peachey, Rodney Bassett from Tasmania, and Paul Sullivan of Bacchus Marsh. Justin Richardson who has been a front runner all season then won a hard thought feature event from Mildura’s Darren McCarthy, Sullivan, Peachey, and Garth Stevens in the twenty-lap final.
The competition portion of the racing was rounded out by the V8 Trucks with the benchmark, Luke James taking a win in the first heat race, then the second and rounded that out with a third. There was no stopping James all evening as he led every lap in the final to win by two thirds of a lap ahead of Wes Bell, Steven Hateley, and Donald Timms.
Blue-Ribbon Raceway returns to action for a final time this season on King’s Birthday weekend. This weekend is Mick Fitzgerald Aggregate Weekend honouring a club past President. Wingless Sprints, Junior Sedans, Production Sedans, Modified Sedans, Limited Sportsman’s in the Blue-Ribbon Classic, Robin Thomas Memorial for V8 Trucks and Vintage are all classes slated to compete across both days.
Horsham Speedway Club would like to acknowledge the following club supporters;
Ace Radio Network
Burson Auto Parts Horsham
Bondy’s Contractors
Bigham Truck Repairs
Carman’s Towing and Windscreens
Crop Opti
Dooen Hotel
Horsham Auto Wreckers
Horsham Injector Service
Johnsons Merchandise
Mick Harrison Signs
Millers
Petrogas Horsham
Simpson Fire Motorsport Safety
Westonvic Waste
Wilken Group
Wimmera Bakery Dimboola
Wimmera Bearings
Wimmera Mail Times
Wimmera Security Service
Ends Release.
DMT Sports Media – Dean Thompson
