Bairnsdale Speedway Association closed its season last Saturday with the division two hot rods headlining the race program as they were competing for the right to call themselves Victorian champion for the next 12 months.
Meanwhile local club members were out to earn valuable points that could see them crowned club champions in their classes at the upcoming club presentation night. Four new track records were set across the evening including a new one-lap record in the division two hot rods that broke a six-year-old
record.
Four heat races were held to determine the starting positions for the division two hot rod title race with Mel Tatterson taking victory in the first race as she set about trying to upgrade her Victoria three plate for the number one.
A close finish with Jason Seymour and Jordan Haley, both half a second behind her, set the scene for further great race action. Seymour would win the second heat race of the night while defending champion Haley won the third setting a new one lap record for the track of 18.120, bettering the previous mark set by Scott Laidlaw in 2017.
Matt Hutchison would then win the final qualifier at the line by just .080 with Haley on his tail at the finish line.
Hutchison and Haley began at the front of the field for the 30-lap title event with Seymour, Tatterson, Troy Wilson and Daniel Angus the top six starters.
Haley quickly assumed the lead on lap one putting Hutchison behind him while Tatterson got the jump into third spot. Early in the race Lakes Entrance racer Fraser Crittenden moved himself into fifth spot and at the halfway point Haley led Hutchison, Tatterson, Angus and Seymour after Crittenden’s race came to an end.
Hutchison hit the front on lap 16 and a lap later Tatterson was ahead of Haley in second as Haley’s race came to an end. Hutchison then brought the field home for his first title victory just .749 of a second ahead of Tatterson, Angus, and Alan Ward – the last four racers standing after a gruelling race.
In ladies’ standard saloon competition Victoria three ranked racer Tahlia Campbell drove to victory in heat one of four and again in heat two before Bree Walker won the third qualifier, the only one without Campbell scheduled to compete. Campbell then won heat number four to qualify herself to start pole position.
However, between her last heat and the feature race Campbell had to jump into her sister’s car to compete and was relegated to the rear of the field as per governing body rules when drivers change cars.
Walker started from the front with Bairnsdale woman Kate Stuchbery, Michelle George and Elise Halliday were right behind on row two with Tasharni Murray and Sammie Cormack making up the top six starters.
Walker commanded the lead from the start of the race and at the five lap mark she led South Gippsland competitor Michelle George, Stuchbery, Simone Taylor and Halliday.
Taylor moved ahead of Stuchbery on lap nine of 15 and then ahead of George on lap 12 and into second place. At the drop of the chequered flag Walker had won from Taylor, also a Bairnsdale-based racer, Halliday, George and Stuchbery, while setting a 15-lap track record for the class of 5:29.300.
Open standard saloon competitors competed in the Standard Saloon Stampede feature with nine heat races required to determine the feature race field. Andrew Miles, Shane Stewart, Chris Miles, Jack Yeomans, Andrew Miles again, Chris Miles a second time also, Jacob Vuillermin, Stewart a second time and Andrew Miles a third time for a clean sweep of his qualifiers, rounded out the winners.
Andrew Miles and his brother Chris Miles both from the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne began at the front of the field for the 25-lap feature race with former Victorian champion Jacob Vuillermin and local Bairnsdale man Jamie Curtis behind them followed by Stewart also a former Victorian champion and Jack Braz a further row back.
Vuillermin quickly assumed race control by lap two and after five laps led Andrew and Chris Miles, Stewart, and Curtis.
New Victoria three ranked racer Jack Yeomans moved into the top five by lap nine as Andrew Miles’ perfect night came to an end on lap 14 as he exited the race and Stewart moved up into second spot behind Vuillermin with Yeomans now third.
Curtis, who had been bouncing around between fifth to seventh through the race, moved back into fifth on lap 20 having maintained his pace as others dropped out ahead of him. As 25 laps clocked over the chequered flag unfurled on a Vuillermin victory with Stewart, Yeomans, Braz and Curtis rounding out the top five results.
In Junior 1200 Sedan competition Ella Sheedy claimed a win in the first heat race leading all the way. She claimed another win in the second heat race this time coming from fourth position before going on to win. Chase Doherty then won the third and final qualifier setting a new eight-lap record for the class along the way with a time of 2:56.017.
Sheedy started the final with Doherty alongside on the front row while cousins Riley and Ryder Taylor occupied the second row with Dayne Murdoch and Eliza Taylor on row three.
Sheedy secured the race lead on lap one with Doherty pouring on the pressure. Doherty moved to the front on lap five before Sheedy snatched it back on lap seven bringing Riley Taylor past Doherty at the same time.
The next lap Sheedy’s race came to an end as she rolled over hitting the turn four pole line ditching her car upside down in the grassed infield. The chequered flag was called on the race with Riley Taylor winning from Doherty, Ryder Taylor, Murdoch, and Eliza Taylor.
Junior standard saloon racers also competed for their final round of the Next Generation Showdown series. Across four heat races Tom Braz, Hunter Carey twice and Ella Sheedy were the qualifying race winners with Sheedy setting a new eight lap record of 2:45.422 breaking a four-year-old record.
Carey and Sheedy began the feature event at the front with Cooper Joynson, Tom Braz, last start winner Tannah Lee and Jack Stewart rounded out the top six starters. Carey would take the first lead of the race and after five laps was leading Sheedy, Braz, Joynson and Stewart.
Tyler McDermott then started a charge from sixth on lap six to third on lap nine. At the 10-lap mark with five laps to go Carey led Sheedy, McDermott, Joynson, and Stewart before Carey lost his grasp on victory as Sheedy, Joynson and Braz flew past.
Sheedy backed up her earlier rollover in the 1200 class claimed victory in front of Joynson, Braz, Carey, and Stewart while Braz claimed the series victory in front of Sheedy and Dyclan Sweet across the season.
Rounding out the support class action was the limited sportsman. A small field attended with some local competitors unavailable. Daniel Hurley began the night with victory in the first of three heat races where new racer Jayden White finished second. Darren Adams then won heat two with White despite being brand new to the action setting quick time of the heat.
Adams won the third heat race by just .934 of a second and clocked the fastest one lap time of the night for the class at 18.101. In the final, Adams, who has been the class’s
number one driver at Bairnsdale in recent seasons claimed the win by just .185 of a second from the White with David Knight in third.
