Local legend Mal Siely took out the second running of the Bairnsdale Speedway Association’s King of the Rock feature event, over the Melbourne Cup long weekend.
It was the club’s first meeting of a new season, headlined by the limited sportsmen in the feature and supported by the visiting Speedway Drivers Association Victoria hot rods, junior 1200cc sedans, standard saloons and division two hot rods.
Starting the night’s action in the heats of the King of the Rock both Matt Hurley and Darren Adams led before Dillon Siely assumed the front spot to go on to win heat one.
The class locally is boosted by the return of brothers Matt and Daniel Hurley, the addition of Jayden White and Koby Noonan, with legend Mark Laity returning to action in a class he won many races in before progressing to sprintcars.
Mal Siely would win heat number two before Darren Adams led every lap of heat three just holding out Dillon Siely.
In the final, trying as hard as he could to get in front of his father, Dillon Siely had to settle for second behind the old master Mal who set a record 15-lap time of 4:40.063 in clinching his victory. Adams hung on for third, ahead of Matt and Daniel Hurley.
State champion Shannon Meakins started the hot rod action with a win in the first of three qualifying heat races leading all the way, while Brendan Roberts would then win the second heat race before Meakins would again salute in heat three.
Meakins would not start the final due to a mechanical issue and in a reverse grid line-up, Andy Kemp and Roberts started at the back with Roberts moving into the race lead by lap seven, going on to win from Kali Hovey, Kemp, Allan Borradale and Phil Jenkins.
In a state championship preview, the junior 1200cc sedans appeared with Chase Doherty claiming an edge over competitors by winning the night’s final in record time.
Doherty started the evening winning heat race number one, before Riley Taylor then won the second and third heat races before nine drivers started the final.
In a 12-lap record time of 4:45.809, Doherty claimed the win in the final in front of Xander Baxter, Riley Taylor, Ella Sheedy and Ryder Taylor.
Trafalgar’s Mel Tatterson claimed the first two heats of the division two hot rods, before Lakes Entrance driver Ben Crittenden claimed a win in the final heat race.
The final would not go the distance after a crash involving race leader Crittenden, who was trying to pass another competitor and as he did made contact, ended in his car catapulting into the air, rolling multiple times and sustaining considerable damage.
Tatterson who was second at the time was declared winner in front of Josh Thomas and Kate Stuchbery, with Crittenden suffering no major injuries in the spectacular crash.
Four heat races were contested in the standard saloons with each driver competing in three of them, Tyson Cull had a big win in the first before Bairnsdale racer Gus Argoon claimed the win in the second heat.
Cull once again won in heat three with another Bairnsdale driver, Jamie Curtis claiming a close victory in the final heat race.
In the final, Argoon and Cull started at the front with perennial winner Josh Thomas close behind them.
Argoon and Cull had short races as both would exit on lap three handing the lead to Thomas from Curtis and Josh Kokshoorn.
Thomas would lead every lap from lap four to go on and claim the win ahead of Curtis, Beau Stuchbery, Kokshoorn and Brendan Sheedy.
