DALY DAZZLES WITH WINNING DRIVE AT RUSHWORTH

DALY DAZZLES WITH WINNING DRIVE AT RUSHWORTH

Latrobe Valley Sprintcar driver Bobby Daly blitzed the field with a clean win at the Goulburn Valley 

Auto Club’s Rushworth Speedway on Saturday, at the same time cementing the season pointscore 

for the Victorian Sprintcar Association Race Series 2015/16.

The main event for the show on May 14th was the Sprintcars with all our local heroes in Sedans 

supporting on show also.

In the Sprintcar final Dennis Jones added some new meaning to the label “Things with Wings” when 

he attempted to fly, becoming airborne late in the race after coming together with team mate Justin 

Barton, this added an extra spectacle to the already polarising show the fastest things on dirt put on, 

& Jones despite the ride, managed to land back on his wheels & continue on.

The starting grid for Sprintcar final was Daly, Barton, Mark Laity, Jones, Andrew Hughes, Shane 

Steenholt and Dave Dennison.

At the flag, the green light was closely followed by the yellow with the Chief Steward unhappy with 

the disorderly start and ordering a restart. The second attempt saw Daly get away well, but this was 

also short-lived when Dennison spun in turn two, bringing the yellow out again.

Third attempt lucky, with Daly again claiming the lead, followed by Laity, Barton, Jones, Hughes, 

Steenholt and Dennison. The field remained in that order for much of the race with a battle 

emerging between Barton and Jones for third.

Daly had opened around a half-lap lead by lap fourteen, and Laity had been caught by the 

squabbling Barton and Jones, making it a three way battle for second and third. On lap eighteen, 

Jones rode over Barton’s wheel, with both cars thankfully recovering without losing ground. 

Daly took an easy win by over half a lap. 

Fans were abuzz with speculation that Daly would break his own track record at Rushworth, but this 

was not to be. Although Daly claimed the fastest lap with a time of 13.450 seconds, this was just 

0.121 short of his existing record. During the event, all Sprintcars recorded times under fourteen 

seconds.

The final five placings were Daly, Barton, Laity, Jones and Hughes.

Supporting feature event was for Marsh Modifieds, with the final field reduced after losing some 

competitors to damage and break downs. Jonathon Knight had pole with Garry Kakoschke on the 

outside followed by Timothy Knight, Justin Bradley and George Potts.

Despite a brilliant showing in the heats by Johnathon Knight, it was Kakoschke who claimed the early 

lead and was never headed. The field of Kakoschke, Johnathon Knight, Timothy Knight, Bradley and 

Potts just spread out during the event, with Johnathon Knight trying unsuccessfully to close on a 

flying Kakoschke. Final placings were Kakoschke, Johnathon Knight, Timothy Knight, Bradley and 

Potts.

An initial fourteen nominations for GV Production Sedans was reduced to just nine starters in the 

final. Much of the action was produced in the heats, with some hectic mid-field battles for placings 

were taking place. In heat three, Scott Burchett had claimed a commanding lead with the pack 

fighting behind him. This culminated in a five-car pile-up in turn four involving Echuca’s Rachel Pratt, 

Ash Brown, Leigh Jeffery and Warren Alexander. All escaped with just panel damage and dented 

egos.

This left the final grid of Burchett, Pratt, Shane Hutchins, Jeffery, Brown, Matt Walker, Scott Smith, 

Mark Bergman and Warren Alexander. Pratt out-dragged Burchett for the lead and the field settled 

down with Hutchins in third followed by Jeffery and Brown. 

The mid-field battles of the heats did not eventuate, except for a tussle between Brown and Walker. 

Pratt had opened a quarter-lap lead from the rest, and Alexander retired with a broken front 

suspension. 

Final placings were Pratt, Burchett, Hutchins, Jeffery and Brown.  The GV Production Sedans were 

recording times in the 20 – 21 second bracket.

It was bonus points night for some of the GV ladies with the non-appearance of two of the previous 

front runners. Line-up for the final was Bendigo’s Natalie Thompson, Jacquie Fitzpatrick, Kelly 

Nadort, Leanne Hodge and Echuca’s Maddie Naismith. The ladies stayed pretty much in that order 

with Fitzpatrick challenging for the lead, and eventually getting past Thompson, who in turn was 

looking for a way back to the front.

An opportunity occurred on the last lap when Fitzpatrick went wide coming out of turn two, and 

Thompson pounced to take the flag. Final results were Thompson from Fitzpatrick with Nadort third 

followed by Hodge and Naismith.

Juniors presented with five cars for the final, Thomas Conboy from Bendigo on pole from Lachie 

Fitzpatrick, Josh Cecil, Issiah Hodge and Kodye Basten. An interesting race developed with Conboy 

taking the lead and Fitzpatrick lost some ground to fall back into a challenge by Cecil. 

Conboy escaped into the distance as Cecil tried to find a way past Fitzpatrick. Hodge retired to the 

centre, followed shortly after by Basten. Placings at the flag were Conboy from Fitzpatrick, Cecil, 

Basten and Hodge.

This week, the GV Open Saloons had their final to themselves and with fifteen starters the local Big 

Bangers were promising plenty of action. They did not disappoint!

The front three rows on the grid saw Phil Lamb from Peter Welch (both Bendigo), Keith Simmonds, 

Wayne Gilsenan, Adam Box and Shaun Thompson. Peter Fitzpatrick started out of position eight, and 

Mark Cecil from eleven. Lamb hit the front from Welch, followed by Gilsenan, Keith Simmonds, 

Thompson and Box. The field spread out with Lamb leading Welch, who started to close on the 

leader as they commenced working their way through lapped traffic. 

By lap seven, Fitzpatrick was in ninth, and Cecil in sixth when the red flag stopped the race with a car 

on fire on the infield. The restart order was Lamb, Welch, Gilsenan, Thompson, Keith Simmonds, 

Box, Brad Simmonds and Cecil. 

An intriguing situation ensued as the cars circulated under yellow for several laps whilst the placings 

were sorted, with Fitzpatrick trying to re-join the field in fourth spot, then third. Gilsenan held his 

position in the tight single file line-up, with Fitzpatrick circulating two-wide on the outside while the 

Chief Steward went to confer with the lap scorers. Fitzpatrick then retired to the infield.

The restart had positions unchanged, with Cecil proceeding with what was the drive of the night. 

From lap eight, he was picking off a car a lap, and by lap twelve was in fourth spot. Mark Cecil in the 

ancient 6-cylinder Torana was simply out driving the big V8s of Keith Simmonds and Box!

Thompson, meantime had got past Gilsenan to take over third, with Gilsenan dropping to seventh in 

the process. With two laps remaining, Keith Simmonds finally got past Cecil. The chequered flag 

dropped on Lamb and Welch with the Steward announcing a two position penalty on Thompson for 

an earlier indiscretion, promoting Keith Simmonds to third with Gilsenan in fourth, and Box fifth.

With the majority of the GV Open Saloons posting times in the 20 – 21 second bracket, Lamb’s best 

time was 18.845 seconds and Welch 19.381

The final meeting for the season at Rushworth Speedway will be on Saturday 28th May, with the 

return of the Super Sedans, supported by Grand Prix Midgets. On the same program we will see the 

last round for GV Open Saloons, GV Production Sedans, GV Ladies and GV Juniors.

Written by

Ray Read

DMT Sports Media

For Goulburn Valley Auto Club t/as Rushworth Speedway

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