There were record-smashing races, fiery crashes, and nail-biting finishes at Wahgunyah Speedway’ last meeting!
In the last twelve months the Australian Speedway world has been raving about the track lights in the dark of the night at Wahgunyah Speedway and recently two of the countries most popular speedway categories hit town and lit up the track.
New South Wales racer Tyson Moon won the Super Sedans setting two track records along the way and fellow New South Welshman Jacob Croker setting one new record in his Late Model class. Chevy Edwards also went on to win the Late Model final.
A packed house enjoyed the atmosphere and the racing with local Sports Sedan, Standard Saloon and Junior Sedan competitors also providing entertainment to support the main events.
Lachlan Onley (NSW), Croker (NSW) with his ten-lap distance record of 3:25.069 in an all the way heat race victory and Ben Nicastri (NSW) won the three qualifying races in Late Models.
Fiona Verhoeven who had travelled from Warrnambool had issues in her engine bay causing her concerns in heat two resulting in a non-finish.
Eildon based racer Chevy Edwards started from the front row and the Victorian led the first five laps with pressure coming from Onley, whilst Chevy’s brother Brock sat in fifth spot. At the quarter race distance mark of the forty-lap final, it was much the same with the Edwards, Onley one, two.
With twenty laps to go Brock Edwards had moved to third, however Nathan Disney stormed into the picture and moved to second on lap twenty-three.
Brock Edwards then passed Disney with five laps still to go and would go on to finish in second with Chevy Edwards winning by one second over his brother Brock.
Disney finished in third with Onley and Nicastri rounding out the top five.
Tyson Moon quickly set the tone in Super Sedans when he set a new ten lap record in the first heat race with a time of 3:36.590 whilst Lucas Roberts who was a likely challenge missed the race altogether with fuelling issues.
Travis Ramsdale’s night ended in heat two with a blown engine whilst Roberts was now working on brake issues in his car.
Moon then went on to win the second heat race that went start to finish in a slower time taking the lead on the last lap. Before Brock Atkins would win the last heat race ahead of Moon, denying the latter a qualifying race cleans weep.
Moon then won the twenty-lap final in a record time of 7:21.967 by a two second margin in front of Jamie Collins, Atkins, Ash Bergmeier and Lionel West.
Early tricky track conditions didn’t seem to trouble visitor Tyler Smith from Tasmania who complemented the local Junior Sedan field and clean swept the night winning all three heat races and then the final.
Smith finished seven seconds clear of Cooper Lack, Taijan Ussher, Brad Marshall, Ryder Lack and Mackenzie Dixon.
In Sports Sedans Danny Cox, Tristan McGraw, and Rhys Meakins won heat races. In heat one the returning Andrew Robl and Cobie McGraw made contact with both sustaining flat tyres.
The race continued with incidents galore before the Cox victory. Cox was unable to back up his heat one victory when a flat tyre ended his race in heat two. Meakins led much of the final until on lap seven of eight Cox hit the front.
In a margin less than a second at the finish. Cox beat Meakins, Rhys Collins, Lachlan Hamilton and Matt Callanan.
Tara Johannesen then won two of three heat races in Ladies Sports Sedans to win the night on points in front of Larissa Ahearn and Cobie McGraw.
A crash into the wall in heat three to McGraw as she tried to pass Ahearn ignited a small fire underneath her car which the crash crew and fire rescue team quickly extinguished.
Rounding out the evenings results were the Standard Saloons with club class champion Micheal Fleming – Robertson sweeping all the victories with three heat race wins and the victory in the final.
Trevor Evans finished second in the final with Scott McAuliffe, Harley Matthews and Keith Cattermole rounding out the top five.
Racing returns to Wahgunyah on December 28 with the Sports Sedan Grand Slam, the Colin Young Memorial for Goulburn Ovens Sedans the Queen of the Murray for Ladies Sports Sedans and Noel McGrath Memorial for Production Sedans all on the program.