SPRINTCARS AND A HUGE CROWD GET BAIRNSDALE SPEEDWAY SEASON UNDERWAY
Speedway in east Gippsland got underway for the new season with the formula one class of dirt track racing the Sprintcars drawing a significant crowd into the venue to start the Bairnsdale Speedway Association season. Geelong racer Jordan Rae left town with the Sprintcar victory to his name whilst Jayden White in Limited Sportsman, Kate Stuchbery in Ladies Standard Saloons and Jack Yeomans in Open Standard Saloons took wins and records in their classes and Beau Stuchbery took his first ever Division 2 Hot Rod victory.
Sixteen powerful Sprintcars from all bar one with LS Chevrolet engines, including one driver from New South Wales raced in two heats each through the evening with all drivers qualifying for the Dennison Quality Roofing Restorations supported ‘Rumble at the Rock’ feature event. With the Sprintcar Racing Association of Victoria governing body never holding an event at Bairnsdale previously starting ten lap records were set for the class with James Oliver coming away from town with that record of 2:24.511 after winning heat number four. Before him Adam Greenwood, Steven Loader and Rae won the earlier three heats.
The thirty lap feature event was hammer down from the drop of the green with Rae leading Oliver and Dennis Jones from Morwell, Adam Greenwood from Sale and Steven Loader right up until the twenty-four-lap mark where Oliver road the left rear wheel of Rae and Jones right behind him had nowhere to go and ended up stationary in turn four causing a caution light stoppage. On lap twenty-nine Greenwood dropped out of third spot and the race due to mechanical issues and Loader seized the moment to move to third as the race came to a conclusion with Rae, Oliver, Loader, Steven Horton, and Bairnsdale’s Koby Noonan the top five to finish.
Rae after the race spoke with the track media advising that he was thrilled to start the season with a victory, he was pleased with the track and the facility, although it would be nice if the track could have widened out a little more for the racers, and that he looks forward to coming back The crowd gave their appreciation with a call for Rae to come back later in the season when the Sprintcars return.
SPRINTCARS AND A HUGE CROWD GET BAIRNSDALE SPEEDWAY SEASON UNDERWAY
Speedway in east Gippsland got underway for the new season with the formula one class of dirt track racing the Sprintcars drawing a significant crowd into the venue to start the Bairnsdale Speedway Association season. Geelong racer Jordan Rae left town with the Sprintcar victory to his name whilst Jayden White in Limited Sportsman, Kate Stuchbery in Ladies Standard Saloons and Jack Yeomans in Open Standard Saloons took wins and records in their classes and Beau Stuchbery took his first ever Division 2 Hot Rod victory.
Sixteen powerful Sprintcars, all bar one with LS Chevrolet engines, including one driver from New South Wales, raced in two heats each through the evening with all drivers qualifying for the feature event.
With the Sprintcar Racing Association of Victoria governing body never holding an event at Bairnsdale previously, the ten lap record was set for a shakeup with James Oliver coming away from town with that record of 2:24.511 after winning heat number four. Before him Adam Greenwood, Steven Loader and Rae won the earlier three heats.
The thirty lap feature event was hammer down from the drop of the green with Rae leading Oliver and Dennis Jones from Morwell, Adam Greenwood from Sale and Steven Loader right up until the twenty-four lap mark where Oliver road the left rear wheel of Rae and Jones right behind him had nowhere to go and ended up stationary in turn four causing a caution light stoppage. On lap twenty-nine Greenwood dropped out of third spot due to mechanical issues and Loader seized the moment to move to third as the race came to a conclusion with Rae, Oliver, Loader, Steven Horton, and Bairnsdale’s Koby Noonan the top five to finish.
Rae, after the race spoke with the track media advising that he was thrilled to start the season with a victory, he was pleased with the track and the facility, although it would be nice if the track could have widened out a little more for the racers, and that he looks forward to coming back. The crowd gave their appreciation with a call for Rae to come back later in the season when the Sprintcars return.
Veteran motorsport competitor Keven Stoopman from Sale got his Division 2 Hot Rod season off to a terrific start winning the first and second heat races of the night before current Victorian champion Leigh Mitchell claimed the win in the third heat race. Bairnsdale racer Beau Stuchbery and Stoopman started the feature race on the front row with the second-year senior racer Stuchbery ripping around the outside of Stoopman through turn two and hitting the lead. Mitchell hassled Stoopman in a battle for the second spot with Mitchell getting the better of Stoopman on lap eight. Meanwhile Stuchbery in the lead had a margin of over four seconds as he led the non-stop race for fifteen laps from start to finish with Mitchell second, Stoopman, and Adam Wharton rounding out the finishers after mechanical issues curtailed other driver’s efforts.
Morwell racer and Bairnsdale member Josh Thomas was off to a hot start also in the Open Standard Saloon class as he set about winning the first two of three heat races finishing ahead of Bairnsdale man Daniel Argoon twice before Thomas failed to come out for heat race number three, with the car and race team soon leaving the venue with unconfirmed mechanical issues. Moe driver Jack Yeomans then won the third and final heat.
Yeomans then led Jamie Prezioso racing out to a significant margin whilst Argoon put pressure on Prezioso for the second spot. Argoon would eventually secure second with Yeomans ahead of him by almost ten seconds. When the race came to its end, Yeomans had set a new twenty-lap record of 6:39.098 with Argoon, Prezioso, Andrew Cormack and Mitchell Ling the top five finishers.
Darren Adams had a huge win in the first heat of Limited Sportsman, and then had night ending mechanical concerns that did not allow his car back on track. Daniel Hurley was the last man standing in heat two and beat Jayden White in a short sprint for heat three.
In a first for Jayden White, he then led all ten laps in the final to defeat Daniel Hurley and Mark, both breaking his tail shaft on the last lap as he ran the final metres to the chequered flag where he dropped down a new ten lap record of 3:10.543
Ladies’ competitors with their Standard Saloons also were part of the nights entertainment. Kate Stuchbery set about winning all three of the heat races heading into the final.
Some confusion around the final entrants initially had two entrants on track and racing through to a chequered flag finish where it would be amiss of us not to mention that Michelle George took victory.
Media were then informed this was a non-race. The final competitor stuck behind the track entry gate Sharni Stuchbery, then was able to come on track and then George and Kate Stuchbery called back on to track to run a six-lap final which Kate Stuchbery won and set a new six lap record of 2:08.563
Racing returns November the 8th with the Junior Sedan Promotional Association bringing their drivers from right around Victoria for one of their series rounds in the national governed Speedway Sedans Australia Juniors. Local competitors in Limited Sportsman, Division 2 Hot Rods and Open and Ladies Standard Saloons will also be competing.
Dean Thompson Dean Thompson Speedway Media For Bairnsdale Speedway Association
ImageworX Photography and Michaela Bowyers Photography