Wangaratta Speedway Club January 9th results

IN SCORCHING WEATHER HESELTINE, COTTIER, MILTHORPE, MEYERS ON FIRE AT SPEEDWAY

Wangaratta Speedway got under way for the post Christmas season in scorching 34 degree heat on 

Saturday the 9th of January with a big program of feature events to entertain the dirt track faithful & 

local drivers feature amongst the big wins with Lavington NSW based driver Craig Cottier taking an 

important ‘Darren Levy Memorial’ Sports Sedan victory & Corowa youngster Jack Milthorpe the 

same in ‘North East Rising Star Challenge’ Junior Sedans.

Visiting divisions were the main act with the V8 powered AMCA class being won by Dean Heseltine & 

Shepparton’s Geoff Meyers winning the Compact Speedcar ‘Cardwell Cup’ whilst Standard Saloons 

victory went to Liam Powell, Gary Kakoschke in Marsh Modified Sedans & Ladies Sedans to Kayla 

Knox.

Amca Nationals are popular right across Australia & twenty of Victoria’s hard chargers lined up for 

the latest Country Cup round where Dean Heseltine would take victory ahead of ahead of a great 

challenge by Bill Lodwick & Northern Territory champion Jamie Collins. 

A number of race incidents including unavoidable contact between the race winner and the leader at 

the time Zeke Edwards who both had nowhere to deviate too coming out of turn two with a spun 

backmarker sitting on track in front of them & a roll over to Sharon Tindal stopped & started the 

feature event before the race reached an end with Grant Cullinger finishing fourth & Darren 

McCarthy in fifth.

Six heat race victories went to Heseltine, Matt Mills, Allan Cullinger, Zeke Edwards, Heseltine again & 

Collins with plenty of heat race spins, enquiry flags & tantrums to keep the steward busy.

Round one of the Darren Levy Memorial series began very well for Craig Cottier a cousin of the late 

Darren Levy taking a satisfying win over Nagambie’s Aaron Bunton, Jimmy Powell, Daniel 

Unternahrer & Georgette Meunier in the Sports Sedans. Cottier was the red hot favourite going into 

the event & secured a front row race start after a win & two seconds in heat racing before heading 

off ahead of Corey Knox and the field early in the race never to be headed.

The feature was punctuated by a huge crash with Troy Frost spinning & the car back into traffic 

wiping out Tom Barnard & Adam Lovell whilst Russell Smith was able to continue. Cory Knox, 

Bunton, Thomas Bowers, Cottier, Bunton & Daniel Unternahrer won heat races heading into the 

feature event.

Junior drivers from the North East of Victoria and as far away as Portland & Young in NSW arrived to 

do battle at Wangaratta in the first round of a two round mini-series to crown a North East Rising 

Star winner. 

Milthorpe from border town Corowa was too good in two of the three heats for all challengers 

before he blitzed in the feature to defeat Daniel Powell, Coby Elliott, Rick McAuliffe & Jake Cottier in 

the round supported by Patton Automotive Wangaratta, Chris Kelly Signs Wodonga & Highline 

Racewear & Apparel.

Meyers in the Compact Speedcars wanted to make up for bad luck that ended his run at the recent 

Victorian title held at Rushworth Speedway to take a win in the Cardwell Cup & he did so with a 

great commanding win over Will Van Der Ark, Keith Astrella, Butch Hutchinson & Gavin Gay.

The most exciting race of the night was the Standard Saloon final where Gary Evans led before 

Beechworth racer Liam Powell picked off with one lap to go & head of to victory with Evans, Josh 

Delarue, Daniel Joosten & Jack Bear rounding out the top five & Kakoschke was too strong for 

challengers in his Marsh Modified Sedan division when he beat Stewart Knight, Timothy Knight, 

Justin Bradley & Greg Knight who suffered mechanical gremlins whilst challenging for a win & 

limping to the line in fifth.

Wangaratta Speedway Club Supporters for 15/16:

SuperAxe Woodsplitters

One Mile Motors

Crosher Constructions

Wangaratta Auto Care

Wangaratta Radiators

North East Fasteners

A Grade Removals & Storage

Enzed Wangaratta

McDonalds Wangaratta

Alpine Truss

Gardenview Lodge Motel

IGA Wangaratta

APCO

Thommo's Cash for Scrap

Solimo Towing

Parish Autos

Ussher Plumbing

Patton Automotive

Mundies Automotive

Precast Concrete

Ryans Refrigerated Transport

Wangaratta Tourist & Caravan Park

Ray Wason Motorcyles

Meiland Trophies

Written by

Dean Thompson

DMT Sports Media

For Wangaratta Speedway Club

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