Wahgunyah Speedway continues to lay claim and producing the goods when it comes to being North East Riviera’s number one family entertainment venue, a packed house at the Wahgunyah reserve venue enjoyed a terrific afternoon/evening of racing on December 28.
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Visiting drivers Ian Thomsen, Zoey Salau and Stephen Laidlaw won the blue-ribbon events in Sports Sedans, Ladies Sports Sedans and Production Sedans, whilst Corowa member Ben Schmetzer claimed victory in the Colin Young Memorial round.
Also winning during the night was Corey McDonald from Wodonga in the Unlimited Sedans and Jaimi Barber from Benalla in Standard Saloons.
A number of Melbourne Eastern Suburbs, Goulburn Valley and Bendigo race drivers entered the Sports Sedan Grand Slam event one of the state’s best events in the class and one of two big events for the class at Wahgunyah within a couple of meetings of each other.
Josh Service, Ian Thomsen, Thomsen a second time, Brad Warren, Riley Balins of Albury and Thomsen for a third victory and clean sweep although Bradin Claridge handed the victory to him washing high up the track whilst seemingly having the race in the bag before Thomsen claimed his third qualifying win.
Thomsen, Rhys Collins of Stanley, Service, Warren, Bradin Claridge of Greater Bendigo and Balins then started in the top six of the feature race based on their qualifying.
Thomsen got off to a great start in the feature with Jordan Haley from Gippsland making a terrific start moving up three spots and into the top five by lap two.
On lap twelve, two of the top drivers in Collins and Balins saw their races end.
The race was shortened due to stoppages and on lap fifteen Thomsen held of Service by .222 of a second to claim victory in the Grand Slam with Warren in third, Bradin Claridge and Haley rounding out the top five.
Ladies Sports Sedans were competing for hands down the best Ladies Sports Sedan event of the season, the Queen of the Murray.
Katie Meyer, Kellie Latham, and Emma Threlfall won the three qualifying races before the fifteen-lap feature race.
Things had not started well for one of the early pre-event favourites in Zoey Salau when contact between her and Bree Claridge in race one finished with Salau’s car into the concrete wall and Claridge’s car with a flat tyre, Salau would go on to turn her night around big time.
Meyer began from pole position with Tay Barnard, Latham, Threlfall, Mia Lamb and Kayla Mannix having qualified as the top six.
Barnard led lap one, with Latham passing Meyer on lap two for second spot. Meyer was the first of the favourites to exit the running when she moved infield on lap five as Latham hit the lead.
Starting outside of the top six, Salau from Swan Hill moved the lead on lap seven of the race and slowly put distance between herself and Latham.
When the chequered flag unfurled Salau had defeated, Latham Threlfall, Mannix and Barnard to claim the Queen of the Murray honours.
The Noel McGrath Memorial doubling as a round of the Speedway Sedans Victoria Northern series for Production Sedans attracted competitors from the Wagga and Leeton Clubs of New South Wales and Hamilton Club in Southwestern Victoria to join local racers and Stephen Laidlaw from Gippsland.
Wahgunyah resident Rhys Lansdown won the first heat race of the night by just .293 of a second whilst Laidlaw had a engine misfire and parked his Commodore infield.
Leeton’s Wayne Bourke won the second race and Lansdown greeted the flag again first in heat race three before Laidlaw final cracked for a race win in the final qualifier, whilst Corowa member Brayden Creek had a big hit with the concrete wall.
Lansdown then started from pole position for the final with Dehne Sparrow of Hamilton, Andrew Cunningham from Henty, Laidlaw, Shane Hammond another from Hamilton and Tom Barnard rounding out the top six positions to start the final.
Laidlaw showing all his experience moved from fourth to first on lap one with the two times former national champion showing all both his rear wheels.
Cunningham who returned to racing last season after a long lay-off hit the lead on lap two before Laidlaw moved back to the front on lap four.
Over the fifteen laps Laidlaw gradually increased his lead with his last twelve laps all below the twenty-six second mark.
Laidlaw beat Cunningham, Barnard, Scott Hawkins, and Hammond in the Memorial.
Many Corowa locals compete in the Goulburn Ovens Sedan category, and they competed in the first of two rounds in the Colin Young Memorial organised by the Goulburn Ovens Sedan Association.
Nathan Shortis of Mulwala was with the front runners crossing the line five wide as they passed the rear of the field, Ross Maclean a local Corowa business co-owner, Mitch Watts, Ben Schmetzer, Maclean a second time and Schmetzer a second time, claimed the qualifying race wins.
Shortis was handed his win with Watts being put back two spots by stewards for jumping the race start.
Lining up for the final the top six drivers at the front of the field were Ben Schmetzer, Shortis, Watts, Justin Ewert another Corowa member and Tommy Schmetzer also representing the host club.
The early leader was Ben Schmetzer before Shortis hit the front on lap three before Schmetzer hit the lead once again the very next lap.
Maclean was the first of the top runners to drop out of the race on lap ten.
Ben Schmetzer continued to lead Shortis and Tommy Schmetzer moved into third spot in the race squeezing Shortis between the two brothers.
When the chequered flag unfurled Ben Schmetzer claimed round one of the Colin Young Memorial from Shortis, Tommy Schmetzer, Ewert and rookie driver Shane Barkley who had a terrific run to claim fifth.
In her own words, racer Jaimi Barber had done a Steven Bradbury (Famous Australian Olympic Speed Skater) when she claimed the win in the final of the Standard Saloons.
Trevor Evans race leader and Dean Spring from South Gippsland had first and second in the bag until a last lap, last turn calamity handed victory to Barber.
Prior to the final Micheal Fleming-Robertson had won all three heat races to secure pole position with Adam Brezovnik, Spring, Evans, Barber and Rhyse Lavender rounding out the top six starters.
Fleming-Robertson whilst leading dropped out of the race on lap five with Evans hitting the front.
As Evans and Spring crept up on traffic and Spring went high and Evans low, Spring rode a wheel and almost sent himself into orbit whilst Evans’ motor that had been held together all night by araldite, eggs and pepper finally let go, handing a unimpeded view to the checkered flag for Barber. Barber led Lavender, James Brown, Ryah Chant and Keith Cattermole to the line for the win.
Peter Schmetzer then Corey McDonald twice, won the Unlimited Sedan heat races with visiting Bega racer Dave Pitt finding the concrete wall in heat two. McDonald then securing the win in the final from Schmetzer, Paul Willams and Stan Brown.
Racing returns to Wahgunyah on January the 18th with the Sports Sedan Extreme Series and all the clubs’ regular classes in support.
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